PITMAN arm

[r1101r]

hello guys,
im gonna be changing my pitman arm today, what tools other than the pitman arm removal tool would i need to rent ?
TIA.

[pacecar78vette]

If you are talking about the rear pitman arms they dont require any special tools. Just a socket and a ratchet.

[r1101r]

sorry i meant the front pitman arm

[shu328]

I'm curious why you're replacing the entire arm? It's a pretty pricey part and from what I hear it's rare that it would need replacement. Not questioning your judgement, just wondering what brought you to the conclusion that it needs replaced.

Have you already done the idler arm/drag link ?

[r1101r]

my front pitman arm is causing a gap in my steering wheel, makes driving on the highway pretty unstable. got the problem pinpointed to the pitman arm. when i lifted it, and wiggled the wheels, i saw the pitman arm wobbling and it was very loose, as for being expensive, that bugger cost me $100

[shu328]

So is it actually play in the arm or due to the hex bolt/locknut being loose?? I'm guessing you've already looked into this but as I also have similar looseness/play/dead spot in the steering I'm trying to figure out what the possible causes could be.

Do you think the pitman is actually skipping teeth or the teeth are somehow stripped? It's just that if you look at the arm itself and how it connects to the rack, it's hard to see why the pitman arm itself would ever need to be replaced.

[e30wanted]

Maybe a tie rod puller.

[e30wanted]

I bet the play is in the other end in the idler arm, Looks like the pitman but just on the opposite side. You have already looked there and if so disregard my comment.

[shu328]

I bet the play is in the other end in the idler arm, Looks like the pitman but just on the opposite side. You have already looked there and if so disregard my comment.

That was my thought. Besides, the idler arm actually has a bushing which will definitely wear and cause the play you're describing. Does your car wander a bit at speed on the highway and you have to pay close attention to keep it tracking straight? If so I'd really look into that idler arm + bushing.

[r1101r]

That was my thought. Besides, the idler arm actually has a bushing which will definitely wear and cause the play you're describing. Does your car wander a bit at speed on the highway and you have to pay close attention to keep it tracking straight? If so I'd really look into that idler arm + bushing.
yeah the car wanders on the highway...
i checked the car from under and 2 other mechanics did at a previous time, both said it was the pitman arm. though when i work on it tonight ill check the idler arm, but tie rods and c-arms are ok

[shu328]

yeah the car wanders on the highway...
i checked the car from under and 2 other mechanics did at a previous time, both said it was the pitman arm. though when i work on it tonight ill check the idler arm, but tie rods and c-arms are ok

Cool, cool. Be sure to report back and let us know what you find... I'm experiencing similar behavior so I really want to know how yours turns out.

[e30wanted]

Good news is that idler arms are not that expensive. I can only say that the only way the pitman arm is wobbling is that the splines or teeth are stripped which is very rare on ours. I have seen it on big 4X4 but that is all.

It could be a bad center drag link as well since it attaches in two spots, one to the idler arm and one to the pitman arm.

I personally am converting my whole system to heim joints just to avoid issues like these.

[r1101r]

GUYS HELP !!!
im under the car, but it seems that, to be able to remove the pitman arm, the subframe, control arms,+ tie rods need to go off. is there a way to do it without? no intructions were found.

[Jameseypoo]

Mine was doing the same thing and was told I needed a new Pitman arm. When the car was up in the air, all they did was simply tighten it and everything is all good now

[r1101r]

Mine was doing the same thing and was told I needed a new Pitman arm. When the car was up in the air, all they did was simply tighten it and everything is all good now

looool i just gave up and we ended up tightening it and voila !!!! its good

funny thing is a stupid mechanic told me i need to drop the subframe and if he fixed it itll cost a "couple'a hundred" dollars.. HAHAHA now that suspension and steering are ok im off to the drop :D

[Winkie]

I have same problem I dont think it is the pitman arm could it be the centre link I need help I have play when you push out on the wheels from under the car the idler arm bush is fine not sure about the ball joints hard to see which ones are wore
Would I need to replace the centre tie rod and all the tie rods thanks winkie

[shu328]

looool i just gave up and we ended up tightening it and voila !!!! its good

funny thing is a stupid mechanic told me i need to drop the subframe and if he fixed it itll cost a "couple'a hundred" dollars.. HAHAHA now that suspension and steering are ok im off to the drop :D

so all you did was tighten the nuts on the pitman arm and everything's tight now?

[strayts]

so all you did was tighten the nuts on the pitman arm and everything's tight now?

Lol and those "mechanics" said a couple hundred bucks. :rolleyes

[tonyroc14]

GUYS HELP !!!
im under the car, but it seems that, to be able to remove the pitman arm, the subframe, control arms,+ tie rods need to go off. is there a way to do it without? no intructions were found.


as far as i can remember you dont have to. You should be able to reach the pitman arm very easily. Allthough removed the control arms would probably be a hell of alot easier. All you have to do is remove the pitman arm from the center draglink, then remove it from the steering box

[HausBimmer]

If you do the tie rods or the idle arm, you can get a small tie rod puller from the Pep Boyz or the Zone for like $15. It the horseshoe shaped one - smaller is better as the big ones might be too wide to catch. Makes popping the little ball joints apart very easy. I just rebushed an idle arm on my son's car for like $20 using an OEM part and a couple of large sockets and my bench vise - probably won't buy the whole thing again (save $60) as it was not hard.

[robmpulse]

I Have The Same Issue. It's Not The Pitman Arm. It's The Steering Box In My Case. I Can See The Pitman Arm Wiggle When I Turn The Wheels Left To Right And It Pops At Low Speeds, Too.

But It's Not The Pitman Arm. The Bushing Is Worn In My Steering Box. As Far As I Am Aware, The Pitman Arm Is Just A Block Of Metal. No Joints Or Anything To Wear, Unless By Change It Was Not Tight On The Box And Caused The Whole To Stretch From Movement.

[r1101r]

Lol and those "mechanics" said a couple hundred bucks. :rolleyes

all what it cost was a couple of calories lol

[shu328]

damn ... im gonna have to get under there again and just try tightening some things. Last time I checked I thought no way would that do anything to help the problem but I guess that was very wrong!

[robmpulse]

if you have the same problem I have, tightening it will not help. may relieve some of the symptom, but not for too long. unless of course the pitman arm bolt is just loose. but doubt that is the issue. I would almost bet money it's the bearing in the steering box..... like my issue....

but keep us posted!

[pickedaname]

looool i just gave up and we ended up tightening it and voila !!!! its good

funny thing is a stupid mechanic told me i need to drop the subframe and if he fixed it itll cost a "couple'a hundred" dollars.. HAHAHA now that suspension and steering are ok im off to the drop :D
So now that it has been several months, how did the 'tightening the pitman arm clamp bolt' fix work out for ya? I'm about to drop the cross member to replace it and would love to try this option instead. Also, did you use a standard wrench? I'm not under it at the moment, but it looked tight.
Thanks

[T444E]

So now that it has been several months, how did the 'tightening the pitman arm clamp bolt' fix work out for ya? I'm about to drop the cross member to replace it and would love to try this option instead. Also, did you use a standard wrench? I'm not under it at the moment, but it looked tight.
Thanks

Several months? Dude the thread is more than a year old.