I recently had the driver side steering knuckle snap off on my 85 Toyota truck and found one at the salvage yard that was in good shape. I pulled the old one out using the double hammer beat-it technique, but before I install the replacement I wanted to get an idea of just how much force should be required to put it in. I tapped on it with a smallish hammer and a drift but stopped when it did not seem to be going in at all. Any advice? As it is not in my back yard I have a twenty minute drive into the boonies to work on it, I have not done anything more than remove the old knuckle arm and clean up the crud that would have fallen in. Sometime in the near future I probably need to do a real job of replacing seals, bearings and all the rest. Right now, though, I don't want to do any damage I will have to fix later. Thanks, Jim.

 

Shouldn't have to beat on it too hard. Make sure you're going into the center of the knuckle bearing, not just running into it.

 

Thanks abOti. I had not removed the tire or lifted the axle and it finally dawned on me that maybe the guts of the joint were not lined up. So I jacked up the axle and the knuckle arm drifted right in. When I got the old one of I could see where it had an old break in it that had rusted and eaten into the metal over time. Bad roads just finished it off, fortunately while I was trying to get out of a driveway and not moving fast. Now-to get the parts and a free weekend to service the knuckles themselves. Looks like they have not been done in a really long time. Thanks for your reply. Jim

 

ditto, ou will have to smack it around to get it in, especilly if there is any rust or corrosion on it,but once it is lined up with the grunion bearing it shouldn't put up too much of a fight.