GMC Jimmy S15 / Chevy S10: Idler Arm & Center Link Replacement

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Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. South Main Auto Repair assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. South Main Auto Repair recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not South Main Auto Repair

[@fredrikrnhovde7634]

Watching Dr. O fix old rusty trucks is pretty great, especially when you're waiting for your e-Golf to charge outside a VW dealer in Norway 👍

[@geoffmorgan6059]

Do they salt up the roads in Norway like Upstate New York. Means a new car every 4 years!

[@richardbambenek2601]

"Amish style" You got a million of em. That's what makes your channel so enjoyable. It's not just car talk but you add a personal touch to your videos, including your family. A very entertaining mix. Where is the rust on that old timer?

[@TechTimeWithEric]

I just recently did all this on my 87 S10. Actually I did all 4 control arms, tie rods, coil springs, shocks, Jeep steering shaft upgrade, and even added a sway bar that it never had before.

[@arthurfricchione6614]

Many years ago grocery stores had large pickle barrels with pickle forks and real pickles and you could retrieve your own fresh pickles. Not the crap of today. They were MADE IN AMERICA. Good video Eric. 🇺🇸

[@normenderle550]

Great video Eric it really brought back memories of the s10 truck I had years ago. But for the love of Pete please dress up the striking end of that pickle fork before a chunk breaks loose and takes out one of your eyeballs.

[@JenniferFuchek]

Omg I used to have an 85 GMC s15 LWB! I loved that tan truck! 😢😭 it was my first vehicle.... if I knew who had it id go buy it back.... last saw it on the road year or so ago (I blew engine by not checking oil and had rebuilt by racecar shop.... that was one awesome truck! )

[@mhking136]

my first new vehicle was an '85 S-10 4x4, awesome lil dune-buggy with the mighty 2.8L V-6

[@polaroy2]

Watching from an airport in Rome, waiting for my plane!

[@deepsquat600]

well I again learned something from SMA ...I too wondered about Pickle Fork ..Thanks Hannah ! ( And know that she pulled that picture up ..my grandma born 1896 ..used to put them on the table at times ....so I guess you could say it is OLD SCHOOL

[@mr.nobody4900]

I replaced the Idle arm in an Oldsmobile Bravana 1999 a few weeks ago process is identical had so much fun getting dirty. Great video

[@dvddmc]

nice to see an oldie come in to the shop

[@drfalcon4102]

Coffee and Eric with Hanna, gonna be a good Saturday

[@SmittySmithsonite]

I never ate at a restaurant that didn't have plastic cutlery ... 😂 They got some high-end restaurants out there in New Yawwk! Reminds me, I busted an ear off my old pickle fork! Had that thing for 20+ years. I can't throw it away either, lol. Just bought a pickle fork attachment for Little Nasty - my chi-com air hammer. Works ok, but I miss swinging the ol' 4 lb sledge like a madman. Some vehicles used to require the 20 lb sledge. 😁 That was my first truck right there! Same color too! I had an '88 S15 pickup with 17k on the clock. 2.5 liter "Iron Duke", manual brakes, manual steering, and manual transmission. Radio and heat were the only options ... oh, and a passenger side rearview mirror! I was livin' large as a teenager (nice when mom and dad pay the mortgage and utilities, lol). That thing got beaten RELENTLESSLY on a daily basis. I earned the nickname "Second Gear" around the local towns, since I chirped second with that 5-speed EVERY single time - sometimes I'd grab 3rd on a lucky day. 😁Also had that thing 5' off the ground MANY times - this one time at 70 mph, nearly killing all my buddies in the back - thank God they landed on the tailgate and bruised their ribs - could've been alot worse! I tweaked the frame a little on that landing - the cab to bed gap was never the same on either side again, lol. Cassette tapes went flying - I took Iron Maiden, The Trooper to the side of the face, and my buddy got a full-on facial assault with Dio, Queensryche, Judas Priest, Anthrax, and Metallica! I did a Carfax on it several years ago, and found that it had made it until 2000, with 145k on the clock at it's final inspection!! That's pretty impressive!! While I did beat that truck, I was also real good with maintenance. Crawling on the ground was much easier in those days for some reason ... 😉 I'd have bought that truck back again if I could, regardless of it's condition. I'd just add it to the junkyard that seems to be forming here lately ... Been a long, long time since I've seen a 2wd front end! Great vid - brought back lots of memories, as you can see. 😁

[@jeffsandler3339]

God i used to do so many front ends at the shop i worked at in the early 80's . This video took me back to those days real fast thanks Eric and Hanna ll...

[@JohnKaufmann]

Eric is one hell of a teacher. Motivating and knowledgeable.

[@wyattoneable]

Hanna educated you, nice twist. Yep, back when they were simple to work on. In 1977 I was 20 years old. Man I feel old now. :)

[@spelunkerd]

Me too, ha ha.

[@mechanicmike1236]

looks like a summer driven truck only, it was pretty clean!! Have a great day!!

[@SouthMainAuto]

mechanicmike yes sir, no salt

[@JPilot2]

G'day, Mr. O! The lovely Miss Hannah, (you know) isn't boring! She did a wonderful job on her front brakes! By the way, some people think pickles are 'dill-icious'. Another fabulous job on the GMC Jimmy S15! (Idler Arm & Center Link Replacement) Thank you, guys! Cheers! 😊✌🏼❤️

[@chadharmon5716]

I had a 89 blazer version 2wd 4.3 best pos I ever owned lol

[@TheTheomax]

It's nice to see the old iron that's still in one piece Most are in little pieces of rust along the sides of the road or on the floor of SMA. Always a very good video even better when your summer help(AKA Hanna) is involved. Thank you for taking the time to show all of us..

[@awd42]

This takes me back -- I did a lot of front end work on my '91 S10 around 2010. I knew the idler arm was shot (a quick test is to grab the intersection of the idler arm & center link and try to move it up & down), but I didn't realize the center link was ALSO worn out until I disconnected the idler arm and discovered all the play at the Pitman arm end. Oh yeah, and my truck has about the same amount of rust as Eric's Tundra, no Krown needed... God bless Texas!

[@spelunkerd]

Excellent tips about alignment, it is always nice to know what you can't touch without alignment. I know this one must have seemed obvious to you, but please don't forget to include a brief clip as to how you made the diagnosis and the way the problem presented to the customer.

[@SouthMainAuto]

spelunkerd great tips as usual

[@125sm3]

Cant beat a bit of dugga dugga !

[@jsj297]

We like Hannah on videos. Her pickle fork knowledge is well above average. :)

[@repro7780]

Wow, I didn't see any rust on that oldie. Must be taken care of! Nice!

[@ALZ2526]

Love these videos, you need a tv show. Teaching the next generation how to work with there hands. Keep them coming

[@Brianmlife]

I know this is one of your older videos, thank you you showed me what I was missing on my 03 Sonoma while trying to remove the pitman arm from the center link to pull the steering box. Thank you for showing this step I was loosing my mind.

[@j.cooper2246]

Eric o. Thanks for the free tip. I also have a free tip( dont pee into the wind)....thks for the video.i agree let hanna do it and u can stupervise...lol.hey its that guy( hes tooting his horn)..eric o has drive by fans.

[@Paul1958R]

Eric, Great video of the 'old school' method! Thank you. God bless Paul

[@eliamaneyesongsymbaleli1878]

Thank u Anna for being a great motivation to our vidio mecanic 👍

[@JVerschueren]

Using cutlery at the restaurant is easy, you just use what's there from the outside in as the various courses arrive and, if you make a mistake, a good waiter/waitress will discretely replace the thing you weren't supposed to use (and/or take away the one you should have). One thing I would advise lefties to do, is to ask for a regular knife instead of a fish knife if there is a fish course, as fish knives are handed and most restaurants (even Michelin star ones) don't have left handed fish knives.

[@Graham_Wideman]

Hahaha, just started watching and I'm wondering how on earth Idler Arm ends up at fancy restaurant cultery. That said, this tip is pretty handy!

[@randyhughes5160]

I can really see the spark back sense Hanna and josh have returned great vido

[@baxrok2.]

You just worked on an 86' without using any of the magic juice or commenting on the lack of rust on it! Where did that thing come from - Mars? lol Thanks Dr. O!

[@SouthMainAuto]

Baxrok2 lol guy keeps it parked in the winter. It was his grandpa's truck

[@twopumpsandimdone309]

Two wheel peeler 😂😂 Maybe I should start a channel about working at a used car dealership and what to look out for? What do you guys think???

[@haywardsautomotive6156]

You're a young pup :D 1977 I was 21 in the Air Force. Fender is in good shape...wonder how many fenders that truck has had? I like that centerlink setup better than fighting with pitman arms with limited clearance. Nice video & I know life just got a lot easier with Josh & Hanna back.

[@kellyspeppers]

Mushroomed pickle fork head!!!!! My friend had a chunk fly off one and bounce into his eye. Cost him big time for medical bills. SAFETY GLASSES wear them!

[@FortyTwoAnswerToEverything]

Loved the GMC Syclones (I know this is not one).

[@hanskinslo326]

+Chillcosmos - Also the GMC 'Typhoon'.

[@jetskighost7665]

My uncle has both there very nice I love them

[@adamtrombino106]

Boy does that bring back memories..

[@wdhewson]

Makes one appreciate the precision of rack and pinion steering!!

[@SmittySmithsonite]

That is, until you have to change one on some modern econobox ... 😁

[@willdaws9896]

hannah: i said id do the job eric: yeah but we gotta get it done today.. ouch :( .. lol

[@grapeknutz]

Just a safety third tip, remove that mushroom at the end of your pickle fork .If that mushroom is hit just right , it will be like a flying piece of shrapnel just looking for a eye or something tender.

[@fixinggrace]

Nice video. Be careful with the mushroom heads on these tools like your pickle fork. Pieces of these things can break off and hit you like a bullet. My brother-in-law ended up with a piece of one of these in his chest. He had to get surgery for it.

[@cccdetective787]

Hi Eric & Hanna Just start at the top above the plate work your way down to the plate. Then work your way in from the outside to the plate. If your using the wrong knife or fork who cares they still get the food to where it is meant to be. Just call this etiquette tip Sunday.

[@bruceaugustine6486]

i believe the grease fitting is called a Zerk, for those that were wondering the official name was.

[@sd2758]

A new SMA video to top off a great weekend of camping in beautiful Watkins Glen N.Y.!

[@62ejo]

As always well done video,Thxs Eric and Hannah....

[@johnnysechrist6313]

I pray Hannah is doing well at school. Eric, my shops first alignment machine was a Hunter, Electro align. Learned on a light align.

[@KWsandman]

As far as all of the silverware at restaurants all you have to remember is to work from the outside inward toward the plate

[@krtwood]

Just bring Big Nasty to the fancy restaurant and order the lobster.

[@richiesmith2292]

lol the waiter hands Eric the claw breaker and he goes "no thanks, i got this" and breaks out big nasty"

[@stevie3275]

and big nasty for the win

[@twinsonic65]

For a while there, I thought I was watching Tim Taylor's Home Improvement, the neighbor.......

[@Apathetik]

Pickle forks are from the days where general stores had pickle barrels

[@mikekell9889]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that calls it a pickle fork; People thought I was crazy.

[@mikechiodetti6737]

UGGA DUGGAS! We see them, no brakkleen this time! Great Video! This is an old video, "Miss Hannah's in the house!"

[@IloveTurtlws]

Tks u make all your videos great quality

[@normangallant9879]

Good job Eric.

[@demarcuscreswell6343]

Thank u for telling me that I put a idle arm on and didn’t adjust it

[@Blazer02LS]

Replaced more than a few of those... That looks like it would be a great candidate to use a plastic bead blasting set up to remove the rust and Krown it to keep it alive even longer.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Nice video on old truck

[@scuba422123]

wow that s truck was not born in your neck of the woods! it looked clean! and they must be using sand bags in the winter hey I never knew about the pickle fork name hmmmm! ive dropped a socket in the frame many times....the old magnet from the front opening gets it

[@suttoncoldfield9318]

6:50 Miss Hannah bringing a touch of class to the SMA dining table *thinks* please please please let there be cold meat and pickles for lunch :)

[@InsideOfMyOwnMind]

Check and see if you could get Mike Rowe to hang out with you on one of your evening hangouts. You never know. Your subs would explode.

[@SmittySmithsonite]

He's a great guy to boot - I would LOVE to see that!!

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Welcome back hannah

[@benigo15]

After googling pickle fork I am going to assume the middle finger pickle fork is the one Hannah said would be perfect for Eric.

[@SouthMainAuto]

BenTheRandomGuy lol yes it was!

[@Eric_the_Hiking]

It's called a pickle fork because it resembles the flightless pickle of New Zealand.

[@InsideOfMyOwnMind]

erlebo I thought all pickles could fly. Who knew? Guess I won't drop them from a plane.

[@GilFavor101]

Say it ain't so? I needed this exact video! Oh yeah! I replaced these things a few years ago, and now the steering wheel has more slop than it did before... Just checked and all the joints are loose and sloppy, I re-tightened the castle nuts on the idler arms to center-link, but they're still jiggly, can't even budge the nuts on the inner-tie rod to center-link, too tight, but the joint is also jiggly and a bit wiggly.... play in the steering wheel makes it feel like driving an old boat }[: P

[@youbreakemwefixem7209]

SMA Saturday! You do realise I've had to cease working just to watch 😎

[@nhra7110]

Thank you

[@molsenice]

love early morning SMA

[@63256325N]

Pretty clean underneath for the age. Thanks for the video.

[@kissmychainmayne]

Cuz it gets you out of pickle.... that’s what I always thought... took me 30 years to learn it was originally for food. Lol

[@NickMyers1]

That center link is a more American part than its Delco counterpart! As usual great video!

[@rrmech11]

Nice job SMA

[@elcheapo5302]

That truck was surprisingly uncrusty for its age. And cooperative!

[@mikemattie1741]

Every since you changed my idler now my car don't idle right !

[@gregpain7991]

Good day Hannah....

[@andrewh5107]

Awesome stuff. Thanks for sharing E!!

[@jackpatteeuw9244]

Close only counts in hand grenades, horseshoe and DANCING ! I still think you need to sell SMA pocket screwdrivers !!

[@systemloading6875]

Jack Patteeuw good idea I bet quite a few people here would buy one.

[@bm03431]

Don't forget thermonuclear warfare!

[@VWWRENCHIE]

Come along as Eric O. gets schooled on proper dining etiquette.....cutlery division.

[@shadowdog500]

The middle knife is for throwing! LOL!

[@squirrelkilla7371]

Not that rusty underneath for a 32yrd old New York truck

[@ItsAlwaysRusty]

Wow S-15 is cleaner than most 2008's.. A classic..

[@Paulie1232]

It's nice to see a repair video where it's not sped up like you're on speed....

[@Joe_HamRadioGuy]

Nice video Eric good to see done older vehicles being worked on need some more haha

[@michaelgoudeau9671]

I really wish I was much closer to you, oh by the way that pickle fork also looks like a seafood fork.

[@lettyproud8433]

Our local ford dealership slash lube technican won't even grease the front end or check diff and transfer case fluid!!! One guy used to do all that.

[@repro7780]

Ha! I think I know what pickle fork you guys were laughing at in google! I need to get one!

[@tracydiller4492]

Great video DR.O but, I wonder if the part was made in the USA or was the label and box made in the USA just saying.Keep them videos coming.PEACE.

[@martinkucic4278]

Yes I’ve done 100’s of those combos. You should have pickle forked the inner tie rod ends first. Then the pitmen arm. Because of slop to loosen the inner tie rods. I never had a press to take out the inner tierods. We just pickle forked everything apart. It worked and I am ok with that. And another thing that kinda pisses me off, is those coarse threaded metric self locking nuts. They seemed to grab the tie rod stud too hard and spin. Then I would have to get a prybar and pry the thing together so it would not spin as I turned the nut to tighten it. Just ranting!!!!😛

[@benjaminstockton3508]

Good video eric o. Thanks

[@georgebrandt6247]

We always called them a tuning fork

[@deyvidcardoso3318]

very good

[@cloudwalker3650]

Hey Eric isn't it time for Hannah to have her own playlist? That is assuming that she is going to be helping you out this summer. Best Wishes and Be Well

[@bborkzilla]

I have one of those relics. They last longer in the south, I suppose.

[@billmaxfield7831]

The truck or the pickle? hehe

[@kpfalconi]

“Amish style” 😂 that was greatness!

[@jacquesdaoud4263]

for 1986 chave no rust that amazing what not amazing the good job you did

[@Mark-vc7rm]

She didn’t look to crusty underneath. WOW 😲

[@InsideOfMyOwnMind]

Mark he said about the truck lol

[@VinzTherailroader]

Great job and thanks for this video😉

[@michaelblacktree]

"Hannah size wrench" haha 🙂

[@smms1276]

SWEEEET VID 🚹

[@sj-du2yo]

Great video thanks