05 Tahoe Steering issues

[Joe406]

I have read most of the threads on steering looking for my exact issue. My issue is not that the front end parts are loose. Everything has been replaced. But it is hard to keep it tracking straight like any other GM vehicle I have had. For instance if I am driving down the road and I cough the slightest movement of the wheel and the vehicle quickly changes direction. There is no slop it is just too easy to steer I guess. Maybe this is how the Tahoes drive and I am just not familiar. I had a 96 Tahoe and it drove similar to my 99 Sierra and my 08 Silverado. To drive a straight line I am constantly having to make small left then right adjustments and my wife says it makes her car sick. it feels like I am weaving back and forth all the time. If I hit a bump this also occurs as I correct the steering it becomes a system of left-right corrections to keep straight. Not like to a point it is dangerous, mostly annoying. Any ideas?

New ball joints, new tie rods, new center link, new sway bar bushings, new idler arm, new pitman arm. The gear box does not seem to have any slop in it. When the steering wheel moves the wheels move. When I got new tires they checked the alignment and I have no tire wear issues.

 

[mattbta]

Is your turning radius drastically decreased?

Your description sounds like a problem I had after getting new tie-rods and pitman arm at Firestone. I took it to many specialist shops and they gave me the usual "it might need new ball joints/etc" so I did the work myself and threw the parts cannon at it. No change - well things were tightened up, but it was still scary on the highway. I then read and re-read and re-read again a post that I'd read before here about the orientation of the centerlink and finally went and inspected mine to find the idjits at Firestone installed mine incorrectly.

Have a look here at the picture, read the entire thread, then go look at your truck. It took me over 4 years and countless sets of front tires before I realized @SnowDrifter post was my problem.

Worth a shot and it takes a matter of minutes if you're able to get underneath.

 

[Joe406]

Thanks for the reply.

I can't really say about the turning radius. It has been like this since I bought the Tahoe. Is the picture the correct way or incorrect way. I am pretty sure I have read that same post but I will check it out again just in case.

I don't do much highway driving with it for this reason.

 

[Joe406]

Ignore my question about the picture. The old looking at pictures and not reading the words got me...

 

[mattbta]

Ignore my question about the picture. The old looking at pictures and not reading the words got me...

No worries - he posted in October '16 and it wasn't until 8 months later that I figured out what he was talking about and inspected my own to see it was wrong as well.

 

[Logan5]

I had this issue and it was my alignment. Supposedly my alignment was good so I searched long and wide for why my 05 tahoe would wander all over the highway.

I replacement my pitman arm and idler arm, adjusted the steering gear box, and wasted a bunch of time looking everywhere for it.

Finally took a string and did the string test and found I was a few degrees toe-out. I had no tire wear issues it was very slight toe-out.

Toe-in now and fixed.

I heard somewhere that they sometimes toe-out slightly to give the vehicle a 'responsive' feel to the steering? Sounded sketchy to me, but for the 5 minutes it would take I would get a string and verify yourself that you are not toe-out.

 

[Jkittre777]

So I finally got tired of white knuckling on long trips so I fixed the problem 100%. I replaced the orifice on the back of the power steering pump. It’s called a “Mustang 2 power steering flow valve”
P/N 91032918. Made by
“ Speedway Motors”.
I ordered it on Amazon. I am super stoked!!! 100% fixed the sensitive steering.

 

[Bofiggy]

JKittre.. finally eh?.. I have same issue. bought yukon xl in march..have replaced all steering parts. They were wore out, control arms. Alignment perfect. 2800 miles on new tires so.cant tell yet. I have been told to check the plastic steering column bushing/bearing.
I feel a slight column movement too. so Im still looking. will hav to look at th orifice.

 

[Jkittre777]

I also had some column movement . It was the half shaft. I replaced everything. Nothing worked until the flow valve.

 

[lyncht1967]

others searcing about loose steering/wandering check this out.worked for me

GMT800 Loose Steering Fix No One Has Mentioned here or Net - Ten Minutes, NO $$$

Backstory: After two years of loose steering nearly driving me INSANE with my 2003 Tahoe 5.3. I had changed all tie rods,idler arm, shook everything else until I went MAD, even got under dash to change upper int. shaft plastic bearing cup but found that to be tight already, tightened steering...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com