I just had the tire place replace my idler arm since mine was
shot. I was in 4wd and had soooo much play that it was not fun to
drive. He also said that whomever was lubing it was totally
missing the zerk for this too.?.? I will now lube everything but
where is this zerk at?

It cost 170 total. Was this something that is easy to replace on my own limited knowledge? Just curious.

Ben

The zerk on the idler arm is harder to get at then the rest. It's too bad some people are so lazy. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley11.gifEdited by: Max Power

The dealer just replaced mine and I do lube it. I have 36k miles.

Why is this going bad so quickly? Bigger tires maybe? So
lubing doesnt seem to prevent this problem then. HMMMMMM.
Is this an easy job?

Ben

does anyone know if there is an aftermarket Idler arm? I have alot of movement when in 4 wheel drive. thanks -Jeff

www.kennedydiesel.com

He is a vendor here.



Ben

Well, must be a GM thing. My 1991 K2500 eats idler arms also, has since it was young. it has 110,000 on it and 4 idler arms. so the mileage is about right. it is stock except for 265/75 tires


dc

It is not a Chevy thing! Later! Frank

The Pitman arm is shot too. I'll guarrantee it. The ofset of the drag link causes everey bump and input from the wheels to try to rotate the links and just pounds them out. This happens on stock tire equipped freeway trucks as well as big tire equipped off roaders. The studs are only supposed to rotate. The force applied by the drag link tries to pivot the stud. The support shown below helps keep this from occurring. Listed on my web site under Suspension/steering.





http://www.kennedydiesel.com/images/Idler-assy-with-support.gif

So Kennedy if the Pitman arm is shot as well what do I do since I replaced my idler arm? Do I just replace it or is it a big ordeal? I know that after this process yesterday the shop did an alignment. Let me know.


Ben

If one pivots, the other will too. The idler will fail sooner without a tight pitman to share the abuse. You will not need the frame part of the idler though for some time.





The simple test is to lift the front tires off the ground and grab the RF and try to steer it left and right. If the drag klink rises and falls and the RF wheel moves a considerable distance befor the LH moves, the front is shot.





99% of the trucks on the road are shot. The only saving grace is that the design of the front end seems pretty darn forgiving to slop...

So Kennedy do I just change out the pitman arm too? Is this a hard process? Thanks


Ben

I thought the pitman arm was held on there with a lot of torque--when I relplaced all of the steering components on the '89 I could not do the pitman.


STill big difference when everything is new--it seems you get use to the performance until you drive something new.


It makes sense to change everything--IMHO. Tie rods, pitman,idler ball joints. I used TRW ball joints in the '89--has anybody tried TRW ball joints in these trucks??

Fabtech is releasing this month, upgraded idler, pitman, tierod, and a duel steering stablizer for the 2500HD pickups. I spoke with sales person and then with Fabtech themselves. They say that these are rebuildable components as well and that dealerships are lining up to purchase them.

Every GM (Chevy and GMC) truck and suburban I have ever owned eats idler arms, and most (if not all) driving was highway pavement. Good thing they are relatively cheap and easy to replace. Insurance companies consider them as wear items if you're ever in a wreck btw.


As for the grease fitting, put a 90' fitting on it before installing the new idler arm. Same with the pitman arm. Greasing them is a pain in the neck since there is a support rod right over the top of the zerks when the wheels are pointed straight ahead, like they are on ramps when you're underneath it trying to grease it.


Tim

I am reading the different posts regarding front suspension issues and potential upgrade "cures". I regularly check John Kennedy's website and came across the pittman/idler arm braces which caught my interest. Do the Fabtech upgrade components address the same issues in regards to toe in/toe out and play or do the Fabtech components allow the play yet resist wearing out due to being a heavier design? I have a 04.5 with 1700 miles, so replacing my components is not a given at this point; the Kennedy brace may be more appropriate.


As a note, I live in the Smoky Mtns. of NC and the roads are quite twisty; front tire and component wear is fact of vehicle life here that is only exacerbated by the weight of the D-max motor. With that in mind, I have already installed Bilsteins from JK. The stock steering stabilizer has been replaced with a heavier Rancho unit and I will be installing polyurethane bushings on the sway bar and A-arms.


I run stock tires and my 4 wheel driving is limited to the jobsite, snow and the occasional rough dirt road and pasture.


Any input on the upgrade parts or braces is greatly appreciated.


Regards,


Mark

I did not get into the real specifics of their upgraded parts. Maybe one of the vendors with more clout can give us more info.

99% are bad? Maybe I should quit messing with filters and go back in the front end business. Don't think I have a drag link on mine but I do have a center connecting link. Later! Frank Edited by: Frank Blum

I've seen 18k mile stock highway driven trucks with loose fronts. Any input (compression) to the "center" link will attempt to rotate it putting a lot of thrust wear on the pitman and idler arm where they connnect. I believe that these supports are the best solution.


I replaced my joints at around 60 k and they were really shot. With the wheels hanging on the hoist, rotating the drag link (pipe wrench) would change the toe measurement at the front only by about 2"http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley3.gif When we change 2" at front, we change 2" at rear making a 4" toe change...








The pitman arm is removeable with a puller. The key here is to apply the supports to nice new jopints before they wear. You can improve the performance of a worn joint, but a new joint is best.