deathrunner

I had been experiencing massive amounts of steering play. I thought I was being a responsible yotatecher and I searched the old posts and found the 4x4wire.com instructions on rebuilding the idler arm. I thought for sure that this was my fix. So I ran to the dealer and ordered the 20.00 worth of parts. Then I just got home and had a friend turn my wheel while I looked for the play. The Idler arm looked tight.

That brought me to the pitman arm. That badboy was loose as a cheap ho. So I took out the cotter pin and went to tighten the castle nut, thinking that would tighten things up. Well it didn't move, so I tried to back it out and it turned, but never came off. I finally figured out that the whole bolt is turning with the nut. :wtf:

How the hell do I fix this? There is no way to hold the bolt while I turn the nut. Do I have to cut it off????

Do I need a new pitman arm?

Should I have a shop do this as it may affect my alignment?

Also I noticed that one of the grease caps on my tie rod end has disintegrated....is this an easy fix while I'm at it?


Thanks for the help -Seth

SoCal4Running

No you dont have to cut it off. What you need to do is get a pickle fork and hit it in like your trying to separate the two which will tighten the pitman arm tapered shaft so you can then tighten the nut on the bottom. This has worked in the past.

As for the tierod boot you need to separate them with a pickle fork and put a new boot on it

deathrunner

Ok so there is hope.

Dumb question....i s a pickle for that large two pronged tool that tapers inward?...basically so if you hammer it in it pushes to objects apart?

So rather than seperating them, It would be tightening the shaft because the nut is still on?

Do these things loosen up over time?

That would be sweet if that's all it took.

-Seth

Hey you're in Oside...I'm just in Vista and I work in Encinitas

SoCal4Running

Yea it looks like a big two pronged wedge.

I have before used it not to separate but to put pressure on the shaft that the nut threads onto so you can then tighten the nut.

If you 4by alot they can loosen on you but have never seen it happen on a street rig.

Yes, I am in Oceancrime up on North Melrose by the NAPA auto parts store. You ever 4by locally, Calavaras (kinda shut down now), Laurence Welks????

foxtrapper

Yes, you need a new pitman arm. The play isn't in the tapered pin going into the cross link, it's in the ball joint of the pitman arm itself. Unless you've got some interesting failures and the pin really is slopping around in the cross link hole. In which case, you need to replace that piece too.

You need a pickle fork to seperate the tapered pin. But since you're going to replace the pitman arm, go ahead and cut the nut off with a little grinder or wiz wheel. Btw, that's the easy part, getting the pitman arm off the steering box is harder. I find it easiest to grind a section of the arm down to the splines. Then the pitman arm cracks and I can drop it down from the steering box.

Pitman arms are cheap. Not sure what Toyota wants for them, but you can buy a TRW unit for about $50.

deathrunner

Socal....Where the heck is calvaras???

You can offroad at Lawrence welks????

Man I've been driving through ever little patch of dirt I can find since they've been building up through Black Mountain. That's where I used to tool around. If you've got a local spot, we should meet up some time. I've been going out to Ocotillo.

Foxtrapper- Won't replacing my pitman arm change my alignment?? If so I'll probably have protrux do it.

foxtrapper

No, it won't change your alignment. There is a chance it will cock your steering wheel a bit depending on which splines you get it lined up on, but it won't affect the relationship of the tires to each other.

Drat, that reminds me that I forgot to make a note about positioning when I took my pitman arm off last night. Meant to do that before I pulled it off. Oh well.

deathrunner

That makes sense.

So if i take it off when the wheel is straight and I don't move the wheels....all should go back ok?

what do you gring the arm with???

SoCal4Running

Calavaras you need a F.D. key to get thru the gate.

But Lawurance Welks is just a huge area gussing maybe 20 sq. miles, just go to the resort and there is a road that goes under the freeway I-15 and up the side of the moutain, take your first left (still a city street) and then up a ways theres a dirt pull off with a dirt road that takes you into the off-road area. There are some pretty knarly trails out there that I wont even try in my 4runner but soon as I get a motor for my CUCV its go time.

deathrunner

So it goes back under the 15...meaning West??? or is it on the east side?

SoCal4Running

Yes, its west of I-15 up the road that is directly across from the resort. There are many ways in and out of there but that is the only way I know of how to give directions too. Never had a problem with the 5-0 out there, but no guarantees.

foxtrapper

Only if the splines on the new pitman arm are an precisely the same position as the old one. They aren't of course, so you'll likely get some bit of cocking of the steering wheel.

4.5" side angle grinder.

deathrunner

Thanks Socal.... I might cruise out there soon. I'm just over the hill in Vista, I could probably drop down through Gopher Canyon Road and I'll be right there. That would be cool if I could find an entrance on my side of it. hmmmmm.


Foxtrapper- My Chilton's guide says to line it up with a mark. Is there a mark on the steering box???

SoCal4Running

There is a way in off of Buena Creek-twin oaks area but have to have 4x4 to make it ...No Problem right.

deathrunner

Where is that entrance??? That's way close to me.

Are these trails pretty hairy or would I get through without scratches???

I'm a pretty conservative offroader...I like my rig to come out alive. I'm really curious now.

SoCal4Running

Um, you take Buena Creek to Twin Oaks. Turn left at the light and then not to far on your left there is a street called North Twin Oaks Vally. Follow that for like 4 miles and on your right there is a dirt road with a open/demolished gate that takes you into the place.

Most of the trails are no damage kind of trails but there are some body modifiers out there.

deathrunner

Cool Might have to check that out today.

deathrunner

I went out there yesterday and it was pretty fun.

I couldn't find the gate one the buena creek side. I took the road you mentioned and it took me to Gopher Canyon road. Kidna cool. From there I just went to the Lawrence Welk side. I followed the main trail Pretty high up. Way at the top was a Climb that I would attempt on teh ground but not as high up as it was. If anything went wrong I would be rolling for a while. I'm a wus. Fun stuff though. Thanks for the tips. I'm going to go back and look for that other entrance one day. All the gates looked like entrances to homes. Oh well thanks again -Seth

SoCal4Running

Yea, that other enterance is best found by going out of it and then seeing where you are, cant really describe how to go in that way.

I know which hill you are talking about, its alittle ways after the water tower. There are left/right lines up the hill and the left is the prefered way to go, but being on the side of a moutain makes things alittle hairy.

That place has many road and trails but usually never end up lost. Its the best place I know to offroad locally.

deathrunner

Allright I went out today and found alot more out there. I went over that incline. It wasn't bad at all. That place has a ton of trails. It was fun until I started to descend a pretty steep trail. My girlfriend wasn't happy. So I had to reverse up it in 4low. Fun stuff. But I got through and found the other entrance. It's mayor street I believe.

Good Times