Front End Loose + Vibration

[Forkster]

I have a 2006 Sierra 1500 4WD with 136,000 miles. When ever I change lanes at higher speeds, especially over worn/grooved roads, I noticed the steering gets a little sloppy and then I get a slight vibration in the steering wheel which eventually dampens out.

 

Any idea what would cause this? U-joints? EVO(sp?) sensor? That's all I could find in the search here. How unsafe is my truck with this condition?

 

Ed

[jro909]

i feel every bump in the road in my wheel..vibrations go throughout the truck, including the steering wheel..i woulden't worry about it, gmt-800s are known for sloppy steering

[ChevyTech77]

Aftermarket wheels/tires?

 

Check front end components for play. Idler/pitman arms and inner tie rod ends are suspect on these trucks.

 

Check shocks.

[KMGZ400]

my 2001 1500 does the same thing. these GMT800's do have sloppy steering, its annoying. the vibrating most likely means something is worn, not sure what. my guess would be ball joints.

[Forkster]

Thanks guys - good tips. It's definitely loose - I can hear a little thunk if I'm stopped and then turn the wheel left or right. Somethings loose but it's not life threating... right?

[ChevyTech77]

Thanks guys - good tips. It's definitely loose - I can hear a little thunk if I'm stopped and then turn the wheel left or right. Somethings loose but it's not life threating... right?

Loose steering/suspension components can be very life threatening. I'd have it checked.

[KMGZ400]

Thanks guys - good tips. It's definitely loose - I can hear a little thunk if I'm stopped and then turn the wheel left or right. Somethings loose but it's not life threating... right?

 

 

well your tie rods could be shot... if they are they might be making the steering looser then normal.

 

 

ok so bacically you should take your truck to a good alignment shop, (IMO not just tires, sts, etc.) and have them give everything a good look over to be safe.

[jro909]

like the roads here are complete garbage, heavily crowned or valleyed with shotty patch jobs that end up being speed bumps..and my steering will vibrate or i'll get bad steering kick back from the bumps..but dealer said my whole front end is nice and tight

[Forkster]

like the roads here are complete garbage, heavily crowned or valleyed with shotty patch jobs that end up being speed bumps..and my steering will vibrate or i'll get bad steering kick back from the bumps..but dealer said my whole front end is nice and tight

That's exactly what's happening with mine and the dealership has been telling me for a while. I suspect something like worn tie-rod ends or maybe worn bushings. I'm getting new tires installed on Monday, maybe they'll find something. If not, I have my friend who's a mechanic with his own shop to look at it on the 13th. I'll post back here what he finds.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions guys!

 

Ed

[SB42]

I recently took my truck into the dealer for the last service before my warranty expired. I had a little play in my wheel when going through a turn and hitting a bump; I asked them to check ball joints and such as most of you have mentioned.

 

After everything was said and done they replaced the idler and pitman arms, intermediate shaft, and lower (steering wheel) column bearing. Now my steering and front end feels BRAND new. I will say the only reason I had them look into it was because it was under warranty, so why not? If it wasnt under warranty I'm sure I would have just dealt with it.

 

Hope this helps.

[Forkster]

I've got my truck back with a planned trip to return in January to repair worn components - tie rod, pivit arm, wheel bearing, and control arm bushings. I also had to replace the alternator (it was going too). $1500 worth or repairs required.

 

HOWEVER, turns out the vibration was caused by the local $tealership when they rotated the rear tires to the front but neglected to notice there was 3" of mud on the inside of the rims - or around 30 lbs of mud on the inside of each rim. As a result, it was causing the bad wobble from the weight of the mud. How can you miss that? I know never to take my truck there for service. It's the same $tealership I took my truck to back in October who said the front end was fine when I had the wobble then as well. Guess they missed the worn tie-rod, pivit arm, and the loose/noisy wheel bearing.

[ChevyTech77]

I've got my truck back with a planned trip to return in January to repair worn components - tie rod, pivit arm, wheel bearing, and control arm bushings. I also had to replace the alternator (it was going too). $1500 worth or repairs required.

 

HOWEVER, turns out the vibration was caused by the local $tealership when they rotated the rear tires to the front but neglected to notice there was 3" of mud on the inside of the rims - or around 30 lbs of mud on the inside of each rim. As a result, it was causing the bad wobble from the weight of the mud. How can you miss that? I know never to take my truck there for service. It's the same $tealership I took my truck to back in October who said the front end was fine when I had the wobble then as well. Guess they missed the worn tie-rod, pivit arm, and the loose/noisy wheel bearing.

 

Worn out control arm bushings??? I've been doing front end repairs on GM trucks for 15 years and have only seen a control arm bushing worn out due to collision damage. Somebody is taking you for a ride.