jonekelly
03-06-2010, 06:54 PM
2003 Silverado 2500HD Diesel, short bed, crew cab
I did a search and read many of the other posts about replacing the idler and pitman arms. Realizing that this is going to be an ongoing issue, I decided to tackle it myself. I had to invest in a 2 arm jaw gear puller 4" for 23.49 at Advance Auto. I also have to buy a 1 5/16" wrench to get the nut off the power steering unit.
Idler arm was easy as I removed both the idler arm and the idler pivot assembly. I used a 2 arm jaw gear puller to separate the other end from the centerlink.
For the pitman arm, I don't recommend removing the power steering unit. Take a screw driver and slide the rubber seal above the pitman arm upward toward the power steering unit as far as it will go. Then use a Dremel to cut two slots about 1/2" apart. I used the one with the quick change end on it since these cutoff wheels are a bit bigger than the old style Dremel cutoff wheels. I took it as close to the steering shaft as possible. Once you do this, it is very easy to put a steel chisel in there and pry the 1/2" piece until the rest of the metal splits. The 2nd slot really gives it a place to spread as you lightly tap the chisel with a hammer. I hammered at an angle so I wasn't really trying to drive the chisel down into the slot if this makes sense. No need to go crazy and damage anything with the steering unit. I used a 2 arm jaw gear puller to separate the other end from the centerlink.
I used a MOOG pitman arm but I can say for sure it isn't as beefy as the stock one where it holds the balljoint that goes down into the centerlink. If it weren't Saturday and I could have waited till Monday, I would have gone to Chevy for a stock one. Since I don't offroad and only run stock tires, I am pretty comfortable with what I got.
I had the Cognito Motorsports idler/pitman kit and the idler pivot assembly. I decided to install the kit even though I read a few other having some issues with a broken MOOG pitman arm. It easiest to take everything off at once and then put things together on each side loosely before tightening everything down. Don't worry about getting your pitman or idler arms on wrong. There are either 3 or 4 slots so the pitman can only go on the same way the old one came off. You would have to be an idiot to mess it up...especially if you have a 3 slot unit. It doesn't matter about the idler arm at all.
Good luck, I think I covered everything. Again, I am not a master mechanic. This was not a hard project and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Total time for all this work was 4 hours including running back and forth to the garage for more tools...and keeping up with WVU/Villlanova basketball game. I am betting I could do it in 2.5 hours next time. Honestly, I wasted a bunch of time always having the wrong socket or not a deep enough socket.
BTW, my steering was really sloppy. I had my wife move the steering wheel back with all four tires on the ground while I watched for movement. It was obvious the play was coming from the pitman arm balljoint and the idler arm balljoint. After this, I jacked up each side of the front end to test the wheel bearings. Luckily, there was no movement when I tried to wiggle the wheel in any direction. With one front tire on the ground and the other in the air, I had about 1.5" of play when I wiggled the wheel. Hope this makes sense.
I did a search and read many of the other posts about replacing the idler and pitman arms. Realizing that this is going to be an ongoing issue, I decided to tackle it myself. I had to invest in a 2 arm jaw gear puller 4" for 23.49 at Advance Auto. I also have to buy a 1 5/16" wrench to get the nut off the power steering unit.
Idler arm was easy as I removed both the idler arm and the idler pivot assembly. I used a 2 arm jaw gear puller to separate the other end from the centerlink.
For the pitman arm, I don't recommend removing the power steering unit. Take a screw driver and slide the rubber seal above the pitman arm upward toward the power steering unit as far as it will go. Then use a Dremel to cut two slots about 1/2" apart. I used the one with the quick change end on it since these cutoff wheels are a bit bigger than the old style Dremel cutoff wheels. I took it as close to the steering shaft as possible. Once you do this, it is very easy to put a steel chisel in there and pry the 1/2" piece until the rest of the metal splits. The 2nd slot really gives it a place to spread as you lightly tap the chisel with a hammer. I hammered at an angle so I wasn't really trying to drive the chisel down into the slot if this makes sense. No need to go crazy and damage anything with the steering unit. I used a 2 arm jaw gear puller to separate the other end from the centerlink.
I used a MOOG pitman arm but I can say for sure it isn't as beefy as the stock one where it holds the balljoint that goes down into the centerlink. If it weren't Saturday and I could have waited till Monday, I would have gone to Chevy for a stock one. Since I don't offroad and only run stock tires, I am pretty comfortable with what I got.
I had the Cognito Motorsports idler/pitman kit and the idler pivot assembly. I decided to install the kit even though I read a few other having some issues with a broken MOOG pitman arm. It easiest to take everything off at once and then put things together on each side loosely before tightening everything down. Don't worry about getting your pitman or idler arms on wrong. There are either 3 or 4 slots so the pitman can only go on the same way the old one came off. You would have to be an idiot to mess it up...especially if you have a 3 slot unit. It doesn't matter about the idler arm at all.
Good luck, I think I covered everything. Again, I am not a master mechanic. This was not a hard project and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Total time for all this work was 4 hours including running back and forth to the garage for more tools...and keeping up with WVU/Villlanova basketball game. I am betting I could do it in 2.5 hours next time. Honestly, I wasted a bunch of time always having the wrong socket or not a deep enough socket.
BTW, my steering was really sloppy. I had my wife move the steering wheel back with all four tires on the ground while I watched for movement. It was obvious the play was coming from the pitman arm balljoint and the idler arm balljoint. After this, I jacked up each side of the front end to test the wheel bearings. Luckily, there was no movement when I tried to wiggle the wheel in any direction. With one front tire on the ground and the other in the air, I had about 1.5" of play when I wiggled the wheel. Hope this makes sense.