Steering Center Link and Steering Box Questions

[2006Tahoe2WD]

I have a slight loose feel in the steering wheel when hitting certain types of bumps. I have installed the intermediate steering shaft and have new front wheel bearings.
Today I was under the Tahoe and pushing and pulling on things trying to find the cause. I found two things so far:
1 - the center link (goes from one tie rod to the other) can be twisted - I think this link is not supposed to do that. I think the joints on the idler link and steering box arm are only supposed to rotate. Is that right?
2 - when I push back and forth the U - joint coming out of the steering box there is a slight click. The shaft going into the steering box is not tight.

Thanks for any comments.

 

[OR VietVet]

Anywhere there is a "ball/pivot" on the steering linkage, it should pivot move in a rolling fashion. Side to side slop play "isa no good". Don't want in and out/up and down play either. That, "isa no good". There should only be a slight shaft movement feed in to the steering gear before the linkages react. If is too much, "isa no good". Make sure the steering gear mount at the frame is tight and no cracks in the frame or "isa no good". Idler arms and pitman arm attaching areas should roll a bit but again, in and out or sloppy side movement, "isa no good". Ball joints should flex a little and allow a small amount of roll because is a "ball" joint, if has up and down or in and out play, "isa no good". Click noise coming out of u-joint at gear box, you guessed it, "isa no good". If I had that rig here and with my floor jack and a long enough pry bar and my eyes, I could find what "isa no good".

 

[2006Tahoe2WD]

Thanks. Right now I think the minimum I need is new pitman and idler arm. Those are not ball joints as you mention and should not roll around.

 

[OR VietVet]

Thanks. Right now I think the minimum I need is new pitman and idler arm. Those are not ball joints as you mention and should not roll around.

When you replace them, cut the old ones open and look inside. Where the threaded end is, if you follow that up in to the housing, it rolls a bit and pivots there but should be tight and full of grease. If you don't believe that, I encourage you to just either use your old or your new and just weld that area tight where that threaded part comes out of housing. I dare you. Never said they were ball joints. I said "roll a bit".

 

[2006Tahoe2WD]

I wonder if there is a cross section drawing covering what you are saying. You "say"? there is some rolling? I think the intention would be only pivoting at the end of the idler and pitman where they attach to the cross link. Am I following you?

 

[2006Tahoe2WD]

Here is the inside of a pitman arm for some sort of Chevy. This shows a ball. This sort of arm may be okay for certain setups.

 

[OR VietVet]

I wonder if there is a cross section drawing covering what you are saying. You "say"? there is some rolling? I think the intention would be only pivoting at the end of the idler and pitman where they attach to the cross link. Am I following you?

Here is the inside of a pitman arm for some sort of Chevy. This shows a ball. This sort of arm may be okay for certain setups.

View attachment 385719

Yes, the ball of the idler arm and some of the pitman arms is where I am talking about the rolling takes place. Ball joint is a bigger version. So are the tie rod ends. Lots of balls for rolling that need that grease pocket.

 

[2006Tahoe2WD]

The answer could well be that the pitman has a ball and the idler has only a pivot like this drawing of a Chevy idler arm. This would make sense otherwise they might bind.
What do you think, what is the correct answer?

 

[2006Tahoe2WD]

IMO having a ball in the pitman and pivot in the idler would make sense. This keeps the torque from going in the steering box and as mentioned resolves binding in case not all parts and frame are perfect. Also puts the center link twisting wear in one place instead of two.

 

[OR VietVet]

The idler arm has a pivot point off the bracket that mounts at the frame but still has a ball at the other end where it mounts at the center link. The balls are there. If the pitman arm has no ball, the center link attachment does and the same at the other end where the center link attaches at the idler arm. If the idler arm has no ball, the center link does.

 

[2006Tahoe2WD]

Either the pitman and idler have only pivots or one of them has a pivot. No pivots in either doesn't work.

 

[OR VietVet]

I give up. I cannot explain it any differently. The pivot at the pitman arm is where it mounts at the steering gear and the pivot at the idler arm is where it mounts on the frame bracket. The end of the idler and the pitman either has ball sockets or if they do not, the center link has them. I am done with my explanation because I cannot explain any more than that. If I am wrong, I am wrong and I will admit it. With different systems there are always exceptions.

 

[2006Tahoe2WD]

I think we are probably in agreement. To answer the question.... I ordered an idler assembly and pitman arm and got those today. Both connections to the cross link are pivot only. Not what I would call a ball connection. Picture attached. Now I need to get under there and install and hope I don't need an alignment. I also hope the loose feeling I get sometimes goes away. Any tips on the install are very much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[OR VietVet]

I think we are probably in agreement. To answer the question.... I ordered an idler assembly and pitman arm and got those today. Both connections to the cross link are pivot only. Not what I would call a ball connection. Picture attached. Now I need to get under there and install and hope I don't need an alignment. I also hope the loose feeling I get sometimes goes away. Any tips on the install are very much appreciated. Thanks.

View attachment 386570

I can guarantee you that under each of those rubber protection boots there is a ball socket in that housing and that allows that threaded attached stud to turn as it is steered left and right and also allows that threaded stud to pivot sideways off center. Tilt is another way to describe that. Too much slop in that housing can allow for that threaded stud to move up and down/in and out and can also have too much side ways slop from the ball at the end of that stud that is inside under that rubber boot and have side to side play. If you are saying the same thing another way, so be it and we are done with this conversation.

 

[2006Tahoe2WD]

To wrap this up. Both the idler assembly and pitman arm have been replaced. There was some "tipping" looseness in both. So far I haven't felt any clunking type play like before so I think replacing these items resolved the issue. Probably time anyway - getting close to 17 years and 175k miles.

 

[lyncht1967]

Check this out,worked for me

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Backstory: After two years of loose steering nearly driving me INSANE with my 2003 Tahoe 5.3. I had changed all tie rods,idler arm, shook everything else until I went MAD, even got under dash to change upper int. shaft plastic bearing cup but found that to be tight already, tightened steering...

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[2006Tahoe2WD]

Excellent info. Thanks I'll check it out.