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Help - Pitman Arm Removal

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Old Yesterday | 04:23 AM
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Help - Pitman Arm Removal

I have a 1992 E-150, E4OD, 300 I6

I am trying to remove the pitman arm from the steering gear; I have a front end tool set with a "proper" pitman arm puller. The pitman arm is right up against the steering gear; there is no room to get the removal tool underneath the arm. What should I do ?

Some background:
1) My steering gear was leaking, and for a quick (ie I will rebuild it whenI have time later) and cheap fix I got another steering gear off a junkyard 1994 E-250. The gear from the junkyard is the exact same part number as my steering gear; however, the pitman arms are different.
2) I am trying to take the pitman arm off my original gear to put on the junkyard gear. The pitman arm that is on the junkyard gear has some space between the gear and arm to get the removal tool properly underneath, but the gear out of my van has zero space to fit the tool.

What gives ?

Here is a picture of the steering gear from my van, notice how snug the pitman arm is to the gear:


 
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Old Yesterday | 12:50 PM
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If you have the kind of tool below, you should be able to smack it enough to get it in there. Or try pickle fork or slimmer prying tools to get started.


Pitman arm removal tool
Pitman arm removal tool
 

Last edited by econo93; Yesterday at 12:56 PM.
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Old Yesterday | 04:37 PM
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Old Today | 07:10 AM
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Simply loosen the sector shaft adjustment nut and turn the adjuster screw in (clockwise) a few turns
That will lower the sector shaft in the gear housing and give you the clearance needed for the tool
Also,
If you hit it hard enough with a big hammer in the right spot, it will pop off of there too
 
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Old Today | 01:58 PM
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Thanks, that looks like the Lisle one. I have a front end set that doesn't have one like that, but does have something that looks like this:


 
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Old Today | 01:59 PM
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Originally Posted by manicmechanic007
Simply loosen the sector shaft adjustment nut and turn the adjuster screw in (clockwise) a few turns
That will lower the sector shaft in the gear housing and give you the clearance needed for the tool
Also,
If you hit it hard enough with a big hammer in the right spot, it will pop off of there too

Thanks for the advice, so to be sure the sector shaft is that which is in the direction of the pitman arm (ie NOT the input shaft, which is perpendicular to the sector shaft ?
 
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