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Pitman arm and idler arm replacement

Tiny
PILOTBILL
  • MEMBER
  • 1983 GMC S15
  • 2.8L
  • V6
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 143,006 MILES
Hello,

Here in Texas, you have to have an inspection done on your vehicle every year. My pickup has always passed every year until this week. I was told that I need to replace the pitman arm and the idler arm before it can pass this year. Can you tell me step-by-step how to do these repair? Thank you.
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Thursday, May 21st, 2020 AT 6:40 PM

2 Replies

Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
It is not too bad but we actually don't have a manual on this. They just don't list the step by step in the manual which is not uncommon on older vehicles like this.

Keep in mind you need an alignment after you do these arms.

Here is a video of the idler arm. He shows how to unhook the the pitman arm but not replace it. To replace it, you need to use a two jaw puller and pull it off the steering gear.

https://youtu.be/gn8WHGR3mhs

Let us know if you need more info and we can dig deeper. You can find some more DIY videos online for this but I didn't link them because they are pretty amateur. Thanks
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Thursday, May 21st, 2020 AT 7:02 PM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 47,602 POSTS
Check this video shows the Pittman arm on a similar car:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKeFqHLuRQ0&t=3s

Let me know. Can you please shoot a quick video with your phone so we can see what's going on? that would be great. You can upload it here with your response.

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Friday, May 22nd, 2020 AT 12:28 PM

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