How Do You Tell?

jro909 · March 1, 2011

How do you tell when the suspension is shot? i had well over 300k on my old truck and never even gave a thought to the suspension, and with my 04 half ton i have a little over 100k and the samething really, besides alignments it hasen't had anything done...no pops or weird noises(knock on wood), the rides stiff and mildly sloppy on uneven or pummeled roads(i blame that on the rack and pinion) but yeah i was just curious

SparkySparks · March 1, 2011

You can try the rocking test, rock the truck back and forth then let go. The truck should stop after 2 or 3 rocks. I had an old Ranger that the shocks were toast. You could get it rocking back and forth with very little effort and would rock about 6 times or so.

KMGZ400 · March 1, 2011

my 03 suburban with 150,000 miles has worn shocks. its kinda sloppy and a little bouncy hard to describe, you can just tell from driving my other trucks with about 80,000 less miles. im gonna replace them soon, i dont think they are too expensive

tanked_darren · March 1, 2011

Jack the front up try to wiggle the front tires side-to-side, up and down, there should be no play.

Rocking test as said by SparkySparks.

Look at the leaf pack, are any broken?

Strange noises when going over speed bumps?

That's all I can think of.

jro909 · March 1, 2011

my shocks are brand new...the reason i ask is the truck drives very sloppy at times, like today it was windy and i was fighting the wheel the whole way to school on the highway...everything looks sound, the alignment was done not too long ago and the only sound i get is the occasion clunk from the suspension bouncing over sharp bumps...everything is kept greased, is this just the sloppy gmt-800 steering?

cghbuilder86 · March 2, 2011

My GMT-800 '04 is anything but sloppy. Smooth, tight, soft, and strong. Must be something else going wrong with yours...?

jro909 · March 2, 2011

My GMT-800 '04 is anything but sloppy. Smooth, tight, soft, and strong. Must be something else going wrong with yours...?

you have a rotating ball steering...i'm convinced its the rack and pinion..

SouthCo · March 2, 2011

My '03 Tahoe with 177K miles still has tight steering. Not sloppy at all. Original shocks too. It has the AUTORIDE suspension but I don't think that matters. I've been wondering when the shocks might need replacing but you can't bounce it. That's how I was told to test the shocks when I was learning to drive. I started out with a 1976 Malibu Classic that wouldn't stop bouncing.

00Silverado4x4 · March 2, 2011

My GMT-800 '04 is anything but sloppy. Smooth, tight, soft, and strong. Must be something else going wrong with yours...?

you have a rotating ball steering...i'm convinced its the rack and pinion..

How about your tie rods? On the equipment I work on we tow it at low speeds so most of the suspension doesn't get too much damage except tie rods & bearings. Like the others said, jack it up and see if you have any slack on anything under the front end. As to your type of steering, I'm pretty sure you have rotating ball steering, but if you post a pic someone could tell you for sure.

jro909 · March 3, 2011

My GMT-800 '04 is anything but sloppy. Smooth, tight, soft, and strong. Must be something else going wrong with yours...?

you have a rotating ball steering...i'm convinced its the rack and pinion..

How about your tie rods? On the equipment I work on we tow it at low speeds so most of the suspension doesn't get too much damage except tie rods & bearings. Like the others said, jack it up and see if you have any slack on anything under the front end. As to your type of steering, I'm pretty sure you have rotating ball steering, but if you post a pic someone could tell you for sure.

its rack and pinion, and the truck was aligned not too long ago and everything checked out as tight per the GM tech...but i'll have it rechecked next time i'm in that part of town

00Silverado4x4 · March 3, 2011

I apologize for assuming you had recirculating ball type as I found on GM Media website that pointed out the rack & pinion was installed on 2WD model. Since that is the case I am unaware of what could be wrong as far as in the steering specifically since I've not worked on that system. Hope you can find the problem & get it fixed.

jro909 · March 3, 2011

I apologize for assuming you had recirculating ball type as I found on GM Media website that pointed out the rack & pinion was installed on 2WD model. Since that is the case I am unaware of what could be wrong as far as in the steering specifically since I've not worked on that system. Hope you can find the problem & get it fixed.

no problem, thanks man