Pitman arm removal help

rattlecanpaint

rattlecanpaint

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Location
Winston Salem
I'm trying to put power steering on the yota, but I can't seem to get the pitman arm off the new (to me) steering box. I got a pitman arm puller from napa and the box is not installed in the truck. I'm planning on reusing the old arm so I don't have to take apart the drag link. I have beat the crap outta this thing and it still won't budge. I hammered on the puller like the directions say and pounded on the side of the arm where it attaches to the box. Any other ideas? I can't imagine getting enough swing in the fender to hit the old one this hard since it will still be on the truck when I take the arm off. Help!
 
DONT HEAT IT. did that needed new box. I broke one puller i bought a loaner and a friends. If you are trying to keep the arm dont do this: Cut as deep into the arm with a grinder then spred with a chisle and then use the puller. That was the only thing i could do.

F.ed all my seals when i heated kind of funny though it was 1:30 am and i had no brain left.
 
Yea, couldn't heat it even if I wanted to. No torch. I'm not keeping the arm on the new box so I'll break out the Dremel. Thanks. So where can I get a new arm if I have to cut the old one off? It's been on there 1 year less than the new one. Please don't tell me the stealership. The parts guys at Fred Anderson are gonna know be by name soon!
 
soak it with PB blaster or other good penitrating oil. I used a little heat (aka small propane torch) on mine with a wet rag on top of the arm. Heat one spot with the puller on and loaded and then smacked the side with a hammer. Fell off... All told only was appling heat for 20-30seconds... Just enough...
 
Yea, been soaking in PB blaster for 3 days now. I might try the propane torch thing on the old one. Just gotta go get one. :(
 
It took me a while to get mine off. About 10 min of beating on it with a hammer and then retightening the pitman arm puller. Tap on the sides of the puller arms. Beat on it with a big hammer and then tighten and then hammer tighten, hammer tighten, hammer tighten, then BANG!!! The pitman arm will sound like a gun when it comes off. It just takes time. I made my friend do it. LOL You might need to secure the new box to a workbench or go ahead & bolt it into the frame. That way the box won't move while smashing it with a BFH.
 
I put the puller on it and hammered it like mentioned to no avail then I broke out the 1/2 air rathect and let it hammer on it while I beat the side and top of the arm again to no avail then I took a 1/2" breaker bar with a pipe on it and tightened the puller until I thought it was going to snap right off then I hammered the arm and it budged a fraction of an inch I retightened the puller again then hammered and again just a very slight movement. it took me hours to get it all the way off. but the first 1/8 inch was the toughest part after that I just hit it with the air ratchet and it came right off. I never applied heat at all I was afraid to ruin the seals. I had that little puller tool stretched as tight as I could get it to turn then hammered away over and over. stock arm on a 93 box.
I thought maybe the arm had been twisted or something mine was so bad.
 
Damn It!

I Just went through this a week ago and thats about how long it took me to get the PULLER ON THE PITMAN ARM!! I finally grinded down the mounting Plates just to get it centered on it. The "new'' box wasn't as bad. I used a 4lb. hammer - which in turn busted 4-Ratchets(I have witnesses) but eventually got the job done. I had never put so much work into such a simple job In my life!! Now the powersteering kicks ass and my knuckles are healing.
Good luck! Hey-What were they smokin in '84 when they chose not to put powersteering on a 4WD!*? :wtf:
 
GONOVRIT said:
I Just went through this a week ago and thats about how long it took me to get the PULLER ON THE PITMAN ARM!! I finally grinded down the mounting Plates just to get it centered on it. The "new'' box wasn't as bad. I used a 4lb. hammer - which in turn busted 4-Ratchets(I have witnesses) but eventually got the job done. I had never put so much work into such a simple job In my life!! Now the powersteering kicks ass and my knuckles are healing.
Good luck! Hey-What were they smokin in '84 when they chose not to put powersteering on a 4WD!*? :wtf:
Click to expand...

You grinded down the puller? I got the new one off, (had to cut it), but the one still on the truck, the puller won't even fit between the arm and the box. Yea, I thought this was going to be a quick job too, and what the hell WERE they thinking not putting p/s on a 4wd? Further more, someone actually BOUGHT it new that way!
 
I had the problem with my old F150. Broke three pullers and finally just gave up and took it to a shop. They had a fork like you use on ball joints on an air hammer. Took them about three seconds and it was off and it only cost me five bucks. Thats my suggestion if you cant get it off any other way.
 
Between the arm and the box - thats the trouble spot! I grinded the two bolt mounts(or whatever they're called) right and left. Thats what was holding me back from getting the puller centered. U still have to use a BFH and a heavy 6'' swing to get it down on there. :mad:
 
Woo hoo! Power steering is the greatest! Got the old arm off the box with very little trouble. Had to grind down the arms on my puller a bit but once I got it in there I lubed the threads on the puller and the shaft on the box with PB blaster and I could crank down on the puller tons more than without the lube. Hit the arm with a BFH twice and it came right off! Got the steering replaced, put a new radiator in with an auto tranny cooler on it too. (The old radiator was leaking and I got a new one cheap from partstrain.com), so I figured now is the time to do it. The trans cooler is for the power steering since the system originally had one. It's only ten times as big as a stock one. :rolleyes: But since my truck didn't have one, this was the easiest solution. Steering worked right away and I only banged my pinky once with the BFH, so overall it was a good (hot) day. Thanks for everyones help. Just remember to lube those threads next time! :D I'm so happy!
 
Yea. Don't heat it. I used MAP gas last attempt and melted the lower shaft seal. She's pissing now.
 
Yea well, the truck in this thread is about to go the big off road park in the sky. Gonna pull the drivetrain and this power steering system and put in in a '85 4runner shell that I bought. Starting this weekend! This thread is pretty old...
 
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