Doug Miller wrote:

stryped wrote in
:

I have a 1996 silverado 4x4. It has 356,000 miles, so I know it
has its problems. I have done all the work on it myself since I
have had it.

I noticed the drivers side tire wearing on one edge and also it
has pulled for awhile slightly to the right.

I scheduled an appointment at Midas to have the front end
aligned. I got a call saying they could not do the alignment
becasue I needed new left side ball joints, pitman arm, and
idler arm. To my shick, the price was going to be 900 bucks!

So do it yourself. Probably won't cost more than $100, $125.

Well, I did not have it done there. I am wondering first, when I
asked what they meant by "left side" they told me the drivers
side. WHich is odd becasue the tire that was wearing was on the
passanger side.

If your idler arm's bad, that's going to wear your passenger front tire. Probably cause the
pull to the right, too. Doesn't mean your driver's side ball joints aren't bad, too.

Second, how can I tell at home if this is indeed what is wrong
and the parts I have are bad? I know with the mileage on this
truck they probably are. I just want to make sure any parts I
replace are indeed bad.

Put it on jack stands and crawl underneath it. If the idler arm is bad enough to be causing
wear on the right front tire, there will be enough play in it to feel it (and probably see it) when
you move the steering linkage back and forth by hand). Same for the Pittman arm.

With that mileage, you should assume the ball joints are bad. One quick check is with the
wheels on the ground: sit down beside the driver's side front wheel, brace your heels
against the bottom of the tire, grab the tire at the top with both hands, and try to pull it toward
you. If you can feel play, the ball joints are definitely bad. (Doesn't mean they're good if you
can't, though.)

Also, is it ok to replace parts on one
side and not the other?

Not really. If the left side ball joints are bad, so are the right side.

If these parts are indeed bad, are replacements hard to do at
home?

Not if you have the right tools -- which you can buy at Harbor Freight for less than fifty bucks,
or borrow from most auto parts stores at no cost.

You can probably save a bundle of money on the parts if you buy them online at
rockauto.com .

I have done just about everything else on a car but have
never messed with the front end. The guy at midas told me they
would have to take out the "drive gear" dince it is a 4x4. I
think what he meant was the steering gear but not sure.

I doubt that's true. Get a service manual to be sure, though.

If the ball joints need to be replaced, I believe you will need to
remove the axle half shafts in order to get access to replace the ball
joints.

I would expect at that age every ball joint, tie rod end and suspension
bushing will be bad. Expect a full weekend project to replace them all
if you have the right tools and decent workspace. You can get a full
replacement kit of urethane suspension bushings fairly cheap. None of
the ball joints or rod ends should be particularly expensive either.
You're probably looking at $300 in parts and a lot of labor to replace
it all and have a solid, stable front end again.