Steering Box pitman arm...

[H_Krix]

Oh, man I hate this thing...

So, I've gotten my steering box blown apart, and I've ordered new seals and the like for it. It didn't leak before, but there is a fair amount of metallic sludge I'd like to get out of it.

Everything came apart easily enough (the nut on the shaft was a bitch) but now I can't get the pitman arm off the output shaft. There's a small amount of rust in there - no more than 1/8" around the outside circumference of the shaft. I've put a gear puller on it, only to have the arms of the puller bend and crack when the pitman arm wouldn't budge...

I'm thinking of taking it to a 4x4 off-road shop to see if they have a tool with a little more nuts to break this thing loose. Anyone have any suggestions? Currently the arm and output shaft has been sitting in a pool of anti-seize, but I dont think there's much of a gap for it to seep into the splines...

Any suggestions are very welcome.

[jerry]

get one of those plumber's MAPP gas torches and apply heat to it (about $15 at hardware store).

apply a load to the puller and heat, then tap it with a hammer. the vibration sometimes helps. i just removed two of them yesterday and had similar resistance. one of them literally popped off after a dose of heat, tapping and applying a load with a 2-jaw puller. it was a bit of a surprise, so be forwarned.

btw: i added a photo to the FAQ Construction Forum showing the difference between a C/R gear and Standard gear if anyone's curious.

[Mike Self]

to press that arm off for ya....

Didja try heating it and soaking with penetrating oil? It took a couple of rounds of heating and oiling to make one of my ball joints let go of its grip on the steering arm...

mike

PS--get a stronger gear puller!

[H_Krix]

Well, its soaking right now. I tried heat, but I didn't want to heat up the spline too much and make it expand into the arm some more.

I'll be trying to get it loose with a stronger puller probably later on today... Should I put pressure on the puller, then heat and hammer while its still pulling on the arm?

[BLUNT]

Well, its soaking right now. I tried heat, but I didn't want to heat up the spline too much and make it expand into the arm some more.

I'll be trying to get it loose with a stronger puller probably later on today... Should I put pressure on the puller, then heat and hammer while its still pulling on the arm?

thats what i did. applied as much pressure with the puller and then smack the pitman arm at the shaft and bam it popped off. like mike said, kinda startling

i didnt need heat. maybe i was lucky

[Mike Self]

smooth or splined (like a ball joint, steering knuckle or pittman arm), the trick is to apply pressure and then hit the side of the female piece, not the end of the male piece. A sideways whang will jar the taper loose.

And if you use heat, heat the outside of the arm, not the shaft. That'll expand the arm so that it doesn't fit against the shaft so tightly. NEVER position yourself directly over the shaft--the thing could (and Murphy's Law says it WILL) let go and hit you in the face. I nearly broke my nose pulling a splined steering wheel hub when it suddenly let go while I was sitting in the driver's seat. That's when I was young and dumb.

mike

[KFunk]

yeah, a whack to the side of the pittman arm will work. but, it takes some more force than your typical tie rod whack.

I sat the pittman arm on an anvil, and wailed on it. It'll go, but it takes some beatin.