Cognito UCA dilema..

[Hellz]

so about 3 weeks or so ago i installed my UCA's to:
A. strengthen the front end and
B. i have been chasing why my right side is pulling on the passenger side ( not alignment )

so today, i decided to try and chase why the right side keeps pulling, and noticed i have alot of play where the UCA conencts to the steering knuckle on the drivers side.

i must have hand tightened it to where i could get the cotter pin through and called it good. well rereading the install sheet, it calls for 75 ft lbs on it.

i got a cresent wrench on it and was able to tighten it down, but dont have a socket for my torque wrench that will fit under the UCA unless i pull the half shaft. another problem is the stud will move now since it is well greased.

i tightened it up the best i could and cotter pinned it.
im sure the passenger side has some play in it too.

so, besides a full tear down, how can i get it tightened?
im going to go pick up a socket for it, but nothing to stop the stud from spinning....

also, entertaining ideas on why it is pulling too.

started after i replaced the bearing hubs.
about 5 alignements have been done since then too. alignements are a little off, but not too bad. also rotated the tires too.

[twr]

Hi you need to make the ball joint nut tight. Lift the truck up remove the cotter pin and get a bar in between the upper control arm and the frame and push the control arm down so that the ball joint goes into the taper farther it should hold the stud from turning. Better yet if you have a impack to tighten it up. Also never back the castle nut off to line up with the cotter pin hole tighten the nut so the next slot in the nut will line up with cotter pin hole. If you keep driving the truck with it looose you will screw up the taper and end up changing the spindle and maybe the ball joint. As for the truck pulling one thing at a time, get the ball joint tighten first.

[Hellz]

ya i got it tightened down to the 75 ft lbs spec.

just needed a shallow socket to get in there. both sides needed alot of tightening.

maybe about 500 miles on it that way.

i think i am going to have to rip apart the whole passenger side to resolve this pulling issue.

i swear the shop i normally take my H2 to get alignments, they are sick of seeing me. seems every weekend i am in there for a new alignment.

maybe ill give them a break this week and go to another shop.....

[twr]

Hi glad you got ball joints tightened. Does it pull all the time?

[charles06]

Which UCA's did you get? I have the ones with the uniball ball joint. My H2 also pulls to the right at times, but I think it's due more to the tires.

I had my dealer install them, and they said the truck was a bear to align after. They also told me that these are not really designed for an H2, but for a full-size truck. They're just close enough to work. I can't remember all the specifics, but he seemed to know what he was talking about.

[Hellz]

UCAK100001
For the GM 01-06 8-Lug vehicles, including the 1500HD, 2500, 2500HD, 3500, and 2500 Suburban/YukonXL/Avalanche and Hummer H2


ya granted it lists the H2 on there, but all the vehicles listed are basically the same. the H2 does have a Yukon front end on it. there have been a few times already that i go to the parts store, and to be told they dont have a part for my H2, but when i tell them look up a Avalanche, they seem to magically have the part.


im pretty sure that the pulling is from the bearing hub, i just dont want to go through the effort of ripping it all the way down and putting it back together.
i think maybe the Hub maybe wasnt seated in 100% straight. maybe it is cockeyed ( ) a little. i have been tossing the idea of picking up another hub to throw in there to replace this one all together and have the old one ( which is still new-ish about 1000 miles) as a trail backup or something.

since tighteniing down the UCA's, i have a feeling that maybe the shop will have a easier time getting an alignment on my H2. before, it would go close to OEM specs, and even closer to the Cognito specs, but there was no room on the guide on the drivers side. it was completely maxxed out.

[charles06]

I always thought the same about the suspensions, but my tech seemed to know what he was talking about. He pointed out something different in the A-arms. I'll try to ask him again.

He's also told me that ever since they put those UCA's on, they've had a lot of trouble aligning it. So, either he's right, or I need a second opinion...

[Hellz]

Originally Posted by charles06

I always thought the same about the suspensions, but my tech seemed to know what he was talking about. He pointed out something different in the A-arms. I'll try to ask him again.

He's also told me that ever since they put those UCA's on, they've had a lot of trouble aligning it. So, either he's right, or I need a second opinion...

aliging to OEM specs or the Cognito specs?

on the last sheet of the install instructions are the new alignment specs for the UCA.

i think for the toe its the same as OEM, but for camber it just adds 1 degree to OEM.

[charles06]

Not sure. What they told me was that if they tried to get a little negative camber, it would throw the caster way out of wack.

I have a few other variables at play, such as a torsion bar bolt that seems a bit off. My plan is to get my new tires installed, torsion bolt adjusted, and alignment done all together.

[SmokeyJoe]

I just installed the UCA myself and recently had it aligned. They did not have any trouble aligning it, and the cams are right in the middle of their range. Oh yeah they alinged it to the Cognito specs.

I did notice when I installed them I had to open the mounting bracket a bit. When I did it I opened a little on each side.

Hope this helps you out some.

[charles06]

Are you guys installing these on lifted trucks? Mine has a Fabtech lift.

[Hellz]

mine is non lifted

T bars cranked

i didnt have any problems during the install.. well none that i noticed or that couldnt be solved with a rubber mallet. everythign went into place pretty well, and for the most part was pretty much common sense. granted, i did miss the tightening the spindle part, but that was fairly easy once i got the right tools.

[SmokeyJoe]

Originally Posted by SmokeyJoe

I just installed the UCA myself and recently had it aligned. They did not have any trouble aligning it, and the cams are right in the middle of their range. Oh yeah they alinged it to the Cognito specs.

I did notice when I installed them I had to open the mounting bracket a bit. When I did it I opened a little on each side.

Hope this helps you out some.

Only a T-Bar lift

[Mr. I - Man]

Glad I went with BMS uni-ball UCA's 5700 miles still tight as a bulls ass.( OK I will go knock on wood now)

[charles06]

Mine aren't loose. The dealer has just struggled with the alignment. But they have also commented that it's by far the best driving, lifted H2 they've driven.

[slippy]

Hey hellz keep us updated. I play with the idea to get the Uniball UCAs in the far future and this scares me away from them a bit. I would like to think tho its not the UCA but something else becuase i put alot of faith in cognito products, and there is something really cool about that damn uniball.

[Hellz]

well i finally did a tear down on the passenger side.
all the way down to the hub, and removed it too.
also took a wire brush to every mating surface to remove any grime buildup and or rust that may cause an uneven mating surface.

after all put together, i did get some pulling, so i took it in for an alignment.
still pulls.....
this has always been a strong pull to the right.
even if the road crown is to the left, it will pull right.
If i was in the far left lane on a 3 lane hwy.. within 7 secs i would be fully in the 2nd lane and prolly crossing into the 3rd.
this only happens while the vehicle is moving. meaning, when i start the H2, the steering wheel doesnt jerk or anything.


so from here, i think i have narrowed it down to the hub.
i didnt get the pulling until i replaced the Hubs on both sides, and the tie rods.
at this point, i didnt have the UCA installed nor the shocks.
i had the steering dampner installed prior to this.
steering upgrades happened after the UCA was installed. PM/IM arms, and pivot bracket. all Moog parts.

so i think after all this, i just got a defective hub.
they were cheapies i got off ebay.. so maybe i will order a new one and send this one back..
my biggest decision right now is if i order just 1 or 2..
the job is so easy to do, it makes sense to replace both, even tho they are both new. i just keep these as backups ( once i get the defective one replaced).

i would like to throw some Timco's back in there, just would rather not spend $500 for a pair when im tryign to save up for a frnt/rear gear change or a complete header/exhaust replacement...

decisions decisions....


after all this, and i replace the Hub, if i still get the pulling, my next step is replacing the Fabtech HD tierods. even tho they are new(ish- put about 5k miles on them now)...
after that, the next part would be the halfshaft(s)..
after that, the whole steering knuckle..
after that.. bang my head against a wall......

[charles06]

Just to add to this discussion, my pulling was only this bad when my tires were worn poorly. I had them rotated, and now all is well. Now, I get typical pull from the road surface. If the road slants to the right, I get a pull that way, and vice versa. That is to be expected from wider tires. My Porsche does this a little as well.

When I get my new tires put on (same tires I have now), I will get another alignment. But that won't be for a few weeks. I'll try to update if this post is still relevant.

[Scarsman]

Are you sure it is not a tire? ires can have what is called a radial pull. It has to do with the the belts in the tire causing a "walking" motion as the tire rolls. It does not happen a lot, but it does happen. You can test this by swapping your fronts from side to side, and see if it pulls the other way. Just an idea.

Also, when you did your steering stabilizer, are you sure it was correct? They should have a "neutral" pull, or stay at whatever point of extension you place them in. Unlike a shock, which is always pushing to extend. I have seen where someone put a heavy duty shock on instead, and it caused a pull because the shock had enough force to move the steering if you let go of the wheel while rolling down the road.

[Hellz]

tires -

i have rotated tires out of the passenger side to see if that was the cause.

steering dampner-

hadnt thought of that.......
when i took apart my steering to replace parts, i did take the steering dampner off, but i dont recall if it stayed neutral or if it pushed out when compressed.

i suppose i could remove it completly and drive around without it on to test out.

good tip.. thanks