Alright fellow Blazer enthusiasts, I don't have many posts because I more or less linger and read and research to fix my vehicle myself. Please don't look at my post count and think "NOOB" because I've been here for a while and have a pretty good concept of forums and what they're all about.

Here is my predicament.

I have a 2000 Chevy Blazer 4-Door LT 4WD. About a year ago I started hearing a creaking noise coming from the front end. At first it wasn't that bad so I didn't really worry about it and more or less ignored it.

Now I know I know... Typical first mistake because once a single suspension component starts wearing excessively, it will cause others to fail in due time.

The creaking noise only happens when turning the steering wheel to the left. No other time. It doesn't matter if it is a left turn at speed(going around a corner) or if returning to center from a right hand turn or if just sitting still and turning the wheel. The creaking sound is present all the time.

About 9 months ago I was in an accident and ran something over in the road. I don't know what it was but it was pretty big and solid and did some serious damage to my front bumper and suspension/crossmembers.

It wasn't until after the accident that I started systematically replacing parts damaged in the accident. First was the front bumper/brackets/air dam/impact strip.

Then I replaced the rear leaf springs with some new 1400lb springs because my passenger leaf had gotten bent by whatever I hit in the road.

Now before going any further, let my tell you that I am a mechanic working for a reputable car dealership out here in Kansas so I do have the knowledge/resources to make repairs on my own.

After getting this far I took my truck into my work and had a buddy of mine who is a master tech look at my truck to see if maybe he could help me find this creaking noise that I am experiencing.

He decided that he was going to spray rust penetrating oil on the upper control arm bushings while steering the wheel back and forth. This DID help the noise go away for about 2 trips to and from work. Then it came back and was worse than ever. We concluded that the upper control arm bushings were the culprit.

Upon inspection, I discovered that my upper control arm bushings were virtually gone and ball joints were toast. My passenger lower control arm had also gotten bent when I hit that object in the road so I decided that I would replace both my lower control arms as well.

Yesterday I made a day of it and took the truck into work on my day off and replaced both upper and lower control arms, all bump stops and my passenger side axle shaft which had come apart in 2 pieces and lost all it's grease.

I made sure that every bolt that was removed during the repair was coated in anti-seize lubricating compound before going in so I don't have to deal with seized up bolts in the future like I did this time around.

Finished up with an alignment and I will say that my front end feels MUCH tighter and handling has been improved dramatically.

The thing that's driving me crazy is that god-forsaken creaking noise is still present and just as bad as ever.

Now keep in mind I did replace>>

Upper Control Arms - Bushings - Ball Joints(no grease zerk)
Lower Control Arms - Bushings - Ball Joints(no grease zerk)

I'm thoroughly convinced that the creaking noise is coming from somewhere else but because I work 12 hour days, 5 days a week, it's hard to bring my truck into work unless I'm going in on my day off and I don't particularly have the motivation to work on this thing after work, especially since we have no daylight right now after 7pm.

Is there anyone here who has been through this and might have an idea on what is causing this creaking noise that is driving me crazy? ALL help will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Dan

 

Just rebuilt my steering linkages... New idler arm, Pittman arm and all 4 tie rod ends with new greaseable parts and greased em up till grease was literally coming out of it and realigned the truck. What do you know... The creak is gone. Haven't heard it since.

 

Good call on replacing everything!!

 

Lol they call that a shot gun repair where I come from. The parts all had play in them anyway so they all needed to be replaced anyway. I want to say the noise was coming from the idler arm though because spraying pb blaster on the idler prior to replacing it reduced the noise but didn't completely fix it.

 

Did you level the steering linkage when you replaced the idler arm? If it's not level, you can expect bump steer, premature idler arm wear, and, yes, noises. The mounting holes in the idler arm are larger than the bolts, this allows for the adjustment when installing. You'll need to measure from the outboard ends of the center link up to the frame on both sides. Needs to be within 1/16" side to side. Adjusting the idler arm will affect toe, so you'll need to readjust it afterwards.

 

I didn't realize that was necessary but I don't have a bump steer issues so maybe I got lucky? Also the part came as part of an ebay package deal. Its greaseable but I wouldn't go saying it's a premium part by any means..

 

So yesterday I looked into this again just because I had time and what I found came as a surprise.

When I measured from the center link to the frame on the driver's side, the gap was 2 & 1/4".

When I made the same measurement in the passenger side, the gap was 3".

My steering linkage was very far from level... I made the necessary adjustments and was surprised at how much better it drives. I thought that what I was feeling when driving was just the oversized tires but you were right. I did have a bump steer problem and adjusting that idler arm took care of most of it.

Thanks Captain Hook!

 

Good job! Thanks for posting back. I can just about guarantee that you are one of the few that actually took the time to do the job right


It's often taken for granted that the linkage will be level when you replace the idler arm. When in fact, the odds are against you. The installation instructions that come with most of the high quality idler arms explain how to check and adjust it. Keep in mind that if the steering gear box, and or pitman arm, are removed or replaced, the linkage will need to be checked, and most likely adjusted