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Pitman arm install = LEAKS !! ??

D

Deadman 94 xj

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
I had a hell of a time getting the original arm off. I broke a puller and a cresent wrench in the process. I was finally able to remove the arm by using a pickle fork (wedge fork) and beating the hell out of it with a BFH.

After it was removed I put the new one on and that part went fine.

My problem is that I think I bent something when using the hammer because the steering is very hard to turn around near the center point (stait ahead). Normally I could rotate the pitman arm by hand but not any more.

I also noticed that I have a leak coming from the top of the gear box somewhere. I can't seem to locate exactly where it's leaking from but I'm guessing that I might have bent something or cracked something for it to leak, obviously. Has anyone else done anything like this?

I guess I'm going to have to replace the gear box. Any recomendations or ideas for an upgrade?
 
Thanks. I never hit the old puller, I just torqued it down untill one of the teeth broke off. I didn't use the BFH untill I used the fork to wedge the arm off. It took alot of beating on the fork before it finally "poped" off.

I did tap around the arm while the puller was in place to try and loosen it up but that sucker didn't want to give.
 
A pickle fork will damage the steering box almost every time. I have even seen lift shops do this and say that the steering box was already bad. I have had to tighten my puller so much with an impact that i thought it was going to explode! More penetrant and more pressure with some taps of the BFH. It will eventually come off. No Pickle Forks!
 
I wish I would have talked to you before all of this. One thing after another. Everybody else says to use the damn pickle fork :gonnablow
 
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Yeah, honestly I can't imagine I'd have gotten it off any other way. Unfortunatley it ended the way it did though.

I'll look around, thanks for the input.
 
WOLFINSANITY said:
Wouldnt PB Blaster work to help free the pitman?
Click to expand...

You would think. I sprayed it the night before and about 10 minutes before I started and a couple of times in between. Still didn't budge.
There wasn't any rust. Maybe a little oxidation. I did the lift myself and every other bolt on the jeep came off nice and easy so I was pretty confident that this would be the same.
 
Deadman 94 xj said:
Yeah, honestly I can't imagine I'd have gotten it off any other way. Unfortunatley it ended the way it did though.

I'll look around, thanks for the input.
Click to expand...

Lube splines. Puller on the pitman, torque with impact until it slows down. Leave it for a while. Torque again. Spray more lube. Leave overnight. Most of the time if I've had one not come off immediately I leave it set overnight under torque load. The pitman arm fairies come by during the night and take it off for me...and leave it laying directly under the vehicle with the puller right next to it. ;)
 
WOLFINSANITY said:
Did you try heating the pitman? That may expand it enough to get the PB in further or to just come off with that alone. Not sure though.
Click to expand...

You are correct. I had to heat other bolts (rear leaf bolts) and it always got the job done. For some damn reason I didn't even think to do it on this untill I was installing the new arm. It would have helped for sure.
 
Deadman 94 xj said:
You are correct. I had to heat other bolts (rear leaf bolts) and it always got the job done. For some damn reason I didn't even think to do it on this untill I was installing the new arm. It would have helped for sure.
Click to expand...

Heating the pitman almost always kills the output seal, though it doesn't always happen immediately. ;) That's why cutting it off with even a die grinder/cutoff wheel takes a while. You've gotta slow down and let it cool.
 
ECKSJAY said:
Lube splines. Puller on the pitman, torque with impact until it slows down. Leave it for a while. Torque again. Spray more lube. Leave overnight. Most of the time if I've had one not come off immediately I leave it set overnight under torque load. The pitman arm fairies come by during the night and take it off for me...and leave it laying directly under the vehicle with the puller right next to it. ;)
Click to expand...

Haha, good idea. Never thought of that.
The whole reason I did this was to align the drag link with the track bar. I've been chasing bump steer ever since I installed JCR's OTK kit. I've got a whole can of worms to clean up.
 
ECKSJAY said:
Lube splines. Puller on the pitman, torque with impact until it slows down. Leave it for a while. Torque again. Spray more lube. Leave overnight. Most of the time if I've had one not come off immediately I leave it set overnight under torque load. The pitman arm fairies come by during the night and take it off for me...and leave it laying directly under the vehicle with the puller right next to it. ;)
Click to expand...

I never thought of that one, since I tried before with just a puller and nothing, I just PBed it and then never had time to get back to it other than keep spraying PB on it now and then. So I will try that when I get the chance to, also I'm glad I ran out of time and didn't heat it after all. That was close! Thanks!
 
Any idea as to what might have cracked? The leak is coming from the top below the radiator. Where the trany line runs.

Edit: nevermind. I'm not sure if it matters lol
 
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I found a great deal on a PSC box.
I also found out that the pickle fork should not be used because of the way that the gears mesh together inside the box. They're on a taper and using the force of the fork can damage bearings and the gears themselves.
Sorry I was paraphrasing lol.
 
Deadman 94 xj said:
Haha, good idea. Never thought of that.
The whole reason I did this was to align the drag link with the track bar. I've been chasing bump steer ever since I installed JCR's OTK kit. I've got a whole can of worms to clean up.
Click to expand...

The bump steer was due to a worn track bar bushing.
 
ECKSJAY said:
Lube splines. Puller on the pitman, torque with impact until it slows down. Leave it for a while. Torque again. Spray more lube. Leave overnight. Most of the time if I've had one not come off immediately I leave it set overnight under torque load. The pitman arm fairies come by during the night and take it off for me...and leave it laying directly under the vehicle with the puller right next to it. ;)
Click to expand...

Ayuh - I never catch those little beggars (I'd like to grab a bag or two of the magic dust they're using...) but it does work fairly well.

NB: Whenever you have anything that's a right pain to take off the first time, coat it with never-seez before you put it back together. Don't get any on the threads that the nut screws onto, but coat the splines. Tie rod ends? Coat the taper, and leave the threads dry. Unit bearing assembly? Coat the parts where the bearing assembly rests against/inside of the knuckle. Brake drums/rotors? Get the inside of the hat where it rests against the shaft flange/unit bearing flange.

I don't use never-seez on too many screw threads, but I still go through a fair amount of the stuff...
 
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