Scotty, iv been watching for about a month now, and being the most experienced mechanic i know, maybe you can help me. I have a 98 jeep grand cherokee laredo that shimmies bad when i hit a bump at higher speeds, but stops when i get back down to about 40 mph. Iv had the differential bearings replaced, but the problem persisted. No codes ever tripped. 285k miles and its the only thing wrong. Any ideas?
That Jeep has a solid axle front end. Those are prone to shimmy and "death wobble" due to worn front end parts. The track bar is the prime suspect, but it can be caused by any worn front end parts. (For what it's worth I had this problem on my '99 Cherokee and replacing the track bar fixed it.)
Well you hit bumps and it shakes that's usually a sign of worn out shocks and or really bad tires that get misshapen when they hit big bumps. But if it feels like it's more in the drivetrain that old you'd have to check the drive shaft for any problem with the joints and pray that the differential isn't just not wearing out inside
I greatly appreciate it scotty, tires are still brand new, just had them put on in december. It feels like a general shimmy, but it feels like its both front and back, but a shaking sound comes from the rear when it happens. Ill check the drive shaft tonight and see if anything is loose.
I took a quick look, the shocks look ok, didnt bother checking the drive shaft because i saw the differential housing appears greasy...