number9l

I'm going to keep updating for anyone that may be following or have this issue and find this thread. Returned the ($350) GM parts to the dealer yesterday and talked to "their best front end guy". When I asked him if the centerlink is supposed to be level or at an angle, he said he'd never really paid any attention and the discussion really didn't help any. There was an '05 Tahoe in their lot that I looked at and took pics of. Tie rods on it looked to be at closer angles than mine. Below pic is showing my truck on top. Something is different between the two, maybe it's due to the ACDelco Advantage Pitman Arm I got not seating far enough up on the gearbox? I don't know..... I placed an order from GMPartsGiant for the GM Pitman / Idler for $231 shipped. I'm going to try the pitman arm first and see how much better it will seat on the gearbox and what difference it may make. Something I did notice looking at the pic above, is that my pass side wheel looks to have negative camber, but I'm not sure if that would cause the bumpsteer this truck has. I'm going to get an appointment to have the alignment checked out again before putting the new arms on. ....

Here's the pics. Showing difference in tie-rod angles (compare tie rod to axle shaft & lower A-arm) Centerlink at angle, not horizontally level like the swaybar is. Pitman Arm - ACDelco # 46C0069A Idler Arm - ACDelco 46C1120A If anyone with same gen 4x4, 1/2-ton,SUV / truck could confirm their Pitman / Idler looks the same as these and/or their Centerlink is horizontally level or at an angle when compared to the swaybar like in the pics above, it would be a fantastic HUGE help!! ...

Guys, I got (wife's) an '03 4x4 1500 Yukon with about 170K on it (bought it with 36K on it) Steering system needed a go-thru of course. I had all 4 ball joints replaced and then I replaced, myself, both wheel hub/bearings, tie-rods and pitman / idler arm, and idler arm bracket and new tires as well. Threaded the new tie-rods to same length as the old ones I pulled out and of course had it lined up after the work was done. Long story short, it's had bump steer ever since. When you go over a rise / dip and the suspension cycles, as the front rises (suspension extends) it pulls to one side (can't remember which) and then pulls to the other side when the front compresses (suspension compresses). I've found that with the front skid plate removed and looking through the air dam under the bumper at the centerlink, when comparing it's "levelness" to the swawbar, the crosslink is not level. It's higher on the pass side. Measuring from the concrete floor up to the bottom of the inner tie-rod, the pass side is about 1" higher than the driver side. Also, looking at the tie-rod angles, the pass side looks close to same angle as the A-arm, but the driver side looks almost flat (level). I had the GM dealership screw up once and put a 1/2-ton idler on my 2500HD and it had same symptoms - so I know even the dealership can have a parts screwup. The parts I put on it were ACDelco from RockAuto. Idler Arm # 46C1120A Idler Arm Bracket # 46C1123A Pitman Arm # 46C0069A I stopped at the dealership today and bought the GM Idler Arm/Bracket combo and Pitman Arm to compare to what I've got and see if one is obviously different. They were $340 and the guy said I can return them so I am trying my best to compare them and not get the new ones dirty / greasy in the process. I'll take some pics and update in a bit, pics are worth 1000 words. At any rate - if anyone has ran across this before, would happen to have pics of their idler / pitman or could even confirm that the crosslink DOES run level on their truck, it would be a HUGE help.