Silverado problem

2004 Silverado…90K miles.

Picture in your mind a plastic Easter egg…place a jelly bean inside that egg. Wrap your hand around the egg and shake it. Feel that dull tapping?

That’s what I’m feeling. I feel it in the steering wheel as well as in the floor. Mrs. says she doesn’t feel it on passenger side.

I haven’t been able to pin down any particular speed. I sometimes feel it while accelerating…sometimes only when I take my foot off the gas…sometimes not at all.

Any ideas?

Thanks

A good mechanic that uses a stethoscope. I took my trailblazer in for what I thought was a wheel bearing, and they replaced a ujoint. Now I knew the ujoint was a tad loose but not the source of the problem. Steering wheel vibration feel continued after ujoint replacement. They put their best mechanic on it, with a stethoscope determined wheel bearing, replaced it and after complaining of course gave a significant discount for the u joint. A bearing was tested by a sharp steering and driving test for the other wheel bearing a couple of years previously. Proper diagnosis for a proper repair.

If you have never replaced any front wheel bearings yet, then the wheel bearing is a good place to look. As a 2001, 240,000+ miles Silverado owner, I am on my third set of front bearings.

Do your tires seem to be wearing evenly? Take a close look at them, See any uneven wear, cupping or anything like that?

Rotate the tires and see if the problem moves.

Check the driveshaft to see if is loose at the u-joints, Does it have 4wd? It could be a transfer case chain loose enough to tap. Check for a loose rear transmission mount nut, too.

These trucks are known to make noise from the steering intermediate shaft. They can be re-lubed or replaced to fix the problem. It is usually a fast, dull rattle that is most apparent while turning or going over bumps.

As a matter of fact, GM does not want you to lubricate the shaft

They want you to replace it

I’ve replaced a few of these myself, by the way