So I searched and searched but came up with nothing. Here is what is happening:

The steering in the truck appears to be fine. But at any speed the steering wheel shakes like crazy. Not that I know a lot about these trucks, because I don't, but what does it mean when you can get a lot of movement on the tire itself? Like when the truck is up and you can move the wheel side to side (about 2-3 inches or so). Is it the tie rods? Pitman arms? A little help before I either take it to the garage would be a really big help.

I do plow with the truck and haven't really driven it much since the winter, so I am just realizing this now.

Shakes when braking...warped rotor?

If you have lateral motion, it's most likely pitman/idler arms. After jacking the unit up and freeing the tire from the ground, grab the tire at 3 & 9 o'clock and check for play.

If you have vertical slop, it's most likely the hub assembly. Similar to above, but check by grabbing tire at 6 & 12 o'clock and check for play.

Do both checks while you're at it to eliminate one or the other, as the worn hub can give false P&I symptoms but the P&I won't indicate vertical slop found with a worn hub assembly.

I'm no expert for sure....But it could be a worn out hub assembly..

No. I thought of that, but the shaking is really bad even at speeds as low as 30mph. And its not that kind of repetitive shaking. The steering wheel goes crazy.

I just replaced the rotors and pads in my gf's tahoe, so I know what that feels like.

If you have lateral motion, it's most likely pitman/idler arms. After jacking the unit up and freeing the tire from the ground, grab the tire at 3 & 9 o'clock and check for play.

If you have vertical slop, it's most likely the hub assembly. Similar to above, but check by grabbing tire at 6 & 12 o'clock and check for play.

Do both checks while you're at it to eliminate one or the other, as the worn hub can give false P&I symptoms but the P&I won't indicate vertical slop found with a worn hub assembly.

When I last had the truck up, I did notice some lateral play. About 2-3 inches. I have heard that these can go, and I am sure that all the plowing I do isn't any good for the truck either.

I didn't try and get any vertical (or around) play. I will try that tomorrow and see what I get. But for now I will start looking for new idler and pitman arms. Does norcal sell these?

Would these work? I thought they would be more expensive, but I like that they are cheaper than I thought.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/PITMAN-IDLER-ARM-HUMMER-H2-YUKON-SILVERADO-03-05-NEW_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a1205Q7c66Q3a2 Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a0Q7c293Q3 a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem 290271681104QQitemZ290271681104QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5 fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories#ht_3681wt_1113

Never heard of Pitman and Idler arms causing that type of problem. Get new arms and cognito supports to permantly fix the slope issue. I'd go have your front brake assemblies checked. And check vertical play for wheel bearings.

Ok, so I know that this sounds funny, but after taking the wheel off last week to put the egt probe in, I don't think I tightened the wheel back on. So I tightened up the lug nuts ( I was able to get quite a bit out of them) I took the truck for a short spin, and as far as I can tell the movement is pretty much all gone. No steering wheel shake or anything. Maybe a little bit, but this is definitely an indication that I should get some braces.

Adding braces to a worn Pitman and Idler arms will just wear out your braces.

ok, well that is good to know. I will have those checked out then before I get either one just to make sure.

I am usually able to fix most of these things myself as long as I know what needs to be replaced, but knowing is half the battle, and I always lose that one.

Sounds like a brake pulsation is original problem. Last brake job, did you cut rotors? or do a pad slap?

Well, I just got the truck at the end of last year. So I know that there will be some issues that will come up that I am unaware of. I just did my gf's tahoe with new rotors and pads. Only cost me $260 for cross drilled rotors and pads for the whole truck. Maybe I should do the same for mine.

What is a pad slap?

a pad slap is when somebody just throws on a set of pads, the correct way is cuttin rotors so you have a flat mating surface. otherwise you get hot spots which then causes the rotors to warp.

Brake jutter is the problem. Get your rotors turned, and I bet it will be butter smooth next time you step on the pedal.

I was thinking about getting new rotors. After putting my gf's on I realized just how easy it is. The whole process only took about 3 hours. I think I will look into some for my truck. The stock pads and rotors on these trucks are not that good. They definitely build up too much heat too easily. I can't wait to see how the new ones hold up.

I just can't help but laugh at some of the people on the board that just spout off a solution to the problem/questions without actually reading the whole post... LOL!!!

FWIW.... when it comes to steering components.... is not a great idea to find the cheapest thing on the market!! do a little research.... just my .02!

our chevs are known for intermediate steering link probs. have your stealer check it for you. i had the same problem and that is what it turned out to be for me. bob r

I do usually try and get a good product. Especially if its something that is crucial like steering. The brakes that I got were the same product that summit was selling for almost 2x the price. If there is really something wrong then I will probably buy all new cognito stuff from norcal. I was planning on doing something to the front end to beef it up, but was hoping that I could wait and do transmission work first.

I see a coment, yet no offer of wisedom.