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Do 1995 Astro 2WD come with pitman arms

4K views 24 replies 13 participants last post by  Astro Pop 
#1 ·
I have a 1995 Astro 2WD and it has a grinding noise when I turn the steering wheel all the way to either left or right and move a inch. took it to my local auto shop and they told me I need inner and outer tie rods, idler arm and pitman arm. I then called my local AC Delco supplier and they told me 1995 Astro didn't come with a pitman arm

Can anyone confirm this please?
 
#3 ·
Sounds to me like the repair shop is shooting in the dark. The components you name are essentially the entire steering linkage. "Grinding", to me, wouldn't suggest any of those components failing.

And I've never heard of a Pitman arm failing or going bad.

Perhaps we could help you diagnose your grinding.

You say it's present when you're full to lock LEFT or RIGHT and then "Move an inch". Does that mean move the van forward an inch?

Lump
 
#7 ·
Do you tell lies to your real mother ?

(just trying to keep it going...)

Uncle Bob

My two scents:

Sounds more like what a AWD would do, but you say it is an RWD.

Perhaps, and this is a longshot, you have some crunchy wheel bearings

when they are loaded ? I think it's time for a "pro" to check under the

front end. I think I would start looking for independent shops to give

you their opinions, the more shops the merrier. It can be really difficult to

troubleshoot strange noises from this side of the web. (If you know what

I mean.)
 
#13 ·
I haven't looked too closely at my Safari, but on the 2wd Blazer I had, the pitman arm had a splined hole that fit on the steering box and a tapered hole that a spherical joint on the centerlink fit into. The spherical joint is the part that wears and is part of the centerlink not the pitman arm. Neither Rockauto nor autozne list a pitman arm for my Safari, I expect it's similar to the Blazer I had and replacing the centerlink would replace the joint that wears. There's a pitman arm, no doubt, but it's not a component that should need to be replaced since the joint that wears is on the mating part, not in the pitman arm like most other vehicles.
 
#14 ·
snapper388 said:
my 95 astro rwd has a pitman arm. it also has a grinding noise when turned all the way left or right, my tires will rub the frame when turned too hard in either direction.
This is exactly what I'm wandering about with the OP. Is it really "grinding" or is it just the normal sound that any power steering makes when turned to lock and the shop is just trying to sell you a bunch of parts.

I just don't buy "There's grinding so you need a new pitman arm".

I just can't think of any way for a pitman to wear out unless it's just smashed in a rollover accident.

Lump
 
#16 ·
see my reply a couple responses above, there is a pitman arm, but it shouldn't need to be replaced because of the way the steering is designed. There isn't anything to wear out on the pitman arm. Clicking sounds could come from the steering linkage, if you're going to do the job you'll need inner and outer tie rods for both sides, a center link (also called a drag link) and two different idler arms. Before doing the job, it's probably a good idea to check the ball joints, subframe mounts and wheel bearings though, creaking, clicking or popping noises could potentially come from a few different places. Given that the shop you took the van to only recommended replacing some of the parts while ignoring the center link that is known to cause problems on these vans, and at least one of the parts they recommend replacing isn't readily available or prone to wear, I'm inclined to think they either don't know what they're doing or they didn't look at the van and just guessed at what the problem was. I'd get a second opinion, and make sure they actually look at the wheel bearings, ball joints and subframe mounts..
 
#17 ·
If you have a steering box and wheels, you have a pitman arm. Maybe the parts man just didn't know where to look for a pitman arm in his catalog. You sure you weren't at Home Depot? Sounds kinda like the one I go to...clueless. I would start diagnosis by jacking up the front end and try turning the wheels by hand, left and right that is, and then just shaking the crap out of the wheels to see what is loose. If anything wiggles you've probably found the problem. Wheel bearings, ball joints or control arm bushings.
Good Luck and stay away from that parts house or HD.
 
#18 ·
#22 ·
kingdomcome84 said:
Im on eBayy about to buy this listing http://www.ebay.com/itm/351068404071?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Is there anything else I should also replace while replacing these?
Perhaps the parts guy that said they didn't exist was trying to spell it with two t's "Pittman", a common error...

That eBay kit is essentially everything related to your steering.

To install all that stuff, you will need some tools. There are "How to's" about all of them here somewhere.

UPPER BALL JOINTS - You'll need to drill out the OEM rivets that hold them in place. The new ball joints install with bolts

LOWER BALL JOINTS - You'll need to rent a loaner tool from LAP to press out the lower BJs and to press the new ones in.

BOTH BALL JOINTS - You'll need to rent a ball joint separator tool, or a pickle fork, or study up on the hammer separation method in order to separate the BJ from it's link. For some, this is a HUGE challenge. For others, it's simple. I think it depends on your mental approach to the thing.

JACKS AND STANDS - You'll need to remove the front wheels and jack up the front end. So you'll need some kind of floor jack and most importantly at least two jack stands. Jack it up with the jack, then put the jack stands under the subframe. Don't work under the van with just the jack holding that 3 tons of steel over you.

You'll really need another small jack, like a spare tire changing scissor jack, to help you move the lower control arm into place when lining things up for re-assembly.

TORQUE WRENCH - They're ten bucks at Harbor Freight. Half inch drive, bunch of sockets, socket extensions

GREASE GUN and GREASE - Once you install the ball joints and idler arms and all the other arms and links, you'll need to lube 'em

WHEEL ALIGNMENT - You're replacing the gizmos that align your wheels (the tie rods). So after you install new ones, you'll need to do a wheel alignment. You can ball park it at home then carefully drive a short distance to an alignment shop. Or you can actually do it at home. There's a How To about that too in the steering section somewhere.

BREAKING LOOSE BOLTS - The nuts and bolts on there have been there for a really long time, exposed to a lot of gunk, water, rust, dirt. They will be hard to break loose. Air tools are great, you probably don't have those. Breaker bars, penetrating oil, well chosen cuss words, BFHammer etc.

MISC THIS AND THAT - You're going to have the brakes and rotors disconnected from everything so you might as well assess the condition of the disc surface and consider replacing the discs. You could have them resurfaced but it's really not much more expensive to just replace. Doing that you'll be replacing the wheel bearings. The Wheel Bearings are actually the least expensive part of the whole enchilada. They're just 5 or 10 bucks per side (Right and Left). You'll need a can of wheel bearing grease and gloves to repack the bearings (old or new).

Also while the brakes are off, consider replacing the brake pads. That's one of the simplest jobs on the van. There's a pair of 3/8 hex socket bolts that hold the brake calipers in place. You'll need a hex key or a ratchet hex bit for that.

Brake parts cleaner, degreaser, penetrating lube, loctite, wheel bearing grease, cartridge grease and gun, jacks, jack stands, sockets, wrenches, special ball joint tools, breaker bars, rags, safety glasses, creeper or old yoga pad, two or three days, spare car and funds for emergency drives to LAP for parts, hand cleaner.

EDIT TO INCLUDE: Cotter pins and diagonal cutting pliers (Dikes). The steering arms and their joints typically have a cotter pin retainer. Probably supplied with the new parts. There's always one missing or you break one or you need to re-set a couple and so need new pins. Assortment in a plastic box at LAP is more then you'll use in a lifetime. Cost a few bucks.

I'm probably leaving something out. It's a fun job, in my opinion, to replace front end parts.

All of the above doesn't address the question "Do you need to replace them".

Lump
 
#23 ·
Whoa up there...Before you plunk down a paltry $128. of your hard earned for all that hardware, maybe you should

get in touch with the seller to find out COO and/or brand. If my way of thinking isn't too off kilter, the parts shown

could be one of the too-good-of deals where they (once installed) will be junk within a six month period. Lots of

discussion about Chinese rip-off parts, especially when the prices are too good to be true. When you need parts,

and you are going to do the work yourself, it pays to get the best parts you can get, or be doing exactly that, way

before they should be needing replacement. Too many stories of woe have been on the forum, and I think that

many will back me up when I mention it. Most members will gang up with me as I quote chapter and verse:

Thou shalt strive to gather only Moog Problem Solvers to thine vehicle. Remembering that, $128 seems to me to

be way short of what quality parts would/do cost in the real world. Try perusing RockAuto.com for pricing

of simular items, in Moog, and "other" brands. Then Check out places like AdvanceAuto, Napa, Autozone, Orielly, etc.

Forewarned is Forearmed...

Uncle Bob
 
#24 ·
Astros definitely have a pitman arm. As others have said, the pitman arm on Astro vans doesn't really wear out. There is an "intermediate rod" (item #7 if you click on the link below) that connects the pitman arm to the center link (#4) that can wear out and cause sloppy steering.

Also as stated in an earlier reply, check for a shiny bare metal spot on the frame where the tire could possibly be rubbing on the frame when cranked to full left / right.

http://cdn.revolutionparts.com/ill3.php ... 0098&make=
 
#25 ·
Not only is there a lot of labor involved in replacing all those parts if the van was only a few years old, but with 20 yrs of road grime, rust and crap !!. You will have major time invested in getting some of these parts loose. The bolts, rivets and shafts have just about become completely welded to their mating parts. I don't know what climate you're in or how many miles are on the van but that full job is a huge undertaking. I would reconsider diagnosing the actual problem and looking to repair that part first. Then gradually add on the other parts as upgrades to tighten the front end up.
Just search this forum for some of the stories of others who have encountered major grief in simply changing things like idler arms, control arm bushings or ball joints. Having just gone through ball joint hell, if I had to do it over I would buy new control arms and that would also take care of the bushings.

Sorry to sound lecturous (?) but as a Master ASE Auto tech I've seen it all and had to finish off many jobs that others have started and got buried on. And that cost them some $$$ plus their lost time. I then went on to find the real problem...more $$$. My advice... don't do that. Okay rant over.

Is there a smiley for getting down off a soap box?

Astro Pop
 
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