how do u line up a pitman arm, that doesnt have any indicator marks on it? any suggestions?

 

Not sure about your question but check this out and see if it helps.

http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/maintenance/idler/

http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b...g/16steer0.pdf

 

Yes, there is an index mark on both the sector shaft and pitman arm.

 

Okay, these trucks aren't drift champions, but I am. I slid sideways with some 225/75/15 stock tires on and slammed into a curb pretty hard. The alignment shop quotes, "new pitman arm, new idler arm=$455". My jaw hits the floor and I promptly responded 'the internet', my web places my order and now the Advance Auto idler arm ($70) and Marlin Crawler pitman arm ($50) are on. But, my steering wheel is way-so-screwed-up! The right turn signal turns off, it is so far to the right when I'm driving straight. The passenger side front wheel is a hair to the left with the wheel straight and the driver side wheel is making a turn. My question: Is my pitman arm straight?

Pitman before, yes this gear puller broke and the loan-a-tool pitman arm puller from AutoZone worked as it was made to. I still have the pitman arm puller and need to know if I skipped a tooth before I return their loan-a-tool


And this is the pitman arm after. It's real strange, it looks like it's straight from an angle. Does it look straight or misaligned to 'yall. I really need to know before I take it for an alignment, at a different shop from the one before. The $188 idler arm and $120 pitman arm quote was surely laughable. Help a guy on steering, leave a comment.









If it is crooked, do you have advice on getting it to the right angle, I tried and tried to squeeze another tooth in there, but the linkage wouldn't allow it. Should I adjust the linkage in the tie rods to allow me to get it in there to try and fit another tooth in an attempt to make it straight, or straighter?

 

The above pictured pitman arm install was one tooth off. But, thanks to a $50 2-wheel alignment job, the mechanic said that with just one tooth off, he just tightened one side more that the other on the tie rods. Bottom Line: if it had have been two or 3 more teeth misaligned, then it would've had to come off and be installed straight. It was straight enough to be aligned-

 

Did you ever check to make sure your splines were not twisted? I run into that quite often at the shop where people hit the curb, and it twists the splines that the pitman arm attaches to.

 

Nope, the splines looked fine when I put it on. It worried me that the IFS box would need to be taken apart. So, when I took off the old one I gave it a look and everything seemed in order. I don't suppose the new one would have wanted to go on so easily if the splines were FUBARed. The only thing that gave me trouble was not knowing why the steering linkage wouldn't allow me to put it on straight. Afterwards, in thinking what a patient mechanic would do, I realized that I should have adjusted the tie rods to give me some play in the linkage in order to get that new pitman arm on straight and not a tooth off. Good Call x 2

The splines were more round than I had expected them to be, but I didn't see any twists.