A mechanic failed the inspection on my '96 Blazer 4WD, because he said I needed a new idler arm and the ball joints were bad. According to posts here, if the ball joints are bad I will have north/south movement. I don't have any north/south play at all. I do have considerable movement east/west. I am assuming north is up when I am holding the tire in front of me with my left hand to the west. I was considering doing this work myself. But now I am questioning the inspection result. Any suggestions on how to proceed?

 

That is correct, north would be up when you hold the tire. If you have a lot of side to side play then your hubs are worn. Is this a trusted mechanic?

 

Not a trusted mechanic. That is my fault being a DIY and not being in one place long enough to develop trust.

I am wondering if there isn't some adjustments to be made somewhere? The tie rods have threads where if they rod was lengthened slightly, there wouldn't be so much play. How much play is normal, if any?

 

I would have another mechanic look at it if you need to pass inspection soon. However, don't tighten the tie rods! That will change toe in the tire and mess up your alignment! The tie rods usually have about 1\4 inch of play.

 

Yup I'd take it to another shop that does free inspections. Ask them if the could shake the front end down for you & see if anything is wrong. It's a 5 minute procedure for a shop with a hoist & 2 mins of that will be bringing the vehicle in & getting it on the hoist. I wouldn't mention that you've already had another shop look at it either.

 

Thanks 50lb_cat. I'm in PA where just about everybody does inspections, but they make a living from repairs, inspections. Their is no state inspection like some states. I've got 10 days to resolve the issue.

You say don't tighten the tie rods, that would make the tires toe in. So loosening the rods would make them toe out. Right?

No matter. I just measured the play at a radius of just outside the tie rod. The play is LESS than 1/4 inch on both wheels. Measured from the outside of the tire would be more, of course. I'm definitely going to need a third opinion. The first opinion was "too much rust and the idler arm needs replacing." The second opinion was "rust is OK, but the ball joints need replacing." When I inspected it myself, I find out both opinions were arrived at without even taking the wheel off. I had to use a five foot extension on my crow bar to free the lug nuts.

 

Yea, I wish. Don't think there is anything like free inspections in PA. I know NJ has state inspections, but not sure if they are free. Won't do me any good anyway. It's time to look around for a reliable mechanic. Is it possible to get recommendations here for someone in the Lehigh Valley area?

 

Have you tried looking for reviews online for local shops? If you just need to pass inspection then I would slap on a new idler arm since its cheaper and easier than ball joints and take it back to the first place.

 

I have not tried online reviews, but now is a good time to start.

I won't do the idler arm until I know why it needs replacing. The guy who said the idler arm needed to be replaced pointed to a tie rod which moved when he rocked the tire. I need a bit more solid evidence of a problem. The steering feels tight at all speeds, no vibration, no pulling, and the wear on the tires is considerable, but even. What symptoms should I see if the idler arm was defective?

 

I replaced my idler arm because it was cheap and easy to do. And the stock one had over 200k miles on it. It's cheap enough that I would replace it anyways.