The Story
Does your Duramax have a little wander in the steering and/or possibly abnormal tire wear? A very common wear item of an IFS (Independent Front Suspension) is that of the idler arm, which is typically accompanied by wear of the pitman arm. These two joints are responsible for supporting the center link of your steering and the pitman arm is specifically also responsible for the side to side movement of the steering as its attached to the gear box.
Now, how do you tell which one is which and whether they are worn? As prevoiusly stated, the pitman arm will be attached to the gear box itself and mounted on the drivers side, where the idler arm will be on the passenger side. In order to determine if yours has excessive wear, the simplest method is to lift the front end off of the ground, supported by jack stands and have someone move the steering wheel. If you're able to see any movement between the joint between the center link and the idler arm, its time to replace. Replace yours with this heavy duty, direct replacement from Rare Parts that includes all of the hardware you'll need to get the job done.
Description
Does your Duramax have a little wander in the steering and/or possibly abnormal tire wear? A very common wear item of an IFS (Independent Front Suspension) is that of the idler arm, which is typically accompanied by wear of the pitman arm. These two joints are responsible for supporting the center link of your steering and the pitman arm is specifically also responsible for the side to side movement of the steering as its attached to the gear box.
Now, how do you tell which one is which and whether they are worn? As prevoiusly stated, the pitman arm will be attached to the gear box itself and mounted on the drivers side, where the idler arm will be on the passenger side. In order to determine if yours has excessive wear, the simplest method is to lift the front end off of the ground, supported by jack stands and have someone move the steering wheel. If you're able to see any movement between the joint between the center link and the idler arm, its time to replace. Replace yours with this heavy duty, direct replacement from Rare Parts that includes all of the hardware you'll need to get the job done.
