well all parts bought outright cost me @250.00 I have a known good mechanic take a stab at the labor and hes charging me 150.00 ! hes more of a 12 pack of brew and something to do kinda guy ! is there any tips out a the norm with this kinda repair ? anything to pass along ? hopefully the tax man will be nice and actually give me that lift money ive been dreaming of , and yes it was lifted and if you moved the tire the idler arms would barley move but it would pop up and down <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> also i have symptoms of needle bearing issues when 4 wheel is engaged???? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />
is this seperate from the wheel bearings? i dont see a part number for this part , any help would be tremendous! wish i lived next to the guy that could do it in 4 hrs, i think we'd be best friends , lol

It's not that I'm good Hydra, I have just had my front end apart so many time when I was designing the lift that I know the tricks to it.
If your Mechanic is good and will do it for that have him do it, give him the beer after he's done though <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />.

Dennis

Have to get needles from factory perty much. And mine i have to get the shaft seals from the factory, Expensive. Don't remember how much.

Repair shops can nearly double the prices of parts.. the same parts you get from autozone, discount, etc. It's a markup. It's normal. It's like getting your groceries at the gas station.. it's a convenience charge. Simple solution would be to buy them yourself and bring them to the shop, but they usually frown at this if they'll do it at all. Most likely they will tell you that they'll do it without any warranty in the parts.. labor only.. meaning if they screwed up installing it, then they'll warrant labor to reinstall, but you pay for the new part again. why should they pay for a part they didn't sell to you. It's really not fair for both parties when you buy the parts 3rd party yourself. Really, your bearings likely just need greased and tightened, not replaced. As said, regular servicing will yield long life from bearings. The idler arms will wear out on our steering setup (parallelogram) which is normal. Replacing them does not require an alignment, though it's suggested due to the fact that it's been a while since it's been aligned.. I gaurantee you it hasn't been aligned in a while because an alignment tech won't set the alignment while there's front end play like that. makes it impossible to hold alignment. once the idler is replaced, alot of your RF play is reduced. Usually pitman's don't wear out nearly as often. I am ASE cert. in Steering & Suspension and used to be an alignment/brake tech at Sears. I left for a more small town family operated shop. less corp crap.. anyway. front end work isn't too bad on our rigs with a little knowledge and proper tools.. nothing really special. Doing the Bearings really only requires sockets and some screwdrivers.. Remove wheel, remove 4wd hub, see Phillips head screw(s) inside? care not to strip, remove screws and the retainer, now you're at the nut that tightens the bearings. should turn between a 1/4 to full turn before snugging.. not tight. then reinstall retainer with screws, reinstall hub (if vacuum hub reseal it with light rtv silicone), reinstall wheel. done. Check your work before and after.. put your hands at 12 and 6 o-clock on the tire while it's off the ground and wiggle the wheel/tire. notice play? needs tightening.. after tightening, play should be reduced. you may still have some minor play which is acceptable, but you should barely be able to see it. then check at 3 and 9 o-clock and shake back and forth.. play? that's either tie-rod, idler, etc. Tip: to take the idler out of the centerlink, hit the center link with a hammer around where the bolt goes through the centerlink. This distorts the press fitment and the idler falls out of the centerlink (after you remove the nut of course). Best tool is a pickle fork and hammer. air hammer with a pickle fork bit works even faster. and PB blaster. torch also helps. wish I could help ya do it. That's my line of work. For a fellow sportage owner I'd do it for fun. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

thanks for all your suggestions ,

well this sucks , he looked at it and said um , maybe a garage should do this work . damn , he does have a friend that runs a real garage so gonna go to him but the issue at hand , i use this vehichle to go to work 30 miles each way and now i fear for my life cause im scared its all gonna fall apart . i have wed off so hopefully he can get it in there then

Hey Catman, I mentioned this before but you must not have seen it, YOU GOT NO RIDE PICS <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> Tried to check them out but nothing there but a narrative.

i had awesome pics <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> but then cardomain switch servers and my pics went with um , its not really pic perty right now . wish i had a friend in ny close by that was a awesome mechanic , i feel like a girl in the middle of 300 inmates when i talk to these shops

Thanks for the pic update, I thought my system wasn't pick'n it up or something. You may want to add a note next to CHECK OUT MY RIDE that says "Temp out of order" <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Now you sorta know how a chick feels every time they go in to have something done. Even a simple a oil change can be costly to the naive. I have 3 daughters and I try to let them handle things on their own. I only step in when I think the wolves are circling! Unfortunately, it can be tough to find a mech you can trust who does a good job at a fair price. Good luck <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />