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Intermediate Steering Shaft Question

ss502gmc

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ss502gmc Enthusiast

ss502gmc

Posted
Posted

I was trying to find out what the symptoms are of the infamous bad steering shafts in the silverados. I have clunking feeling in my front end that i can feel through the steering wheel. I know my pitman arm is a little worn but not severe and i already replaced the whole idler arm assembly and the rest of the front end is tight so was thinking maybe the steering shaft as ive heard alot about them on here. Plus it seems worse when going slow on say a dirt road or even a fairly smooth road for that matter but only notice at say 25 mph or so its kinda hard to explain. So i was wondering what to check for and how to address the problem if it is the culprit. Thanks guys

r1byker Enthusiast

r1byker

Posted
Posted

Sounds like you're describing what I had on my '05 Suburban. I started feeling it at around 16,000 miles so i got the steering shaft repaired under warranty. I now have 73,000 on it and the problem hasn't recurred. You're right; I seemed to notice it at slower speeds and over particularly rough sections of road.

Larry Enthusiast

Larry

Posted
Posted

Don’t forget to check the lower bearing at the base of the steering column. The bearing assemblies have a habit of working their way out of the column tube becoming loose and causing a similar clunk as the I-shaft.

Stylous Enthusiast

Stylous

Posted
Posted

Look for the same subject on the fullsize forumn...just posted this week.

 

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I'm 6k miles into the repair I did myself for $0 and have had no problems yet. If it happens again I might buy the new part ($75) but I'm undecided at this point to be honest.

 

Here is what I did...

 

I used this link for the general instructions (http://www.gm-trucks.com/resources/how-to/2009/01/22/lubing-your-intermediate-steering-shaft-for-1999-to-2004-trucks/). It was spot on except my '02 used 15mm, not 17mm as described here but everything else was the same.

 

This cost me $0. Here's why...

My friend works for Chevy and said the grease in the shaft is most likely failing due to the heat from the manifold. This is the "theory" around GM. If you look at the bottom of the steel shaft you can see where the grease ran out from the shock then down the shaft. I can buy this theory given the physical evidence and the fact that lithium grease is not designed to hold up to those engine temps.

I knew the new grease that comes in the kit (about $12 at the dealer) is black in color (not white lithium as the original) and that it has to be able to hold up to extreme heat. I am guessing it must be (or close to) brake caliper grease.

 

I had some caliper grease in my garage so for $0 and 1 hour of my time (taking it easy) I decided to try the repair. I used the process described above in the link but used some brake caliper grease instead. I used a clamp to plug the two side holes and just kept my palm over the larger hole as I pressed the shaft down. I did this twice for good measure. Somewhat messy job but very easy. It will take you about 5 mins to remove the part, 5 mins to put it back on.

 

I am just over 6k with this fix and it seems to be working well. :)

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