Vibration when turning wheels

[mntb]

Lately I have been getting a vibration when I turn the front wheels to the right. It only does it if I'm not moving or barely moving. It's been progressively getting worse as time goes on.

The upper ball joint on the passenger side does have some play in it. And its really easy to move around. Driver side upper ball joint seems OK.

Could the upper ball joint on the passenger side be the cause of the vibration?
Any tips on replacing the upper ball joint? I've been reading up on the presses and watching videos. Seem more time consuming than difficult. I've never replaced ball joints before. But it doesn't look too difficult.
Is one brand of upper ball joints better/preferred over the others? Probably going with rockauto again for parts.

Thank you in advance for any help.

 

[Sparky]

Upper joint isn't terrible to do (at least compared to the bottom one!). I'd start there if it has play. I tend to prefer Moog due to good service life and experience I've had in the past.

 

[Mooseman]

If it vibrates while not moving, is it possible it's a hydraulic issue with the power steering system? Does it still do it if you rev the engine a little to increase pump pressure?

 

[Sparky]

That is also a possibility. My steering rack on my TB was getting old and grumpy and would groan on some turns.

 

[mntb]

While I was backing of driveways (and in spots that would allow me to) I tried holding the rpm's up or reving the engine to increase pump pressure like you suggested. But it didn't seem to really help much, if at all.
Now that you guys mentioned it, My power steering has been groaning /whinning lately though. It does it turning both directions, whether I'm moving or not. And I can hear it if I'm listening for it while I'm going straight. I'm not sure if it is the pump or rack and pinion though. The resivour is full of fluid.
We just had a shop replace the rack and pinion, that was $950 I believe. Not a bill I can afford right now.
It sounded like changing the rack and pinion myself would be pretty difficult as I don't have air tools and it seems pretty complicated. The lack of how-to's and no videos really to go off of tell me it would probably be best left to a shop.
Just one more thing to try to get fixed before the cold and snow set in.
Thanks for the input guys.

 

[mntb]

I just had someone turn the wheels while I looked at the passenger side. It didn't seem to be shuddering from the upper ball joint. I fear it may indeed be the rack and pinion like you suggested.
Maybe it's so wore out that reving the engine and increasing the pump pressure didn't make a difference?
Honestly it would surprise me. My job does do a number on vehicles. If it's original (which I do believe) then that meaning it's lasted 301,xxx miles. So if it's not the rack and pinion, that can't be too far off.
Any chance it could be the pump? Any way of telling for sure between the two?
Thanks again.

 

[Mooseman]

If you are getting noise from the pump, replace that first to eliminate that. I have yet to see the failure of a rack on the power side of things. They usually suffer from leaks.

What does your fluid look like? Been changed lately?

 

[mntb]

We had to replace the rack in my wife's TB due to a leak.

I checked the fluid in my tb and its almost as dark as used engine oil. I couldn't believe how dark it is.
On the dip stick it looks OK. But I pulled some out of the resivour with a syringe. And it's almost black.

What's the best way to change or flush the power steering fluid?
How much fluid will I need?
Should power steering fluid be thick or thin. Maybe it's just me but when we had to deal with leak on my wife's TB, I had STP and supertech power steering fluid on hand. The STP p/s fluid seemed much thicker than the supertech stuff. Supertech seemed very thin.

Thanks in advance.

 

[DAlastDON]

Use a turkey baster or your syringe and empty the reservoir and fill it back up with fresh fluid. Start the engine and cycle the wheels for bump stop to bump stop a few times. Do this several times. Fluid will never be perfectly clear. Myself i cycled a gallon through it. Do this in some grass or dirt so you do not wear the tires.

 

[Mooseman]

There is a way to get all the old fluid out. This is how I do it. Jack up the front end, suck out as much fluid as you can with the baster. Put rags under the pump. Pull the low pressure return line at the pump (fluid will leak out). Plug the nipple at the pump, attach another hose to the end of the return hose, put the end of that hose in a large container, fill the reservoir, without starting the engine, turn the steering wheel lock to lock several times, top up the reservoir and repeat until the fluid runs clear. Then you can either suck out the fluid and reconnect the hose to the pump or if you're quick enough, try to reconnect it without losing too much fluid. Fill the reservoir, turn the steering wheel lock to lock several times to purge any air out. Check the level and jack it down. Start the engine and turn lock to lock, check the level.

It sounds complicated but it isn't.

 

[mntb]

Thanks mooseman for the process.

Not complicated at all. Pretty easy. Fluid was BLACK.
I discovered a rip in my passenger side inner tie rod end boot.
Turning to the right it still vibrates/shudders. And the whine from the pump is a little louder especially when turning the wheels. The vibration goes away a little when reving it now though. I'm wondering if the pump is the issue. But I don't know why it only vibrates turning to the right unless the torn boot has something to do with it?

How difficult is replacing the pump on the 5.3l?
I found a used one for $60.
How difficult is it to replace the inner tie rod end boot?

Thanks for all of the help.
You guys are a life saver.
Without people and sites like this, guys like me would be SCREWED.

 

[Mooseman]

Hey, that's what it's all about. Helping each other out .

The thing about the boot is that this would allow dirt in and damage the seal and allow the rack to rust. If it looks good and it's not leaking, I don't think it would cause the shuddering. replacing that boot isn't bad. The problem is finding them!

For the pump, you would need to use a pulley puller and installation tool, which can be rented at the parts store. Will also need to remove the fan and shroud to get at it and possibly the whole alternator/pump bracket.

Don't bother with a used one since you can get an ACDelco reman for the same price
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TLBHS22/?tag=gmtnation-20

 

[mntb]

How is the resivour attached to the pump?
I know it's a dumb question.
I've never had to replace a power steering pump before.

Thank you for the reply.

 

[Mooseman]

It's just held with a clip. It will come with a new seal for the reservoir. That is the easy part.