F250 P/S box sector shaft nut torque
#1
08-11-2018, 01:44 PM
F250 P/S box sector shaft nut torque
Removing my pitman arm at the sector shaft (bottom) to work on my suspension.
truck is an 1979 F250 4WD... looking up the torque specs I see the nut+lock washer that holds the pitman arm to the power steering box (called the sector shaft?) needs to be torqued to 200-250 ft-lbs.
200-250 seems very high for a pitman arm... however the nut is 1-5/16" so it's pretty big!
is 200-250 ft-lbs correct?
any help is appreciated! Thanks!
#2
08-11-2018, 08:29 PM
#3
08-11-2018, 11:42 PM
You're not going to hurt it, make it tight. If the pitman arm bottomed out I'd say overkill but it's tapered spline it needs to be drawn tight to stay tight.
Not that I don't own a tq wrench that goes that high but I normally just use my 3/4" set and give it a good yank.
Not that I don't own a tq wrench that goes that high but I normally just use my 3/4" set and give it a good yank.
any hints on how to get that silly pitman arm off?
i soaked the splines in penetrant and used a 5 ton (3 arm) gear puller on it with NO luck. It didn't even budge...
i had the gear puller so tight that I was turning the hubs and steering wheel...
how the heck does this thing come off????
tapered threads is definitely making it worse.
#4
08-12-2018, 01:35 AM
Lead Driver
Since you at least have a good sized and strong puller already (emphasis on the strong obviously) then try it again, but with some "persuasion" added to the mix.
By that I mean use the puller to put some tension on the arm, but not so much you're trying to rip the jaws off your puller, then get out the BFH and give it some licks.
I don't actually like hitting a pitman arm very hard, because even as strong as the box is, it's too expensive to damage by going all animal instinct on it.
I like to get my two short-handled sledge hammers (what, like 3-pounders, or however they're rated?), lay one up on one side of the arm and smack the other side. This feels like it's taking some of the force off of the shaft and resonating it back into the arm.
Might be dreaming, but I've never damaged one either.
The smacking metal on metal is the key. No deadblow or rubber mallets here. Just heavy metal and tension. After you smack it a couple of times, turn some more pressure on the puller screw. Then smack again.
They're tough birds, and I've always used a dedicated pitman arm puller instead of just standard jaws, but the smack-it method has never failed me yet. With either a pitman arm or a tie-rod end.
With a splined, tapered shaft with rust, and 200+ pounds of torque applied originally, they're not expecting it to be easily removed. So they're not...
Good luck.
Paul
By that I mean use the puller to put some tension on the arm, but not so much you're trying to rip the jaws off your puller, then get out the BFH and give it some licks.
I don't actually like hitting a pitman arm very hard, because even as strong as the box is, it's too expensive to damage by going all animal instinct on it.
I like to get my two short-handled sledge hammers (what, like 3-pounders, or however they're rated?), lay one up on one side of the arm and smack the other side. This feels like it's taking some of the force off of the shaft and resonating it back into the arm.
Might be dreaming, but I've never damaged one either.
The smacking metal on metal is the key. No deadblow or rubber mallets here. Just heavy metal and tension. After you smack it a couple of times, turn some more pressure on the puller screw. Then smack again.
They're tough birds, and I've always used a dedicated pitman arm puller instead of just standard jaws, but the smack-it method has never failed me yet. With either a pitman arm or a tie-rod end.
With a splined, tapered shaft with rust, and 200+ pounds of torque applied originally, they're not expecting it to be easily removed. So they're not...
Good luck.
Paul
#5
08-12-2018, 08:32 AM
Every one of them we took off we heated the pitman arm with a torch and the come off easy with a puller. I heated a couple now that I reused the box without issue. Just make sure you have a second person there cooling the shaft at the seal area. Without heat they can be a real pain to get off.
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