So today i decided to replace the much overdue steering stabilizer. Well it was going fairly well until it got to the point at which i need a pitman arm puller (i think thats what i need).and i dont have one. lol So now the xj is sitting the the driveway with that shock half on and i cant make any progress. Any tips on getting it out. thanks...Dillon

ps i didnt know i needed
that tool till i got to that point.

 

Why do you need a pitman arm puller? I am assuming that you mean to get the damper out of the drag link?? I cant imagine why you would need to remove the pitman arm.

The trick to getting those things out, and tie rod ends, is to whack what they are sitting in with a hammer, not the threaded part that is on the damper.

Whack the drag link a few times with a hammer right next to where the damper goes through it and it should pop out. It may help to hit it with some penetrating oil first. when I did mine I grabbed the bolt with some vice grips and twisted it while I was doing it.

 

i just don't have to room to get a good swing at it with the skid plates im also having trouble getting the skid plate off i rounded the bolt on the inside passenger side that holds the skidplate so thats another issue i need to solve.

 

you can use a pitman arm puller for tierods and the steering stablizer, just rent is at autozone or pepboys and give it back when you are done. you will need a 17mm wrench to use it.

 

picklefork ? cheap easy to use for what you need to do

 

ill get them tomorrow. needs to be a 24 hour parts store.

 

here is what i did, sorry about the HUGE pic, but i didnt resize it so you can see exactly what i did. after i put as much tension as i could on it, gave it a whack with a hammer and it popped right out. Previous attempts involded PB blaster soaking for a few days, mapp gass, BFH. This method worked great and you probably have all you need in your garage.

 

im at the bar right now but u better believe when i get home ill be trying that i pb blasted it a few times today thanks for the picture

 

no prob, make sure you wrench that c-clamp down tight as you can, use a small pipe to get it a little bit further without bending up the rod piece on the clamp then just a whack or 2 with a metal hammer and good things happen.

 

i tried your way and i bought a pickel fork and still cant get it off ima bout to heat it up with a blow torch

 

wow thats crazy. I dont think propane will heat it up enough if my mapp gas didnt help it at all, but worth a shot. Im sure u used a socket that fit over the top of the bolt? lol just checking

 

well i used oxy-acetylene to no avail. i cant even get the skid plates off. this is turning into a nightmare. Never would i have thought this would be this difficult.

 

I had a heck of a time getting mine off too. What made it even crazier was that I had just replaced the stabilizer a month earlier, then bought a kit that had a heavier duty one. But would you know that when it came time to take that month old stabilizer off, I had to re-heat and beat the bejesus out of it with the air hammer pickle forks just like the first time (the first time took 3 tries to get it loose). Craziest thing I ever saw. Anyway, try heating around the hole in the drag link and as little as possible on the stabilizer stud. Get it good and hot (just don't light the bushing on fire). I heated it from different sides and then went to town with the pickle forks. Finally it popped loose.

Hope that helps

-bob-

 

like i said before get a pitman arm puller, use a 17 mm wrench and it will pop right off. get a 6-point wrench and unscrew the puller all the way, drop the closed side of the wrench on the puller and screw it back on half way. now the wrench will not slip off. go get a bigger wrench or a big 3 foot pole to attach to the other side of the attached wrench. then get the puller on your stabilizer nice and tight then put your bigger wrench of pry pole on there and walla, you have yourself no more steering stabilizer. i have attached a pic of what the puller looks like, rent it from autozone. you will have no more problems.

 

i would have bought one but the only parts store that i could safley drive to only had a pickel fork. The only thing i can think to do is put it back together and drop it at a friends while im at work hes got all the tools and know how to deal with it.