GMT400 Idler Arm Bracket

[dbrannon79]

Good morning. as you probably have already heard, the heavy duty idler arm bracket with shaft that SuperSteer made is now discontinued. part number SS170.

My truck has been eating these factory designed idler arms for dinner. Replaced 4 of them over a span of 2-3 years now. Currently I have the Delco part installed for a few months and it too now has play in the shaft causing a sloppy passenger side wheel.

the issue on these is they get side to side play in the shaft that connects the idler arm on the steering linkage which then will cause the right side wheel to have play where you can never get the toe in adjustment right. causes the truck to jerk one way or the other on roads that are not perfectly smooth.

my last one I pulled from the truck I had saved in the parts bin for a later date thinking I could do something with it. well that time has come where I decided to tear it apart and see what has been causing them to fail so quickly.

I took it and saw where the end cap was crimped on by machining so i decided to grind the machine crimp off and pull it all apart. Here is the photos of it before getting my teeth into it...

 

[dbrannon79]

I took the end and ground off the ridge that held the end cap in place, then popped off the cap, removed the internals and cleaned all the grease out to inspect and see what was worn out.

one thing I noticed was it uses tapered steel bushings the are supposed to apply pressure at each end keeping the shaft straight. I found two issues in it's design. the first on is the top bushing (larger one near the cap I ground off) was loose in the housing and can slightly move side to side. the second issue I found is there is also up and down play where there is a gap between the top bushing and the end cap and nothing holding holding or applying pressure on the bushings to keep the taper in place causing more side shaft movement.

the lower smaller bushing is loose fit but has a closer machined fit so it doesn't allow any side play.

Here are the photos I took of the unit after I cleaned it up and gave my initial inspection.

 

[dbrannon79]

My first initial thoughts are on trying to make this thing better and not have any shaft side to side play is this...

the top bushing has play in the housing, Also right where the bushing rides in the housing, the grease zerk is threaded into the housing as well. I was thinking about using that threaded hole for a set screw and putting some preload on the bushings while tightening up a set screw in those threads. maybe even drilling and tapping to other holes to allow me to center the bushing in the housing and hold it down. three is better than one LOL

then drilling and tapping a hole further in the center to use for the grease zerk. tack welding the cap back in place and see what happens. The top cap has a hole in it that I would assume to allow a weep area for grease the escape out of as well as where the shaft comes out the bottom. both bushings are slotted to allow grease to pass between them and the shaft area that rides them.

in reality this thing only rotates slowly 1/2 turn back and fourth when turning the steering wheel.

 

[ak diesel driver]

From the picture it looks like the upper taper on the shaft has wear. The one closest to your little finger.

 

[dbrannon79]

most of the parts still have some oil sheen on them from the remnants of the grease. I used some diesel to wash them down. didn't have any brake cleaner or gas on hand to get them really clean and dry. I will look them over again maybe get some better pics.

the shaft did have some discoloration on it but the whole thing wasn't on the truck very long. I could have gotten warranty on it but didn't. this one isn't a Delco unit. it's a moog from advanced auto. I went Delco for it's replacement which is now failing with what I'm assuming the same issues.

 

[dbrannon79]

I probably didn't elaborate on how much the top bushing is sloppy in the housing (end close to the end cap) I could probably wrap a business card around the bushing and fit it in there.

 

[Will L.]

With moog, they produce different levels of quality at different price points.
Problem solver is (at least was) their top line unit. There lower end stuff is totally junk.

I recall dodge cummins have a severe issue eating pitman & idler arms. There is an aftermarket company making some that have better serviceability and longer life. Some looking and calling might turn up a good alternative.

 

[dbrannon79]

When I got the Moog one, it was supposedly the better one, but even the delco one I have on the truck now is the bed too! in my searching the innerwebs Supersteer was the only aftermarket maker of these units that I could find. there was a post on the gmt400 forums talking about they had recently discontinued making the one for these trucks. they were originally made for RV's but they work wonders for pickups too.

SuperSteer SS170

SuperSteer SS170 Idler bracket discontinued and zero stock available anywhere… Anyone have one kicking around that’s not needed or have a decent used one?

www.gmt400.com

I have been looking around but nothing comes up as a replacement so far.

 

[dbrannon79]

I am almost wondering if I can use this one from Supersteer and have a plate made up to fit the bolt pattern on my frame. there is a pic on their site showing a sort of bracket I assume this is for the 99+ trucks.

If all else fails I may email them to see if the taper on the shaft is the same size.

SuperSteer® SS175 Idler Arm Support

SuperSteer is a leading recreational vehicle parts superstore. High performance sway bars, koni shocks and other replacement parts. Free shipping on orders over $99.

supersteerparts.com

 

[jrsavoie]

most of the parts still have some oil sheen on them from the remnants of the grease. I used some diesel to wash them down. didn't have any brake cleaner or gas on hand to get them really clean and dry. I will look them over again maybe get some better pics.

the shaft did have some discoloration on it but the whole thing wasn't on the truck very long. I could have gotten warranty on it but didn't. this one isn't a Delco unit. it's a moog from advanced auto. I went Delco for it's replacement which is now failing with what I'm assuming the same issues.

Was it an AC Delco professional?

Several years ago Delco came out with different grades of parts. Their bargain parts are as crappy as any other bargain parts.

Was the part made in.China?

If I get an AC Delco made in China part, I return it.

If I have to buy Chinese crap, it's going to be cheap Chinese crap.

 

[dbrannon79]

Was it an AC Delco professional?

Several years ago Delco came out with different grades of parts. Their bargain parts are as crappy as any other bargain parts.

Was the part made in.China?

If I get an AC Delco made in China part, I return it.

If I have to buy Chinese crap, it's going to be cheap Chinese crap.

Honestly idk. I will have to look and see where I left the receipt and see the part number. I too have seen Delco parts coming from China and for what ever reason didn't think about that.

 

[Will L.]

Also remember the knock off parts issue.
If you got it from napa- it should be real. From Amazon- who knows

 

[jrsavoie]

Also remember the knock off parts issue.
If you got it from napa- it should be real. From Amazon- who knows

I thought Delco worked out a deal with Delco to only sell verified parts now?

 

[Will L.]

I thought Delco worked out a deal with Delco to only sell verified parts now?

I know your saying auto correct- but thats not autocorrect.
There is one site on amazon that is actually AC Delco. Anyone under the sun can sell AC Delco wether real or fake- the agreement they came to is when AC Delco corporate tells them a store is selling knock off- amazon suspends them.

Now corporate just needs to keep up with the crooks

 

[dbrannon79]

Well after toying with this old idler arm bracket and shaft, I think I have figured out how the take 95% of the slop out of the shaft.

I pulled the grease zerk out of the housing and screwed in a find thread 1/4" bolt. that alone will keep the top bushing from moving around in the housing. I toyed with it further and found a flat washer that was the right thickness to place between the top bushing and the cap I ground off. it alone will all me to apply a slight amount of pressure pushing down on the assembly taking almost all of the slop out and still allow the shaft to rotate smoothy with no up and down play.

I am thinking that I just need to get a small piece of metal I can use as a shim on the opposite side of the bushing so that when I tighten the bolt as a set screw, it will keep the bushing and shaft more centered and lock it down. and with the washer in place I can tack weld the top cap in place.

the flat washer had a hole in just the right place too so that I can use the hole that's on the cap which there was a threaded plug there I can install the grease zerk to get grease into the housing.

I mocked this up with the unit in my bench vice and fastened the box end of a wrench to where the idler arm goes just to see the before and after effect on the amount of up down and side to side play. with an "arm" attached to the shaft you can see a real difference on how far it moved and how it effected the center link bar on my steering. with the added washer taking up the space and the bolt cinched down. the "arm" (my wrench) has very little to no movement and the shaft still turns smooth without any resistance.

 

[dbrannon79]

Update:

Got the part installed today after taking it to work and having the cap welded back on. greased and it seems to have no play in it. BUT...

unfortunately I just discovered the HB had let the rubber loose and the outer part is up against the timing cover. I wasn't planing to do the steering part today but figured what the heck. And found the HB. not any noises or vibrations, just saw it and about crapped my pants when I realized what I was looking at.

I'm grateful that I was able to catch this before it was too late.