The idler arm/pitman arm is bad again.....

OP, they must be charging you 4 hrs labor @ $100 per hour to do a 2 hr job. The part is only $40. I think I would take it to a different place. GM also has specs that allow a little play up and down. Dodge is the same way with their ball joints. They will have a little play up and down right out of the box. It's the way the parts are designed to be.

You may have other problems that they are just masking. If you are having tire wear problems or something like that, the GM 4X4's are known for bearing assembly's getting dry and loose.

Not surprising after the talk I had with two local shop owners last week.

So I had a front end job side job come in and I wanted to get parts for the thing. So I talk to one well known local shop owner about front end parts and ask him who makes good front end parts now-days?

His answer, NOBODY. WTH? Really? He said really. IHHO they are all junk. I asked even MOOG? He said, yep, even MOOG is junk. :E

He even talked about re-boxed OEM parts. He went to a local Dodge dealer to buy some part for a truck and found out it was re-boxed China junk at OEM dealer prices.

Then I went to another friend that owns another well know shop and he told me the EXACT SAME STORY! He said all the new parts are junk. So I asked him what does he do? He told me just buy them and hope they make it past his warrantee period. :E

The first guy likes to have his customers buy their own parts. That way he tells them if they don't fall off of the car he doesn't want to hear about it because all he did was install them.

Go to Cognito Motorsports and buy their brace for the pitman/idler arm assembly.

You will never have this problem again.

Op. I just did my idler/pitman and i would describe it as unfun. There is a puller for the pit man that is mandatory. Lots of penatranrt hammers and big ole breaker bar.

Engineer9860 wrote:

45Ricochet wrote:
LOL
According to the local "know it all GM guy" you have the wrong diagnosis. CAD program says it's really just bad fuel...
Pitman arm reqires the correct tools that most of us shade tree guys don't have.
I myself would have it done as it is not a really a easy DIY job.
Advice from a known problem child manufacture.

LOL?

Enjoy having fun at the OP's expense?

Last time I checked Dodge/RAM/whatever had their own front end issues.

NUTS....

looking at 45's post...don't see him putting down GM, don't understand your bashing of another manufacturer...no help to the OP at all.

As for the OP, like others have posted, both jobs are eaay to do, must have received some inferior parts.

Oh I see. Ford puts the ball joint on the drag link. Mine was scary loose after 170k. Replacing made a big difference in steering wander.

robwen wrote:
Forgive me, but how does a pitman arm go bad? It doesn't have any moving parts , does it? Not Flaming, as I am elbow deep myself in 200k Ford front end issues. I replaced my drag link and sway bar links but still have ball joints and axle ujoints to do. I just don't see how a pitman arm can wear out.

Pitman arm has a ball joint on one end where it hooks to the drag link. That ball joint can wear out.

Forgive me, but how does a pitman arm go bad? It doesn't have any moving parts , does it? Not Flaming, as I am elbow deep myself in 200k Ford front end issues. I replaced my drag link and sway bar links but still have ball joints and axle ujoints to do. I just don't see how a pitman arm can wear out.

This is the tool. It takes a lot of brute force but not bad otherwise. Just 1 bolt at each end. If it was done 9000 miles ago it might be a bit easier than a vehicle of 90000 miles ago.

Buy Moog or some better brand - might help last longer.
http://www.apexinds.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/6535.jpg

45Ricochet wrote:
LOL
According to the local "know it all GM guy" you have the wrong diagnosis. CAD program says it's really just bad fuel...
Pitman arm reqires the correct tools that most of us shade tree guys don't have.
I myself would have it done as it is not a really a easy DIY job.
Advice from a known problem child manufacture.

LOL?

Enjoy having fun at the OP's expense?

Last time I checked Dodge/RAM/whatever had their own front end issues.