Hi
I have a 91 d350 with a utility bed and aerial bucket.
Truck usually weighs between 13 or 14 thousand pounds.
The problem i have is it eats up idler arms about 1 a year.
I have had it aligned numerous times and it all meets factory spec's.
Ride height and frame straigtness all ok.
The truck see's highway and county roads daily and i don't get carried away with it.
I have tried 3 napa's, 2 moog problem solvers and just getting ready to warrantee the first 1 from auto zone.
Thats 7 idlers in just a little over 7 years.
Nobody around here can tell me what's up , i just keep replacing them.
Once it is replaced truck goes down the road straight as an arrow.
This is the long frame truck and it is pretty much factory stock.
If anybody out there has any idea's it would be a great help.
By the way it is about to turn over 390k and i love the old cummins.
I pretty much do most all of my own repairs and this one has me stumped.
Getting ready to re-kit the old ve pump.
Hope all goes well.

Thanks
Tim's Electric
Western Nebraska

 

I don't have a good answer for you. What kind of grease do you use and how often?

 

Someone on here a while back was having a similar problem, turns out he kept intalling them backwards or something to that effect. not sure if his was 2 or 4wd though.

 

I just searched and the above mentioned backwards situation was on a 4wd model. Search "drag link troubles by woodrat". It doesn't mean it couldn't be happening to you, though I have no idea how a 2wd is set up. He went thru 3 because the angles were wrong. He kept installing the way it was previous, copying the wrong way. Maybe worth checking into.
Is power steering fluid leaking down to the joint and washing out/thinning the grease?

 

When you have it aligned is it loaded the same at it would be when you drive it. I know if you empty it to have it aligned as soon as you load it up your going to throw off your alignment and also reduce the life on your suspension parts. I don't know if that will help or not but I thought I would throw it out there.

 

Thanks for the replies.
It is a 2 wheel drive and everything is installed properly.
The idler is on the passenger side so something leaking on it is not a problem.
The truck is loaded as normal when aligned.
I always use a good high pressure lithium grease.
I thought at one time i had the problem fixed by changing the drag link and tie rod ends and having it aligned , but within 6 months the idler went out again.
One thought was maybe the front coil springs were weak as is commin with the deisels , but the tech checked ride height at the frame rails and it was to factory specs.
Suprized me too.
I even checked into a steering stabilizer but could not find one available.
Everything i found would only work if the truck was set up for it orriginally.
Could not find one that was a direct bolt on and i am not in the habit of drilling holes in the frame.
BAD IDEA!!

I will keep watching and hope someone might have a solution.

Thanks
Tim

 

I had the same problem with my 83 and 87 gassers except it was the wheel bearing on the passenger side...
4 dealers, and 3 different mechanics. No explanation. the bearing would last ~ 35K - 40K...The way I was driving at that time it worked out to ~ 6 - 7 mos.

Never did find a solution