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!

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.

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. Also, is it ok to replace parts on one side and not the other? My plan was to try to get another truck before all this but they are expensive. This is my daily driver so until I can find a good deal on a used one, I will be driving it. It has an intake leak right now I am going to fix this weekend.

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

From what I understand, the hardest part is getting the old parts off.

Anyway I appreciate any help!

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.


From what I understand, the hardest part is getting the old
parts off.

True, but pressing new ball joints in isn't a walk in the park either.

There is a Midas, near me. I've found (and talked to other people who had
the same experience) that they have three level pricing.

On the phone: Sounds like about $75.
After the lift, and the service writer presents the estimate: It will be
$150.
On the phone, about an hour after they started work: There were a couple of
other parts needed, and it will be $300.

Each time, the price doubles.

I'd take the vehicle to another shop, and never go back to Midas.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"stryped" wrote in message
...
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!

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.

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. Also, is it ok to
replace parts on one side and not the other? My plan was to try to get
another truck before all this but they are expensive. This is my daily
driver so until I can find a good deal on a used one, I will be driving it.
It has an intake leak right now I am going to fix this weekend.

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

From what I understand, the hardest part is getting the old parts off.

Anyway I appreciate any help!

Years ago, my 1980 Dodge van needed a strut rod bushing. The repair garage
told me how they were impossible to get loose, needed the 3/4 drive impact
wrench, etc. I was able to replace it, with hand tools and a couple propane
torches for heat.

Took my more recent truck to safety inspection. Was told that it needed ball
joint, tie rod, and so on. I took it to a second inspection station which
passed it, no problems. I asked about the parts. We went back and looked.
Yes, there is some play in the parts, but well within tolerances for these
parts.

I find that some places want to replace anything with a tiny bit of wear.

Get another opinion. Pretend this is the first you've noticed it, and the
first place you went to ask.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"stryped" wrote in message
...

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

From what I understand, the hardest part is getting the old parts off.

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.

"Pete C." wrote in news:50991faa$0$18837$a8266bb1
@newsreader.readnews.com:


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.

That may be. I've never done it on a 4WD vehicle.

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.

Agreed, although I think there's a good chance his Pittman arm is OK, even with mileage
that high. They're pretty robust, and it's difficult to stack that many miles on even a 16-yo
vehicle without doing a fair amount of highway driving (which isn't real tough on parts).

On 11/6/2012 7:36 AM, stryped wrote:
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!


Midas is pricey, but you can usually trust the work.
But that's in reasonable price range for what you are getting done.


So, before everybody gets too excited...


you did say 356,000 miles, didn't you?

There is going to be considerably more that needs fixing.

So, fix it or junk it and buy a nice expensive new one?



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

Do you have the tools?

Can you do the alignment too?

In article ,
stryped wrote:

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!

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.

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. Also, is it ok to
replace parts on one side and not the other? My plan was to try to get
another truck before all this but they are expensive. This is my daily driver
so until I can find a good deal on a used one, I will be driving it. It has
an intake leak right now I am going to fix this weekend.

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

From what I understand, the hardest part is getting the old parts off.

Anyway I appreciate any help!

Aside from what others have said... note that many automotive machine
shops can/will gladly do heavy press work for a reasonable fee. No
promises, and depending on whats involved, some 'might' even do it for
free if you buy your parts from them. Bicker man!

Definitely study your manual, and also check YouTube. Now days, people
have posted video of many, many procedures (that vary from great to
dismal). Hopefully you'll at least be able to get a good overview of the
undertaking.

Good luck, keep us updated!

Erik

Truck does have 356,000. They are all highway miles. Truck has never been off road other than maybe on the farm to pull a trailer from the pasture.

I bought it 6 years ago from my dad for 3500. It had 200,000 on it. I have fixed several things myself over the years. (fuel pump, water pump, air conditioner, etc...)

I am replacing the intake gasket this weekend. Coolant in the oil. Got two quotes to do that for 700 bucks. So I figured I would do it myself.

No the 900 dollar quote when I wanted to get my front end aligned.

I read my Haynes manual last night. Upper ball joints apparently require the removal of the front drive axles. Ouch. Never done that and there were no pictures in the explanation.

I really would like to get rid of it and get a 4 door. I found a 2006 f-150 black 4x4 four door. It was 11,900 and had 147,000 miles. But will I be back into the same situation with that many miles?

Just kind of bumbed out at this point.


On Tuesday, November 6, 2012 7:36:37 AM UTC-6, stryped wrote:
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!



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.



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. Also, is it ok to replace parts on one side and not the other? My plan was to try to get another truck before all this but they are expensive. This is my daily driver so until I can find a good deal on a used one, I will be driving it. It has an intake leak right now I am going to fix this weekend.



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



From what I understand, the hardest part is getting the old parts off.



Anyway I appreciate any help!

On Nov 6, 6:36*am, stryped wrote:
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!

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.

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. Also, is it ok to replace parts on one side and not the other? My plan was to try to get another truck before all this but they are expensive. This is my daily driver so until I can find a good deal on a used one, I will be driving it. It has an intake leak right now I am going to fix this weekend.

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

From what I understand, the hardest part is getting the old parts off.

Anyway I appreciate any help!

I've completely rebuilt several truck front ends, all high-mileage.
Your ball joints are probably completely shot, if you've still got the
factory tierod ends, ditto. If you've got the standard A-arm
suspension like Fords do, your suspension busings that the arms twist
on are no doubt goin gor gone. I've seen several where all they had
was the inner and outer tubes, all rubber had turned to shreds LONG
ago. Makes for clunk-clunk when truning, or starting/stopping. Also
causes tire wear like crazy. To fix: upper ball joints are usually
pretty easy, you drill out the retaining rivets on the ball joint and
bolt the new one in place. Usually takes about 10 minutes with a good
drill bit. To do much more than that requires complete disassembly of
the side. Tie-rod ends are susually quick to replace, get a
measurement from a fixed point on the rod first so you can put the new
end back in about where it should be and don't wear your tires out
getting to the alignment place. Lower ball joints and the bushings
will take heavy press work, I use a 20 ton HF press to do that, has
paid for itself several times. The replacement parts on a Ford van
for the stuff I've outlined ran right around $150 last year and
several weekends of work to install them. On the first one I did, I
didn't have the press yet, NAPA did bushings and lower ball joint
pressing for about $15/side, that was 15 years back, though.
Suspension arm bushings were rather easy to get out, I just drove out
the inner sleeve, used my HF sawzall clone to slice through the
remains of the rubber and the outer sleeve and knocked it out.
Replacement takes the press. One of those ball joint presses that
look like a giant C-clamp wouldn't fit in there, YMMV with other makes
and models.

Stan