H2 idler and pitman arms replacement

[GasGuzzler]

Pepboys did not match price for my purchase. I forget which is which but one was about 50 and change + tax and the other was about 80 +tax. They both were made by McQuay-Norris.

www.partsamerica.com sells them for a little more $160 for both shipped. They also sell MOOG for about $200 for both. Notice the McQuay-Norris has the lifetime warranty and MOOG has only a 1-yr warranty.

ebaY also sells them cheap. Check out Item numbers: 220089269262; 110094374104;

For a $23 idler arm, try item 230092917692 - WOW!

Best, GasGuzzler.

[GasGuzzler]

Originally Posted by lasvegash2

what are indications that these parts are going bad. i have the fabtech lift and tie rod ends along with 38.5" tires. i have about 15k miles on them right now.

When your wheels are off the ground, grab a front wheel with both hands. Try to rock that wheel left and right and see if there is a bit of play. If this play is excessive, thats when the steering gets sloppy and your alignment will suffer thus your tires will wear out prematurely.

Try the Cognito site for more info:
http://cognitomotorsports.com/store/page18.html

I have the Cognito brackets and they are nice.

Best, GasGuzzler.

[walc]

I just bought the Cognito Pitman/Idler kit, from Trail Duty, and had it installed today.
Installation took my non-dealer shop about an hour. Tech said I shouldn't need alignment, as I only have 1750 miles and no problems, before installation of the kit.
Steering seems tighter and more responsive.

[dochummer]

Has anybody heard of this brand;

Chassis 500 made by Coni-Seal, N.J. USA.

Ebay has idler and pitman arms together for 60 bucks shipped with 15 month warranties....I'm assuming the fine thread cognitos would fit these?

[mwrbunny]

is premature wear a problem for stock vehicle/stock tire size?......(or primarily due to running larger tires?)

[GasGuzzler]

Hey Doc,

Nope, they are not matched. These are prices from their computer database. Also, you may want to check ebaY. They have the MOOG units from even less. --THX, Guzzler

Originally Posted by dochummer

That's a great price on the Pitman/Idler arms. Did they price match or was that what they were selling at? I just found them online at rockauto.com for $144.81 shipped (Moog K6535/K6654). Perfection tire quoted me $324 just for the parts...

[GasGuzzler]

1. If you have (it is being called different terms on this forum) --

a. Sloppy steering or
b. Steering wanders or
c. Steering drfts

2. With the front wheel(s) off the ground, grab a wheel using both hands by the west and east sides. Rock your wheel and get a feel on how much play it has. I forget what the dealers mechanic said, but I think the free play should be less than 0.5 inch from end to end.

3. Abnormal tire wear and an alignment cannot help.

This is NOT a H2 only problem. This apprently is a GM truck steering problem. See the below Google search:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...oogle+ Search

Originally Posted by lasvegash2

what are indications that these parts are going bad. i have the fabtech lift and tie rod ends along with 38.5" tires. i have about 15k miles on them right now.

[GasGuzzler]

I don't think larger tires will result in premature wear. They will change your odometer readout though. You should rotate your wheels with oil changes and check your alignment on a regular basis to prevent abnormal tire wear.

Originally Posted by mwrbunny

is premature wear a problem for stock vehicle/stock tire size?......(or primarily due to running larger tires?)

[GasGuzzler]

I would call Cognito to verify.

Originally Posted by dochummer

Has anybody heard of this brand;

Chassis 500 made by Coni-Seal, N.J. USA.

Ebay has idler and pitman arms together for 60 bucks shipped with 15 month warranties....I'm assuming the fine thread cognitos would fit these?

[JoeHummer]

So I just rolled over 32,000 miles on my 2005. How can I get the Pitman and idlers stuff covered by warrantee before it goes out? How hard is it to install the Cognit kit? Thanks.

[GasGuzzler]

These arms are part of the wear and tear. In my opinion, it would be tough to get them to pay for it. They are probably still good after only 32K miles. I think adding the Cognito kit will prolong their life.

Adding the Cognito kit is pretty easy. Probably an hour of your time and a bit of elbow grease. Call Cognito and they will guide you through.

There's an article posted here from offroad.com:
http://www.*******club.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2967

Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by JoeHummer

So I just rolled over 32,000 miles on my 2005. How can I get the Pitman and idlers stuff covered by warrantee before it goes out? How hard is it to install the Cognit kit? Thanks.

[ROX]

Originally Posted by GasGuzzler

These arms are part of the wear and tear. In my opinion, it would be tough to get them to pay for it. They are probably still good after only 32K miles. I think adding the Cognito kit will prolong their life.

My dealership replaces the steering gear under warranty, and extended warranty every time, FWIW. Adding this kit is supposed to revive old parts and make new ones last forever... Here's an article I found.
I've had these parts installed for a week and so far it feels really tight. I'm excited to see how much it really works after a few thousand miles and towing a small trailer.

Fix the sloppy steering in your Late Model Chevy - Cognito Motorsports Pitman



Sep 1, 2005 By: Dean Waters Chevy at Off-Road.com

If you are the owner of a late model Chevy you have probably either heard of or experienced a problem with sloppy steering on your chevy or GMC. This becomes especially apparent if you install a lift and larger tires, or simply turn up the torsion bars on your vehicle.The solution has generally been a new pitman arm and new idler arm. These parts will set you back a couple hundred bucks plus labor. You can almost be assured that you will be replacing steering components every 5000 miles or less on a lifted truck if you don't do something to fix the problem. Even a stock truck will most likely start experiencing problems around 30,000 miles, or even much less if the torsion bars are turned up. This is a big problem with the H2 Hummer as well since it has all wheel drive and 35" tall tires from the factory.
You can find out if you have a problem fairly easily. Using a floor jack, place it under one of the lower control arms close to the inside of the front tire. Jack up the vehicle under the lower control arm until the tire next to the jack is just off of the ground. Now, grab the wheel that is off of the ground and turn it back and forth like you are trying to steer it. Pay attention to the centerlink and the pitman and idler arms and you can actually see all of the play in the steering system. Take note of how much you are able to turn the tire back and forth, and then after you realize that the other front tire is still on the ground and not moving, it should occur to you there is something not right. With this problem, no good allignmnet shop will be able to allign the front end and keep a consistant toe setting. This will cause irregular tire wear and can also cause tie rod problems
This problem is present in the older Ford F-150 as well that used a pitman and idler arm. It occurs becuse the joint in the pitman and idler arms where the center link attaches is not sufficient the way it is designed. And again this problem is accelerated by any type of lift and larger tires. New parts will only solve the problem temporarily. You can even replace the parts with heavy duty Moog components from their "Problem Solver" line of parts. This will probably solve the problem for some time on a stock truck but we have heard that even these components wear quickly on a lifted truck. Even the new Fabtech Pitman and Idler arm kit, which is almost twice the size of stock does not solve this problem.
To the Rescue
To the rescue comes Cognito Motorsports. Being a diehard GM fan and a degreed Mechanical Engineer from California Polytechnic State University of San Luis Obispo, Cognito Motorsports owner Justin Lambert began working on a solution to this steering problem. After looking at numerous solutions and trying several designs Justin has arrived with a bolt-on solution to the idler arm / pitman arm problem. In most cases you do not even need to replace the currently worn parts. If you have extreme wear you may want to replace the components but at least you can be assured that this will be the LAST time.
Cognito Motorsports Idler / Pitman support Kit. Yea, I know, the pictures suck!We had recently purchased a 2002 2500HD truck with around 30,000 miles on it. We were investigating different leveling kits when we discovered the Cognito Idler Arm / Pitman Arm support kit. Our truck was relatively new and had stock tires and wheels on it and we did not really feel a steering problem. But we decided to perform the simple check just for the heck of it. To our amazement there was a huge amount of slop on both sides. We doubt this truck had even seen any miles off the pavement yet it was in need of a new pitman arm and idler arm.
We located a Cognito dealer, Gresham 4WD in Gresham, Oregon, and made an appointment to get the Cognito kit installed. By the way, we also had them install a Cognito Leveling kit which we will review next month. Note: If you already have an aftermarket idler arm / pitman arm like the Moog kit you will need a different part #. The stock components use a course thread vs a fine thread on the aftermarket pieces
You will need to remove this plastic cover to get access to the steering components.Removing the idler arm bolts will make the installation go easier. This is not necessary if you have the sway-bar removed.
This is the support kit installed on the idler arm. The idler arm stud is now double captured around the center link.This is the support kit installed on the pitman arm. It also adds an additional attachment point to the center link.Summary
The installation of the new Cognito Motorsports support kit was installed very quickly by the experts at Gresham 4WD. Don, owner of Gresham 4WD, recommends that one be installed with every lift kit. No matter which brand you choose. The kit could be installed at home but a lift and air tools sure make it easier.
The support kit is a relatively simple solution to a very serious problem for late model GM owners. For around $200 plus instalation I am not sure how any GM owner can afford to NOT install this kit. Give Justin or Don a call, their contact information is below, and get one on the way.
Next month we install the Cognito Leveling kit on our 2500HD.

[tbuckley]

Fortunate for me I live near Gresham, OR -- I just dropped off my rig to have the idler/pitman replaced along with a new idler pivot at this off road center. I'm running 38.50" Toyos and the steering is getting sloppy on less than 10,000 miles. Cognito should fix me up!

[HumminNBoatin']

uhhh this thread is 3 1/2 years old! lol

[Xotik H3]

I suppose better late than never?