I have the famous clunk in one of my trucks that I have not been able to fix. Has anyone on here had good or bad luck with the borgeson shaft? I'm willing to try anything. I have replaced with the new updated shaft and installed two of the green POS plastic bearings. I'm going to install a new green POS bearing in the morning. Any new advice? Wish there was a real bearing to install.
Steering shaft clunk
- Thread starter Al's max
- Start date
I have the same problem .
A friend of mine that's a professional mechanic with several Duramax trucks of his own told me that the outter housing at the bottom end gets wobbled out allowing play between it and the bushing that centers the shaft . He said a simple hose clamp around the outter housing snugged to compress the housing tightening the clearance to the bushing will fix the problem . I planning on doing it to mine but have yet to do it .
A friend of mine that's a professional mechanic with several Duramax trucks of his own told me that the outter housing at the bottom end gets wobbled out allowing play between it and the bushing that centers the shaft . He said a simple hose clamp around the outter housing snugged to compress the housing tightening the clearance to the bushing will fix the problem . I planning on doing it to mine but have yet to do it .
You can do the hose clamp fix or even just use a zip tie. I used a standard plastic zip tie on mine with a little lithium grease and haven't touched it in 3 years!:woott:
Here is my steering clunk journey:rofl:
1. Rtv stock shaft, fixed for a few months clunk came back.
2. borgeson shaft, better but still slight rattle.
3. Green lower carrier bearing and a hose clamp around it, fixed for a year or so...
4. Slight clunk is back, I have heard of a bearing at the base of the steering wheel in the column that can go bad as well. I think that may be my clunk now, as it feels like its higher/closer to the steering wheel now.
I also think the borg shaft magnifies the other rattles... I would do the stock replacement from gm or the Dorman one IIRC. Drill it and tap for a grease zerk. Clamp the green bearing and see if the rattle moves closer to the steering wheel. You may have the same issue as me.
1. Rtv stock shaft, fixed for a few months clunk came back.
2. borgeson shaft, better but still slight rattle.
3. Green lower carrier bearing and a hose clamp around it, fixed for a year or so...
4. Slight clunk is back, I have heard of a bearing at the base of the steering wheel in the column that can go bad as well. I think that may be my clunk now, as it feels like its higher/closer to the steering wheel now.
I also think the borg shaft magnifies the other rattles... I would do the stock replacement from gm or the Dorman one IIRC. Drill it and tap for a grease zerk. Clamp the green bearing and see if the rattle moves closer to the steering wheel. You may have the same issue as me.
Just my 2 cents worth but seems like it would be best to go with the hose clamp first since it cost almost nothing . Then if that doesn't work go with some of the other potential fixes .
Just replaced 1 year old green bearing with another new one. Clunk is gone for a few months again. I'm going to see what it would take to put a real bearing in place of the green brg/bushing. I could machine a piece easy enough but to fit tight enough not to rattle it might be to hard to install with column in truck. We will see. I'm amazed at how some trucks clunk like crazy and others don't.
This has the link and the pic from the DP thread...
http://www.performancetrucks.net/forums/gmt-800-older-gm-general-discussion-130/steering-shaft-rattle-clunk-revisited-not-your-typical-clunk-thread-good-info-here-402277/
Thank ya! Might have to give that a shot on a couple farm trucks
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Mine just started making the goose noise but no rattle. I don't think mine has ever been replaced.
There are some things to consider with the Boreston Shaft. First, the tolerances on shaft are must better than the OEM unit to where it bolts to the steering column and lower steering shaft. In fact, if you have ever installed a replacement OEM shaft, you will notice how easy the new shaft goes into the lower steering shaft. This is one of the areas that causes vibration that resignates from lower suspension, thru the steering gear, up to the steering wheel. Secondly, there's a vibration dampener that is built into the upper portion of the steering shaft that helps with this issue. Thirdly, while the shaft is more expensive, you do get a 5 year warranty on the shaft-which is more than double of what the OEM has.
The other area(s) that are a source of vibration; first, is the bearing in the tilt wheel assembly area where the assembly pivots. The metal will elongate over time allowing the steering wheel to have movement in the steering assembly. The metal of the assembly is made of a very poor casting that will allow the pins to move freely over time. In fact, I'm surprised that GM didn't machine a bronze bushing in the assembly to help with this issue. Lastly, there's also a upper bearing that holds the shaft in the center of the assembly near the steering wheel that can be a source of the vibration. You will see that some members have had to have the entire steering column replaced. As a result, they found the problem to be fixed.
The other area(s) that are a source of vibration; first, is the bearing in the tilt wheel assembly area where the assembly pivots. The metal will elongate over time allowing the steering wheel to have movement in the steering assembly. The metal of the assembly is made of a very poor casting that will allow the pins to move freely over time. In fact, I'm surprised that GM didn't machine a bronze bushing in the assembly to help with this issue. Lastly, there's also a upper bearing that holds the shaft in the center of the assembly near the steering wheel that can be a source of the vibration. You will see that some members have had to have the entire steering column replaced. As a result, they found the problem to be fixed.