SPONSORED LINKS

Pittman arm removal

Tiny
HKFROMNY.
  • MEMBER
  • 1998 CHEVROLET 1500
  • 2WD
  • MANUAL
  • 150,000 MILES
Hey there guys. Got a super stubborn Pittman arm. Got a heavy duty puller from Rock Auto, and put the impact to it, the puller broke, arm didn't budge. Now on one of my car repair shows (can't remember) the showed a pneumatic puller, but I can't seem to find one, this was a set for tie rod ends, Pittman arms, ball joints all that stuff. Can you see what your recommendations are?
SPONSORED LINKS
Sunday, July 19th, 2020 AT 7:21 AM

14 Replies

Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
Good morning,

I use the Snap On tool for this. They make 2 sizes. One for the big ones and one for the small ones.

https://shop.snapon.com/product/Pitman-Arm-Pullers/Pitman-Arm-Puller-(Domestic-Cars-Light-Trucks)/CJ119B

I have had this for about 8 years and never had one I could not get off.

Roy
SPONSORED LINKS
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Sunday, July 19th, 2020 AT 8:17 AM
Tiny
HKFROMNY.
  • MEMBER
  • 112 POSTS
Yeah, looked at the same one through Rockauto, but this one has thinner pulling plates than the (L) type on the other puller that snapped right off, warrantied thank god. This one would fit over the 3" wide end that goes to the gear box?
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Sunday, July 19th, 2020 AT 11:35 AM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
That is correct. There are 2, one for the smaller and one for the larger.

Roy
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
+1
Sunday, July 19th, 2020 AT 11:53 AM
Tiny
HKFROMNY.
  • MEMBER
  • 112 POSTS
Thanks a bunch guys, after all that, we've decided it is easier to take the lines off the gearbox, three bolts for that, and the whole steering will fall right out. Just ordered all new from Rockauto. We'll keep you updated.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Sunday, July 19th, 2020 AT 12:02 PM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
Okay, the one from Snap On is much thicker and can take the stress better than the one from Rockauto.

Roy
SPONSORED LINKS
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Sunday, July 19th, 2020 AT 12:19 PM
Tiny
HKFROMNY.
  • MEMBER
  • 112 POSTS
We'll be looking into it because we'll be needing one at some point later. I have come to you guys several times in the past, always positive review from us here. Thanks again. Until later.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Sunday, July 19th, 2020 AT 1:27 PM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
You are welcome.

Always glad to help.

Roy
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Sunday, July 19th, 2020 AT 1:28 PM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 47,512 POSTS
This video shows the job being done:

https://youtu.be/KKeFqHLuRQ0

Please let us know if you need anything else to get the problem fixed.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
+1
Friday, July 24th, 2020 AT 10:47 AM
Tiny
HKFROMNY.
  • MEMBER
  • 112 POSTS
We decided to just take the steering gear box and all linkage out together since it was effortless to pop off tie rod ends with pickle fork, all new going in. Piece of cake now, lol.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Friday, July 24th, 2020 AT 11:28 AM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 47,512 POSTS
Nice work, we are here to help, please use 2CarPros anytime.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Friday, July 24th, 2020 AT 11:44 AM
Tiny
HKFROMNY.
  • MEMBER
  • 112 POSTS
Some of these bolts you can gather have not been touched since 1998. Lots of spray, heat, grinder and 3' breaker bar does the job.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Friday, July 24th, 2020 AT 12:23 PM
Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,870 POSTS
Hi guys. A simple solution for stubborn pitman arms that are worn and being replaced is to cut 90 percent of the way through it with a cutoff wheel on an air tool. By the time you get that far, the arm will usually crack and fall off.

When you use the pullers, I've seen people have better luck running them down tight with a regular wrench, then smacking the bolt head with a hammer to shock the arm loose.

Be aware that a lot of steering gear boxes use a bushing now to support the pitman shaft in the gearbox instead of a ball bearing. In the mid to late 1990's, I ran into about a dozen gear boxes where that bushing got hammered out, then the pitman shaft would walk sideways, bottom out, then start to rotate with the steering wheel. At first that led to excessive steering wander, then as it got worse, the shaft would move away from the rubber lip seal and leak power steering fluid. For that reason, I would worry about using an air impact wrench on the pitman arm puller. Chances are that won't cause a problem, but why take the chance.
SPONSORED LINKS
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
+1
Friday, July 24th, 2020 AT 7:04 PM
Tiny
HKFROMNY.
  • MEMBER
  • 112 POSTS
Yeah, thanks, but as I mentioned earlier, we decided to pull the gear box off with the steering links as a whole, that way all we had to do is remove the clamp on steering wheel shaft. But all your advice has come in handy for future issues. We really appreciate you all being there. Will be back i'm sure.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Friday, July 24th, 2020 AT 7:40 PM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
You are welcome.

We are always glad to help.

Roy
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Saturday, July 25th, 2020 AT 3:11 AM

Please login or register to post a reply.

Sponsored links