Pitman Arm Play - Is This A Problem?

[454cid]

I have a problem: The pitman arm is bending the puller arms and refusing to dislodge from the steering box.

What do I do about this?

You've got the big nut removed?

I'd probably put tension on the pitman arm, and give it a couple of whacks with a hammer. If that didn't work, I'd probably walk away, and see if time loosened it up, and then try to crank the puller down a bit more.

 

[Seymorey]

You've got the big nut removed?

I'd probably put tension on the pitman arm, and give it a couple of whacks with a hammer. If that didn't work, I'd probably walk away, and see if time loosened it up, and then try to crank the puller down a bit more.

Yes, but and washer are off.

The puller isn’t doing anything except bending itself:

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I’m going to go get a better quality puller and see if that will help.

 

[Supercharged111]

Hit the arm with a propane torch, it'll come off with much less effort.

 

[Scooterwrench]

Hit the arm with a propane torch, it'll come off with much less effort.

Put pressure on it with the puller as your heating it and have a water hose handy to cool the shaft as soon as the arm breaks free. Hopefully you won't cook the seal.

 

[movietvet]

Spray penetrant on the splines from above and let it sit. Get another puller for sure and make sure the two jaws are close to the splines and not out at the edge of the pitman arm. If you hit it with a hammer, you stand a chance of damaging the spline shaft internally in the gear box. You are in Canada, salt on the roads. Let the penetrant work on it and spray about 3 times with 30-60 minutes apart. If you are going to hit it, you can tap UP on the pitman arm itself to jar it and straight down to dislodge it. A sideways hit can damage the shaft internally. Heat works really good, if you have it but not heat till it is glowing. Just heat it up and pull. Put the puller on and apply pulling pressure and TAP at same time with hammer and heat it. At this point, the old puller is worthless.

 

[Seymorey]

Got it off

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Tool was crap quality. Went to Napa and got a decent one. You get what you pay for, I guess.

Impressive popping sound on this, too.

 

[movietvet]

Got it off

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Tool was crap quality. Went to Napa and got a decent one. You get what you pay for, I guess.

Impressive popping sound on this, too.

Yea, when they are bound up like yours and then let go, it is sudden and can be loud. When you install the new one, clean the shaft splines with a wire brush and lube the splines.

 

[Seymorey]

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My manlet body is now broken but at least I don’t have to do that again.

 

[Supercharged111]

Put pressure on it with the puller as your heating it and have a water hose handy to cool the shaft as soon as the arm breaks free. Hopefully you won't cook the seal.

By the looks of things we're well past that!

 

[movietvet]

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My manlet body is now broken but at least I don’t have to do that again.

Tell me the reason I see a completely clean grease zerk is because you did grease it and then wiped it clean, like you should.

Or did you not grease it, like you shouldn't.