"Old" steering... '98 k1500 and sloppiness...

[BoxMN]

I have a 98 k1500 with 180k. Great truck, no real issues, but after driving bro's 07 or wife's 05 trailblazer, you really notice how sloppy the steering is in my '98. Mind you, I don't notice it when driving it all the time, but others do, and I do after driving new stuff.

Question is if there are minor/easy/any ways tighten it up? A mechanic told me at about 120-130k that he saw a bit of wear on tie rods, but that he would not be changing them yet, and not a safety issue.

But I plan to keep this truck well beyond 200k, so don't mind putting some $$ into it if it makes it ride better. I am probably due for shocks again (70k on my second set) and might get new rear springs so I am not always sitting on my Timbren SOS overrides...

Thanks for any thoughts.

[jeffreyd]

check the idler arm (passenger side) and the pitman arm off the steering box for wear. The idler arm if you did not know is greaseable so that is a downfall of all trucks. I would check them first, easy to change if you have the tools. good luck

[Macgyver55]

Idler arm and pitman arms are fairly common on these because they are difficult to get at and often overlooked at quick-service bays. This vintage truck also had an issue with the steering position sensor which gives a really strange sense of instability when it is bad.

[aczr2k]

I was also going to say the steering position sensor, its located down at the base of steering column against the firewall, its a small plastic ring and is not to difficult to replace. I replaced mine at less than 50K miles. The other thing you can do if your idler and pitman arms are okay is to adjust the slop in your steering box, just be carefull not to tighten the screw too much.

[BoxMN]

Thanks guys. I will have a few thigns to check, this will help a lot.