So I'm replacing the entire front steering assembley, minus the relay rod cause she's still holdin in there....I was just wondering if anyone had any tips/tricks on working on this stuff to offer up so my job could go a bit smoother.

Also, I'll be rebuilding my power steering gear box here in a couple of weeks, because I'm too cheap to shell out the $200-$400 for a rebuilt one, much less the $2000 that the stealer told me that they wanted <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/zombie.gif" alt="" /> Plannin on takin lots of pictures, maybe write up a tech article for the new Archive secton......

Thanks in advance guys and gals!

I've only changed my idler arm so far. It was pretty straight forward. Three bolts and with the aid of a pickle fork & a 3lb hammer, it came right off. And the castleated nut too. Took no more than a half hour. Good luck with it all.

go to HARBOR FREIGHT and ppick up their $6 tie rod and pitman arm puller...

the tie rod one saves you from beating on the things...

The pitman arms gonna be a problem. Even with a puller they dont want to come off. You can try the puller keeping pressure on it and tapping with a bfh. I ended up cutting mine off with an angle grinder which is actually the easiest way to do it. Just dont cut into the splines. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

If you soak it good in penetrant for a few days in advance, then use a propane torch to heat the arm while the puller is putting pressure on it, it will come loose. The heat of the torch will expand the arm just enough to let it slide off. Be patient...

Thank GAWD for my pneumatic picklefork. Pulling the idler arm was easier than rebuilding it (I use the rebuild kit instead buying another one).

Been there! I broke two of the harbor freight pullers on my ball joints. I rented one from Auto Zone for a $20 deposit and it worked great. For the pitman arm, I used the grider w/ a cutting disc. Two slices and it released the tension, the puller then took it off. I broke a pickle fork before I got the puller.

Good Luck!

Anthony

Hmmmm so it sounds like the pittman arm is gonna be the fun part. I got the entire idler arm assembley so no worries about pullin that thing, three bolts and disconnect it from the relay rod and I'm done <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I am looking foreward to some steering that is actually tight though. It's pretty bad now, if you watch the pittman arm to relay rod connection while I wiggle the wheel it's got about 3 inches of play <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" /> can someone say "near failure"?

Thanks for the help guys!

Not to sound like a dub-a$$, but why do you need to pull the pitman arm at all? What is there to wear out?

the pitman arms on IFS trucks have the rod end built into them, rather than having a taper for a tie rod end like the knuckles.

it's considered a wear item though i don't think they go out all that often -- i picked up a moog unit from carquest today for a little over $50.