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3 hours of work and pitman arm still wont come off

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Old 11-07-2009, 04:55 PM
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Default 3 hours of work and pitman arm still wont come off

SO ive bought 60 dollars in tools just to get the stupid pitman arm off and it wont.

I have the pitman arm puller and the 3/4 socket for it and i am pulling yanking and breaking my knuckles but i can get it to move.

I bought a 60 dollar adjustable wrench thats 24 inches long and still it wont budge

so i took my wrench and welded it to a 4 foot bar and when i tried to turn it went about a 1/4 inch and i bent the bar and then broke the welds, and they were good strong welds but the stupid thing wont turn and i just had to much pressure

Anyone have any ideas how to get it off....
 
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Old 11-07-2009, 05:07 PM
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try using a torch or something on it. get it hot then try
 
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Old 11-07-2009, 06:13 PM
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+1 on the heat that has always helped me and pb blaster.
 
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Old 11-07-2009, 07:07 PM
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yeah. tried pb blaster, ill take the torch out in the morning
 
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Old 11-07-2009, 07:13 PM
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when i replaced my rear shackles, the top bolt would not budge. i douced it many times with wd, and it wouldnt budge. i bought a $20 little torch from AZ. put the heat to the bolt. and right when i let the heat off, i tried it, and it cracked free no problem.
 
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Old 11-07-2009, 07:26 PM
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Originally Posted by nathangfnd
yeah. tried pb blaster, ill take the torch out in the morning
How many times do you guys need to hear that PB BLASTER SUCKS AZZ!!!!!!!!!!! Now with that said, put a good amount of tension with the pitman arm puller and wrap the side of the pitman arm where it slides onto the shaft of the steering box, tighten the puller some more, wrap pitman arm again, and repeat.............
 
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Old 11-07-2009, 07:37 PM
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Sounds like you are binding up, I'd actually tighten it back up as much as possible to try to level it out, and try removal again.
Keep going like that and you're gonna mess up the groves on the steering shaft, then you really got problems.
You sure both of the pullers arms are getting a good grip ?
There is no way a pitman should be offering that much resistance unless it is binded, or otherwise warped.
 

Last edited by xray99; 11-07-2009 at 07:43 PM.
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Old 11-07-2009, 09:35 PM
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You might try using an impact if possible to tighten the puller while striking the side of the arm sharply with a hammer. Whatever you do you almost surely will have to hit the arm with a hammer to shake it loose (not too big on the hammer as it might bend something). Use heat as a last resort as it might cause some damage to other components. Good luck.
 
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Old 11-07-2009, 09:41 PM
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Heat the arm from the bottom, and don't overheat the shaft or you'll blow out the shaft seal.
While the arm is warm, squirt your penetrating oil in there at the top and let the heat suck it into the splines.
You'll want to use an penetrating fluid which is non flameable, and you'll want to go through a few sessions before applying more torque.
Anyway that worked for me. Good Luck!
 
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Old 11-07-2009, 10:12 PM
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anyone who said to use a hammer is correct. you need to put as much tension on the arm with the puller as possible and hit the outside of the pitman arm with a good size hammer. you'll need to man-up on this one, any front-end work requires a lot of brute-force and ignorance.

Just be carful, when the arm finally lets go, it will pop off with considerable force.
 

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