I brought my 2004 GMC Sierra to my mechanic to check out a wheel noise. He thinks it's nothing serious (some loose rust on the brake mechanism probably) but did mention that my front control arms are badly rusted and said that some people elect to have them replaced proactively.I have no way of knowing if this is good advice but mostly trust this mechanic. Is it common for these to fail on a 15 yo truck? (I imagine failure would not be pleasant.) Should I take his advice and do it? Or get a second opinion? Or wait til they break?On similar issues, this truck is already 15 years old but I want to keep it a long time. What other structural issues should I be aware of that should be examined for safety concerns? The rear leaf springs look pretty rusted to me. The frame too. Body and all mechanical parts are fine. Can the frame itself rust enough to be a hazard?

If you post a picture or two of the control arms, you would get more informed responses rather than a bunch of guesses. Really hard to agree or disagree with your mechanic without seeing.And yes, frames can rot away to the point the whole truck is junk in some cases. Post a few pics.Also, learn about "fluid film" for your next vehicle, and have it sprayed annually.

I'd be less concerned about the rust than the bushings wearing out. New control arms come with bushings and ball joints. It'll feel like a new truck. I agree though, pictures would be helpful. Yes frames can rust. It happened to my dad's old truck. It was over 20 years old when his frame rusted to the point that it wasn't holding his hitch. He had a shop weld a plate on it. Mostly I'd say just inspect it annually.

Wheel noise could be a bad wheel bearing. If the body isn't rusted out I would highly doubt the frame and control arms are an issue.

I had the right control arm break on my 1986 Chevy 3500 when it was 25 years old. Where I parked the truck the right front suspension would get wet just about daily from the sprinklers. I hadn't notice any severe rust so I'm guessing the part wore out due to stress towing our heavy 5th wheel. The daily watering may have contributed.Luckily it broke as I was leaving my house with the 5th wheel in tow. So I was able to back the truck and trailer back to the parking spot. I can imagine what would have happened if it had broken on the highway in traffic.

Should I have control arms replaced? | Good Sam Community

solismaris
Explorer
Jun 13, 2019
Thanks everybody. I'll have them replaced before my next long trip. And have them take a good look at the brake lines too.

I don't think posting a picture will help. They look - rusty. I can't really tell if it's deep scale or caked on mud and I don't think the photo would show either. When it stops raining I'll get under there with a brush and inspect more carefully. But as they are original and 14 years old I guess replacing them is good insurance.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Jun 13, 2019
OP, still trying to find the control arms?
Anywho, most chassis undercarriage parts "look" rusty in pretty short order, even moreso up north. This is not exclusive to any one brand or model (I'm sure most of yall know this, posting for OP's understanding). Light cost of paint or none at all, blasted by water, sand, road grime constantly = rusty metal. Most of these components are also very heavy gauge steel (frames, suspension components, finals) and can rust away for many years before considerable section loss occurs.
For the OP, if the body is not rusted out on your 15 year old truck, then the structural components are most likely not rusted out either.
Iraqvet05
Explorer
Jun 12, 2019
dodge guy wrote:
If the control arms are that rusty, what do other things underneath look like? Specifically the brake and fuel lines!

Exactly. I can't tell you how many used 2500HDs I passed up a few years ago that had significant rust on them....not just surface rust but large, scaly rust or rust so bad you could stick a screwdriver thru the frame.

The 2001 2500HD I bought a few years ago had moderate rust and was plagued with rusty brake lines. Google Silverado rusty brake lines and you will see how common it is, especially in the snow belt. Get someone to look at the extent of the rust and see what else is susceptible. You can't stop rust once it's there. I would not expect that truck to last several years given the climate you live in.
dodge_guy
Explorer II
Jun 12, 2019
If the control arms are that rusty, what do other things underneath look like? Specifically the brake and fuel lines!
jfkmk
Explorer
Jun 12, 2019
solismaris wrote:
Can the frame itself rust enough to be a hazard?

Absolutely! Google Toyota frame rot. It’s eye opening!

I had a control arm break due to rust on a Nissan PU. Not real expensive to replace.
bguy
Explorer
Jun 11, 2019
They will not get less rusty.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Jun 11, 2019
Look at them?
the_bear_II
Explorer
Jun 11, 2019
I had the right control arm break on my 1986 Chevy 3500 when it was 25 years old. Where I parked the truck the right front suspension would get wet just about daily from the sprinklers. I hadn't notice any severe rust so I'm guessing the part wore out due to stress towing our heavy 5th wheel. The daily watering may have contributed.

Luckily it broke as I was leaving my house with the 5th wheel in tow. So I was able to back the truck and trailer back to the parking spot. I can imagine what would have happened if it had broken on the highway in traffic.
Bigfoot_affair
Nomad II
Jun 11, 2019
Wheel noise could be a bad wheel bearing. If the body isn't rusted out I would highly doubt the frame and control arms are an issue.
Campfire_Time
Explorer
Jun 11, 2019
I'd be less concerned about the rust than the bushings wearing out. New control arms come with bushings and ball joints. It'll feel like a new truck.

I agree though, pictures would be helpful.

Yes frames can rust. It happened to my dad's old truck. It was over 20 years old when his frame rusted to the point that it wasn't holding his hitch. He had a shop weld a plate on it. Mostly I'd say just inspect it annually.