04 Yukon driving TERRIBLY...please help

[ryangt]

ive been searching for possible causes of the symptoms my truck is having, but am not comming up with for sure answers, i dont want to spend money on the wrong parts and still have the same issue so i figure ill defer to the experts.

Basically anytime over 60mph my truck becomes very unpredictable, the front end basically seems to have a mind of its own, and i feel like i look like a drunk person driving because of all the movement..

I get a pretty bad vibration thru the steering wheel, its not rocking back and forth but towards and away from the dash... if that makes sense... Ive had the truck aligned and the tires and wheels balanced, so it shouldnt be that....

i greased the front end so thats good, i also replaced the shock absorber bushings which looked pretty bad also, but it didnt make a difference..

I lifted the truck on stands and shook the front wheels to check for play.... nodda..

the only other thing i noticed was that the sway bar links seem to have seen better days.... any possibility those could be really wreaking havoc under the truck at speed?? I have no idea what sort of symptoms those could cause..


im at a loss, please help.

 

[AquinoSteven]

Mine had the sam problems. Drove like it was windy as hell out. Ended up being bad inner tie rods and pitman/idler arm

 

[rich5368]

That's what I was going to say. Check your tie rods and pitman and idler arms.

 

[d3adpool]

mines is doing the same thing, i'll take it to a suspension shop monday and have a looksie.

 

[ryangt]

Exactly! !! Like its windy and it isn't so much as a gentle breeze. Did you replace the ends yourself or have a shop do it? What's a whole new set of inner and outter ends run?

 

[Jay]

In addition to the above, check the steering shaft (intermediate shaft) sometimes they can get enough play in them to let the steering wheel feel like it's wobbling around.

If none of this fixes the problem, check all the bushings on the front A-arms. If the A-arms have a lot of play (which you probably can't reproduce by hand) then the entire hub will not track straight.

 

[ryangt]

Ok well I got nowhere on this issue since initially posting it. I've been to 5 different shops and noone can tell me anything is wrong. Everything seems tight and they said play is minimal. I want to avoid throwing parts and money at the truck if it doesn't need it. Basically i've done all that I can do and am looking for new ideas ...anyone have some? Is there a way to check my idler and pitman arm on my own? I don't feel the shops are looking close enough..sorry to seem frustrated but y'all know how it is. Thanks in advance.

 

[TheFuzz]

Hey Ryan, sorry to hear that your rig is acting up. Have any of these shops actually jumped in the driver's seat and FELT what you're talking about? Or are those Auzzies afraid to drive a LHD vehicle?

If they aren't test driving it, then they probably won't be able to zero in on the issue. Symptoms of things like worn A-arm bushings would be tough to reproduce even in a shop. You mentioned that they are saying play is "minimal"....on what? If play is minimal on a part that shouldn't have any play at all, then you will definitely feel it at higher speeds. Wha were they referring to?

 

[chevy_man]

Reach up and grab the tie rods and try and move them. If they have more than minimal slop the ends are most likely bad. Also check where it hooks to the pitman arm and idler arm as they have a ball-joint that wears out. My 88' had bad idler/pitman arms and tie rod ends. If you put the front end on jackstands and moved a tire the whole assembly would wobble and shift around.

 

[ryangt]

well i decided to replace the inner tie rods, threw some new moog ones on there and its driving better, wouldnt say all better tho.. ill probably do the pitman and idler just to be safe.

They were just checking the inner tie rods and pitman arm and so forth, they said there was practically no sign of wear... it was confusing.