chevy 4x4 pickup, severe shaking in the front end...

I have a 2000 chevy 4x4 pickup, I get a "severe shaking" that comes and goes in the front end. I just had all upper and lower ball joints and bushings replaced, still have the problem. The truck shakes so bad that I have to pull it to the side of the road in fear that something may fall off. Can someone please help me on what I can look for or check next. The guy at the auto shop said the rest of the steering linkage looked good to him but he could have over looked something... thank you

 

They must align the vehicle once any steering component is replaced. Did they do that? Yeah he overlooked something. It could be tie rod slack or mis adjustment, tire balance, anti sway bar bushing wear. Also, do you have a steering dampener shock installed from the tie rod to the frame?

 

My first thought was the steering stabilizer shock. Does it happen at a certain speed? or when you hit a bad spot in the road? What size tires does it have and what condition are they in? Worn oversized tires can amplify the problem. There might be a smoking gun or it could be compilation of things.

 

The auto guy said ball joints were very bad when he replaced them, he also said to have the alignment check, going to do that tomorrow. Not sure about the steering stabilizer shock, I'll have them look to see if I have one when they check the alignment. The shaking can happen at any speed, a bad spot or bumpy road will set off the shaking. Here is the strange part, as long as it is below freezing outside the shaking is less often, as soon as the weather gets warmer, above 40 degrees, it may shake every day, its weird. As for the tires, the door jam said the truck should have 265/75/16, someone replaced the tires and rims, the truck has 205/70/15 tires on it now, and yes, the tires need to be replaced soon. Thanks for all the help guys, I've been trying to figure out this problem for months.

 

Alignment will tell all, hopefully. The stabilizer shock is quite obvious from an under front glance, if you have one. Your rim/tire situation may not be the culprit, but definitely could cause handling problems. The tires are squattier than the originals and narrower. The rims could affect the computer (if you have one), by sending the wrong data to it. Your speedometer is reading a little high.

 

Thank you for all the help, I'll keep you posted as soon as I have the alingment checked, thanks again....

 

Make sure the four-wheel drive is disengaged on dry pavement.

 

Check the idler arm......