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2013 Sierra 1500 "tremor" in front end

jayhawk91
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jayhawk91 Enthusiast

jayhawk91

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Hey everyone! I'm new here and looking for some help on my truck. I'm stumped so far.

 

2013 Sierra 1500 5.3

 

There is a "tremor" when I turn the wheel that I feel mostly in the floorboard. The only way I know how to describe is it "feels like a helicopter sounds". It's still there when I drive straight, but noticeably less.

 

Tie rods, hubs, CV joints, and everything in the front end seems tight (at least as far as I can tell). New tires. Balanced tires.

 

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions on what to check for?

 

Thanks in advance!

swathdiver Senior Enthusiast

swathdiver

Posted
Posted
27 minutes ago, jayhawk91 said:

Hey everyone! I'm new here and looking for some help on my truck. I'm stumped so far.

 

2013 Sierra 1500 5.3

 

There is a "tremor" when I turn the wheel that I feel mostly in the floorboard. The only way I know how to describe is it "feels like a helicopter sounds". It's still there when I drive straight, but noticeably less.

 

Tie rods, hubs, CV joints, and everything in the front end seems tight (at least as far as I can tell). New tires. Balanced tires.

 

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions on what to check for?

 

Thanks in advance!

So it's kinda rhythmic would you say while turning?  How many miles?

 

Max play for upper and lower ball joints is .5 mm.  Max play for inner and outer tie rods is 1 mm.  Check bushings for upper and lower control arms, check bushing for sway bar end links and frame mounts too.

 

Front differential is supported by two brackets with 2 bushings in each, the rack and pinion has 2 bushings also that secure it to the frame.

 

Have someone visually look at the tires when you are turning or backing to see if the caster settings are normal.

 

Someone recently complained of a similar issue and it turned out one of his struts was broken and didn't realize it until he was taking it apart.  Almost took his head off too.

jayhawk91 Enthusiast

jayhawk91

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Yes it's rhythmic. It seems to follow to rotation of the wheels (slower rhythm when slow turning, faster when faster). 104,000 miles.

 

Ok thank you for the lead. I'll have to check on all that. 

swathdiver Senior Enthusiast

swathdiver

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, jayhawk91 said:

Yes it's rhythmic. It seems to follow to rotation of the wheels (slower rhythm when slow turning, faster when faster). 104,000 miles.

 

Ok thank you for the lead. I'll have to check on all that. 

Ok, well, now that coffee has woken my brain, the rhythmic movement won't be the suspension, it will be tires, brakes, axles, u-joints, etc.  

 

At 104K miles, that's typically how long the front hubs last.  My front ring and pinion has been howling for a while but there's no vibration.

 

So, check the hubs for play/noise, check the rotors and pads, make sure everything is tight and the slides are still working, calipers still floating, etc.

jayhawk91 Enthusiast

jayhawk91

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It doesn't sound or feel like hubs. It feels like something is warped or out of balance.

 

4WD is off, and it's not skipping when I turn. Brakes and U-joints might be good places to look though.

dna9656 Enthusiast

dna9656

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Did you inspect the front end with no load on it? Set the truck on jack stands located on the frame allowing the wheels and tires to hang free. get a good flashlight and inspect EVERYTHING you can see, use a mirror. Replace anything cracked, burned, or wobbly. 

When I got my Avalanche (06) I replaced everything but the pitman arm, I couldn't get a wrench on it and it was tight anyway.

I don't know if your truck uses the same idler arm as mine dose but it's a POS IMHO. Chevys traditionally put a lot of stress on the idler arm, In my 16 years working on the USAF vehicle fleet Chevy idler arms were constantly replaced. Maybe they fixed this and maybe not.

richard wysong Senior Enthusiast

richard wysong

Posted
Posted

reach under with it on the ground and see if you can spin the front driveshaft. it should turn easily if the transfer case is in 2wd and the hubs are disengaged. the dildo that engages the hubs are known to get stuck due to corrosion around the threads. idler arm etc will NOT make that noise

richard wysong Senior Enthusiast

richard wysong

Posted
Posted

its also possible that the dog that engages the axles is stuck causing 1 side to be engaged so make sure it spins easily and you aren't spinning the spider gears

  • 2 weeks later...
jayhawk91 Enthusiast

jayhawk91

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Alright, I got it figured out.

 

It was the left front hub.

 

The tremor gradually turned into a small "wobble" that I felt in the floorboard all the time but especially when turning right. I took the wheel, brakes, and rotors off and then spun the hub by hand. Only after removing all these things and listening closely could I hear a faint "clicking" sound when turning it. After I removed the hub, I spun it again (off the mount), and it felt rough. This caused me to rule out the CV joint and determine it was indeed the hub. The whole process took about an hour or so in my garage.

 

I installed a new hub and that seems to have solved the problem. Thanks again for all your help!

  • Like 1
jayhawk91 Enthusiast

jayhawk91

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Forgot to add, there was NO play in the wheel. Usually when bearings in the hub are shot you can jack the vehicle up so the suspension is free, grab the wheel, and rock it up/down and back/forth and you'll feel a little play in the wheel. There was none of that that I experienced.

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