[709]

Well I'm sitting here and it's starting to hurt.

I think I pulled a muscle in my back today trying to get the pitman arm off.

It never came off, but.. so far..

We took about a 3 foot breaker to the nut with the correct size socket, and about 200+ lbs on the end of that started the socket off.. that... was the EASY part.

Next up, the puller. Stuck the puller on there, and ran it in. Put a 400 ftlbs impact on the back of that and it turned about 1 and a half turns. That was expected.

So we got out the breaker and couldn't find the appropriate socket for it, so we broke out the crecent wrenches and started heaving on that. THen put a pipe over it and heaved some more. It started moving.. but not in a good way.

We got it about 2 turns in, this is with about 5 foot of breaker bar on it, and 150 lbs or so.. (2 people pulling.)

What we started to notice, was that we'd get about 1/8th of a turn.. and the wrecnh was bending.. not the way you'd expect it though.. but the other way.. the HARD way to bend it.

Some more tugging and pushing resulted in the crecent end opening from 3/4" to about 1" and a broken ratchet wrench. (back to sears they go

)
The whole setup was on as far as it would go. and then it wouldn't come off.
Then we broke the puller.

So it's been dumped in more penetrating juice.. and I'll give it a go on thursday..

Then I get to find out if the ZJ arm that I bought for 4" drop is going to work.

 

[CJ7Taz]

My friend Beaky Buzzard says, "Oh, no, no, no, no, no."

Put the puller on the arm and tighten the bolt with a decent length breaker bar, 15 to 18 in, no need to go overboard. Then rap the puller bolt on the head with about a 5lb small sledge a few times. If the arm doesn't pop off, tighten the bolt again and repeat as needed.

 

[2887]

EXACTLY as Taz stated... I pulled one off this last weekend without a "pitman arm puller" I used a crummy bargain bin three jaw puller (with hardly any lip to grap the pitman arm) but I simmply tightened it up best i could --which wasn't very tight since with a standard end wrech I could put enough tension on their to round the jaws of the puller off and it would fall of the arm)

But I would tighten it up as best I could, let it sit a few minutes and tap on the arm gently. Repeat process over and over and over.

It worked well since I was reaming the outers at the same time I had plenty of time to keep busy with the puller sitting their with tension on it and letting the PB blaster do its job.

Best part, I didn't spend 45 bucks at napa on a pitman arm puller!

 

[709]

Arm puller was only $12 CDN.. so what? $4 US?

But I'll try that tomorrow.

Also forgot to add the other pain i have besides the pulled muscle.

When the wrench broke, the breaker bar nailed me in the knee.

It still really hurts.

Hopefully tomorrow will go better.

 

[2887]

true, a 457% markup occurs here to cover the couple bucks in freight.... no sh*t, 45 dollars and some change at my local napa for a pitman arm puller (plus 5.5% tax on that).

Back when the value of the buck was a little different, I used to love driving through canada. I could get a meal, get some gas and some food for the road, and then hand them a 20 and get change back. I don't think they (storeowner) liked it too much though.

Not the same anymore.

 

[709]

Were talking china brand pullers.. but for $10 it'll do about 4 pulls on OLD arms.. if you put never seez on it then there's no problem next time.

And that store clerk lived your USD..

We'd much rather have your money then ours.
Oh ya.. and he gave you a ****ty exchange rate

 

[1184]

You want PAIN??? I burned the ever living [email protected]#$ out of the roof of my mouth this past Friday. Ibuprofren doesn't work, acetomenephin doesn't work, those with three shots of rum and a beer have only taken the edge off. A good friend of mine who is a dentist, and a very compasionate person, told me "Suck it up". I was really hoping she'd have some magical solution to this. Nothing makes you feel more like a man than you eye involuntarily watering due to pain...... She did rag on me a little bit. I deserved it.

Anyway, mine was a stupid injury and I'm not proposing that food should come with warnings. It just hurts WAY, WAY more than when my wisdom teeth were pulled and I had to bitch about it. Everyone here is tired of my whining. It has even started to slough off. I like the injuries I get working on cars/trucks better, at least there was a purpose. I was just a moron in this case......

Bryan

 

[709]

Want me to blow on your coffee.. or do you just want a thermometer?

Quit your whining.

 

[Jim_Lou]

What the others said about tighten and beat, tighten and beat. Here's the procedure:

1 Install puller
2 Tighten puller
3 If arm has come off, goto 11
4 Hammer against the side of the pitman arm boss, all the way around
5 Tighten puller
6 If arm has come off, goto 11
7 Hammer the nut on the puller as if you were trying to drive it straight up into the pitman shaft
8 Tighten puller
9 If arm has come off, goto 11
10 Goto 2
11 Have beer
12 End procedure

This oughta work!

 

[uglyjeepoffroad]

If it comes down to it and you can't get it off with a puller. You can cut it off with a cut off wheel as long as you are not planning on reusing the arm. I had to do this with a friend's cj 5 after breaking 4 cheapy pullers.
If you have an Autozone ( I know about the hate post a little lower) they have a rent a tool program. You essentially buy the tool for a discounted rate and they refund 100% when you bring it back. I have used them for lots of tools I only needed once or twice.

 

[CJ7Taz]

In reply to:

Arm puller was only $12 CDN.

[/ QUOTE ]
Beaky says, "Oh, no, no, no, no, no." again.

THIS is a pitman arm puller: ($134 US)

 

[995]

Cut it off thats what I had to do,I used a small air grinder with a small cut off disk. I tryed for an hour and had no luck so I cut it off. I have talked to several others and one guy had luck with a tie rod seperator and one guy tryed to ues a new puller,but ended up cutting it off like I did.

 

[709]

No way I'll be using an $140 puller.

I'd rather go through 4 cheapies

Anyways, CDN tire has a puller, so I replaced the puller I borke (friends) and now I have a rented puller. If it breaks were just going to MIG it back together and take it in tell the guy it's broke, and rent another.

The cheapie ones are good... from what I've seen though tehy only get 3-4 pulls.

But it sure beats $140 and possibly breaking that one too. (Hold on... yes I said braking the expensive one, did I mention the bolt in the puller is all deformed? It looks like it's got scurvy.

)

 

[CJ7Taz]

In reply to:

No way I'll be using an $140 puller.

I'd rather go through 4 cheapies

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds like there may be more "PAIN" posts coming.

I didn't buy one. I know the guy that took over the shop that used to be run by a guy that I went to high school with before cancer got him. I give him a $100 bill for a deposit and he lets me use it.

There are a whole bunch of posts here about the problems of removing a pitman arm. With that tool, I tightened it down, whacked it with a hammer twice and the arm popped loose. No problem.

I did forget to mention that it would be good to remove the pitman arm nut and lock washer and then put the nut back on a few threads so the arm doesn't fall off and hit you in the head.

 

[WILL]

A 12" long wrench should give you all the leverage you need if you do it correctly. Tighten it down very snug, then hit with hammer. Tighten a little more, hit with hammer......... It'll pop off.

 

[Dirt Dog]

Forget the cheapie crap pullers. Get a good one and a BFH. Thats all you need.
Never, EVER, EVER had a problem useing this combo.

Just repeat after me........cheap tools suck. (X 100)

 

[Guest]

hey the question is simple. are your hands and knuckles more important than your pride. buying a cheap puller then whacking it with a hammer is a good way to bust knuckles and possibly lose digits. (not to mention the fragments flying through the air when it explodes) you don't have to buy a $140 puller but i would sure look for a better one than a $10 cheapie.

 

[pontiac58]

this is where you really dont want to be cheap. Buy a good puller and it will come off. No doubt about it. I have never not had one come off. Even trucks that have been sitting for 20 years in the yard, within a hour i have it off. The hammer is the ticket. Give it a few good whacks. Its the vibs that make it move. Dont be afraid to use a big hammer. I swing a 5 lb sledge with about a 15 inch handle. One heavy hit is much better then 5 little hits.

 

[sourpwr]

Not to rub salt in your wounds, but I had no problem pulling my pitman arm of off my '84. I used a cheaper pitman arm puller, and socket, and a 3lb sledge. A little pressure, a little hit, a little pressure, ... until it came off. I sprayed the nut with liquid wrench before and during the process. The tie-rod end on the pitman arm was another story. I could not do it so I took it a shop and they broke a vice. -- Mike