suspension problems

[tybardy]

well my front right suspension is fvcked... making a million different noises. I have yet to get in a pull the wheel completely off, however i have got under to take a quick gander and unfortunatly, i dont know **** about suspension.

Anyone know if there are certain consistant problems these trucks have here, how much this one might cost, and is it a fix i can accomplish myself?

 

[TheFuzz]

Could be a tie rod problem...those are pretty common.

What are the symptoms besides making noises? What kind of noises are they? Any looseness/sloppiness in the steering? Do the noises occur when turning?

 

[Sepiroth]

Ty common parts that go out on these things are Hub bearings, Tie rod ends, and ball joints.

Your best bet is if you can not check it and diagnose yourself, get yourself a couple of opinons.

 

[tybardy]

Could be a tie rod problem...those are pretty common.

What are the symptoms besides making noises? What kind of noises are they? Any looseness/sloppiness in the steering? Do the noises occur when turning?

well it is a little sloppy but it has always been that way because i STILL have not fixed the intermediate shaft.... so i think thats all that is.

it makes a very consistant clicking noise, that speeds up when the truck speeds up... so it obviously sounds like something is stuck and smacking one part of the wheel/brake as it moves.... thats ONE noise

When i hit bumps it makes ******* AWFUL shuttering noises. If i hit a speed bump on the driver side only, its all good, if i hit a speed bump on passenger side, you can feel the ******

 

[Grebbler]

Get the truck up on a jack right away.

The noise and description tell me passenger wheel bearing/hub and your wheel may be ready to come off. Call me an alarmist but I'd rather be safe.

Check BOTH wheels. Jack up one wheel and grab the tire at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions. Alternate pushing forward on the top while pulling the bottom of the wheel toward you. This checks for play in the bearings. There should be almost no play.

Switch to the 9 and 3 o'clock positions to check for tie rod, pitman arm, and idler arm play. If one wheel moves while the other does not you have issues there as well.

Spin the wheel by hand and listen for noises while feeling for roughness during spin. If the wheel clicks, rattles and/or grabs randomly while turning its the bearing. If it grabs at the same place during rotation - the brakes may also need work.

The noisy steering shaft usually don't add any play or looseness unless it's really worn and fubarred.

Lets us know what ya find.

Greb

 

[tybardy]

ill tell a secret... and i feel like a total knob for saying this, but i dont have any jack stands I always use ramps, just always felt safer, and when it came time to change a wheel just used the jack and worked one at a time....

looks like Ty is gonna have to go get some jack stands tomorrow... I am really affraid of how much this is going to cost me, especially since i JUST dropped $200 flushing my tranny and switching in Royal Purple MaxATF

but this is good info, i am going to get on this

 

[TheFuzz]

Yeah man, better safe than sorry. I'd hate to see you (or your hoe) get hurt. You don't need top of the line jackstands or anything, just some that will get your truck off the ground a little.

Oh and I have ramps too, it's all good.

 

[Max]

Just rebuilt the front end on mine, did all the work myself but it's still a costly ordeal. Be sure to buy napa premium or moog replacement parts, you may want to invest in the cognito pitman/idler braces or at lease gusset the idler arm bracket.

 

[tybardy]

hey whats up man, good to see you...

anyways, when you say costly... how costly are you talking? I am really going to try to diagnose the problem and hopefully its covered under the warranty.

 

[Max]

tie rod ends (inners/outers), pitman arm, idler arm, idler arm bracket = $500 iirc. install is easy with the right tools, I lucked out and had my service manager replace my front end while I finished some other work.