blazer4x4

I have a 1999 blazer 4 door 4x4 i was told the pitman arm had quite a bit of play in it. Is it pretty hard to do myself and what all need to be done to replace it?

ericn1300

The pitman arm is the last thing ot go out and the least likely problem in your steering unless you've replaced every thing else. Check out this thread for more info: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...=steering+play

blazer4x4

Let me rephrase what i said. I purchased 2 new tires. I wanted to get an alingment done. But i could not get the alignment done because there was to much play in the pitman arm.

old_master

The pitman arm is not a "wear" item. It is mounted to the steering gear on a splined shaft with an interference fit. The center link has a ball and socket joint that is mounted to the pitman arm in a tapered hole. If both fasteners are torqued to the proper spec, the pitman arm can not wear.

ericn1300

Hey OM, if the pitman, or any other steering componets were out of specs would that preclude you from doing an adequate alignment? Just asking because I've been thru the hard sell from the tire shops before.

old_master

Hi Eric, good question! Camber and caster angles are determined by the relationship of the upper and lower ball joints to each other. Imagine a vertical plumb line up from the lower ball joint. Camber is the inward or outward angle of the upper ball joint away from that line. Caster is the forward or rearward angle away from the line. The easiest way to describe toe in is if you stand with your feet straight ahead, that's zero toe. If you move your feet so your toes point towards each other, that's toe in. Toe in is adjusted after camber and caster are adjusted. Worn control arm bushings cannot keep the ball joint in the same position as it moves. Worn ball joints don't always come back to the exact same spot either when you go over bumps in the road. Any change in camber or caster will affect toe in, and toe in is the biggest tire wear factor in an alignment. To answer your question, if any suspension or steering linkage component has excessive play, an accurate alignment cannot be accomplished.

Here's an example: If a tie rod end is loose/worn and has lets say, .125" play, and the toe in spec is zero, with a tolerance of + or - .060" it's impossible for the adjustment to stay in spec. There is such a thing as "tolerance stack ups" also. If you have .030" play in a tie rod end, that alone is bad enough, but if you have four ends with .030" play in each one, now you have a huge problem! Total play would be .120" and most toe specs are + or - .060"! Factor in a little slop in the idler arm and that makes for some serious tire wear in very few miles. In a perfect world, there should be zero play in all suspension and steering linkage components.

It’s rather difficult to have alignment 101 in a paragraph, but in a nutshell, there you have it.

y2kblazer

I have a 2000 4wd. my pitman arm does have the "cone" part on it. the hole is on the center link & I'm NOT looking forward to changing it "cause it IS bad -very sloppy, prob 1/16 inch