Im in the process of buying a 2004 silverado 2500HD. It has a 6inch suspension lift and 35inch bfg all terrains. When you get above about 20mph the steering wheel vibrates and it gets worse as you go faster. My mechanic checked it over and said everything but the shaking is fine. He said the tires/wheels probably need to be re balanced. What do you guys think?

 

CHeck your front tires for uneven tread wear. I'm sure they need to be rebalanced IF they can be. I have a truck on 40 inch swampers that i run on the road once they get unballanced they will vibrate or shake and can do alot of damage to tie rod ends, power steering pumps, steering box, and cause other tires to wear out.

 

All right thanks RJB. my mechanic said the tie rod looked good and he didnt see any belt shift. What is the worst it could be? Basically is this a money trap? Its a great truck at a great price I would be willing to spend under $1,000 to fix the problem.

 

Do you know if that truck has wheel spacers? If they are installed wrong, they will cause vibration.

 

yep and a lose wheel will also

 

Ok thanks guys. Let me ask you this. If it took you 3 weeks to find this truck and it's the perfect truck but it had steering wheel shake would you still buy it. Basically I am asking if it's a money pit to fix.

 

Again its one of those things.........it depends on what the problem is

 

Have the saler rotate and balance the tires. I am sure the tires have some sort of rotation and balance like Discount Tires does when they sale their tires. And plus if the saler really wants to get rid of it... he/ she will do what has to be done... depending on how bad they want to rid theirselves of it. Just my 2 cents.

 

An agreement I have used is to have the truck inspected. If there is something wrong and you do not want to buy it....you pay for the inspection. If there is nothing wrong and you buy it......the seller pays. It's a good deal for both IMO.
FWIW, I wouldn't buy anything with a known problem without knowing what it would cost to fix it.

 

Slim Jim is right, Know what your are buying, then you can see if you want to add the additional $$$$ to fix.

Have the seller balance the tires when the tires are off have the shop pull the wheels to see if the wheel bearings need to be replaced, lifts and larger tires can cause bearings to go out.
If that does not solve the problem be careful
Sounds like a Pig n' Poke and who knows what it will ultimately cost

Good Luck
vp