I have a 1996 F150 XL and im trying to replace my power steering gearbox. The only problem is I cant seem to get the steering gear sector shaft arm off. I have the pitman arm puller in place but the arm wont budge. I want to use my 24" breaker bar but im afraid that I will tear up the gear or the puller. How hard are these things supposed to be to get off? Is there anything I can do to make it easier?

 

Heat it up with a torch, that may make it easier to get off. They're on there good....one of mine had to get cut off with a small grinding wheel (made two cuts on either side and wacked it til it broke off). It may be easier for you to just buy a new pitman arm and install it on the new box....rather than dealing with taking the old one off.

 

I couldn't get the pitman off with the pitman puller either. I then tried heat and a cheater bar on my heavy duty gear puller and suceeded in damagining the puller. My next attempt using the following method removed the pitman in less than 5 minutes.

Remove the power steering box and clamp it in the vice. Apply heat and then use 2 cold chisels as wedges by driving one in on each side of the shaft from opposite directions. It took about a dozen hammer blows on each wedge to remove the pitman.

 

I took a sawzall and cut through the arm almost all the way to the pitman shaft. Then I wedged a chisel in the cut and smacked it with a hammer. One blow and the arm fell off, of course this won't work if you need to re-use the old arm. Try the vise technique if you need to re-use pitman arm. Good luck.

 

I replaced two gear boxes this winter, both on 1994 F-250s. I drove a chisel between the gear box and the pitman arm. I then took a torch and heated the pitman arm up. The arm then fell off.

 

try this, Drive the puller on with and impact wrench, let it hammer for a bit, then hit the PULLER, with a hammer, the part you turn, most pullers are cut to a bevel on the end past the hex, this is to allow for mushrooming as you pound on it, hit it 3 or 4 times, get on it with the impact agian, and hit it again, if this dosent work, (always does for me, from 1/2 ton, 6 wheel dump truck size) then i would warm the pitman arm and try again, last resort would be to cut it off, but if you warm the pitman arm up red hot, it is no good anyway, and must be replaced.
Good luck, they can be a real pain in the ****.