Removing Pitman Arm - Won't Budge??

Help! Anyone had a pitman arm that just wouldn't let go? I've been trying to remove the one from my XJ off and on for about 2 years now. It's never budged and I always had to give up and put it back together so I could get to work the following Monday. Now that it's no longer a daily driver, I can get back to it and not have to worry about giving up and throwing it back together.

So far, I've broken 4 of the standard pitman arm pullers that are common at AutoZone, Napa, etc. And that sucker ain't movin'! I've soaked the shaft as well as I can with PB Blaster (or whatever the stuff's called) and let it sit for days...applying more each day. Last night, I got a little irritated and went at it with my angle grinder and cutting wheel. I've cut 2 notches as close as I can to the shaft without hitting the shaft or steering box collar and it still won't budge. I've used a typical propane torch to try and heat it up, but again, the steering box seals are too close to do much with heat. I've used an air hammer/chisel on the puller shaft to try and break loose whatever is holding the arm to the shaft. I Can't do much hitting on it with a hammer or air hammer for fear of damaging the steering box and am not sure what else to try.

I left it last night with a fresh dousing of penetrating oil and tightened the pitman arm puller as tight as I can get it without breaking - to the point that the "fingers" that lock on top of the arm were starting to bend up slightly upwards, hoping that letting it sit that way for hours might persuade it to loosen a bit. Clearly, I can't drive it now that the arm has been pretty much cut through. So there's no backing out now.

I'm out of things to try. If anyone has any ideas or has come up against this before and has a solution, I'd really appreciate the input.

Oh, and the answer to the question before it's asked....I'm trying to install a deeper drop pitman arm in order to correct an issue with my steering geometry

Thanks!

Ric Barton
1996 XJ Sport

After you tighten the puller really tight, give the bolt on the puller a good shot w/ a hammer. Tighten a little more, pop it again. Hit it on the end of the shaft of the puller directly toward your steering box. You're putting pressure on the arm while tapping the steering shaft inward.
It worked for me.

Add some heat, some preasure from the puller and some shock from the hammer. and eventually it will come off. Just be carfull, I was sitting in front of mine with a torch in one hand and a hammer in the other and the shot right between my feet like a bullet leaving a 1/4" gash in my garage floor. My heart didn't settle down for over 10 mins.

leave the bolt on a few threads and that will be much safer. will loosen but not come flying off. Also look for a quality tool dealer they should have one that looks like a big pair of pliers which I have had luck with, and use the hammer. Good Luck, John

rnmedic said:

leave the bolt on a few threads and that will be much safer. will loosen but not come flying off. Also look for a quality tool dealer they should have one that looks like a big pair of pliers which I have had luck with, and use the hammer. Good Luck, John

Click to expand...

Nice tip, I wish I had enough brain cells to think of that one.

LOL....Duh. That would have been a good plan. Instead we almost kill ourselves with flyin jeep parts.....

been there, done that, got the bruises. John

Thanks for the input, everyone. Going to give it another try tonight. Just a little timid about heating and hitting that area due to the steering box and seals. Leaving the nut on the end of the shaft is an excellent safety tip! This is by far the most "stuck" item I've ever encountered. I have a feeling that a really quality...and thus expensive...pitman arm puller would help a lot here. When you can see the "fingers" bend at the top of the puller, it reall makes you wonder. But that only lasts for a second because the next sound you here is them breaking off :-(

Thanks again!

I was using a AutoZone rental puller when I did mine and the arms where flexing more then I felt comfortable with. When it came off with a bang I first thought was that the puller broke but that wasn't the case.

Mission Accomplished! Old arm out, new arm installed. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions and advice. Very kind of all of you and much appreciated. I let the arm sit for 24 hours with the puller locked down as tight as it would go without breaking (puller fingers bending upwards) and another generous dose of PB Blaster, then attacked it again when I got home. A little more cutting on the pitman arm's steering box shaft collar and a few carefully placed hammer blows and it slid off without too much additional trouble.