Topic: Safe to cut-off old pitman arm?

[BUDDERS]

So I bought this P/S box from a junk yard a couple years ago with the intent of using it for my hysteer.  Now I finally am getting around to doing the hysteer and I cant get the stock pitman arm off.  I have soaked in in penetrating lube for over a month and have hit it with a torch to try and make it expand enough to slip off the sector shaft and it still won't budge - and yes, I'm using a puller - a 3 jaw one.

Is it possible to cut it off without damaging the sector shaft?  I'm thinking of making one cut parallel to the splines and getting it as close to the splines as possible and then pounding a chisel in the cut to hopefully break the remaining thin metal.  Has anyone done this?

[axled89]

i would cut almost all the way threw then heat it up again and pull on it.   then your thining the metal area to heat up.       that should work.

[junya92toy]

cut it close, use a chisel.

[BUDDERS [OP]]

I'm hoping that works.  I'm running out of options.  I'll have to wait till I get home and use my angle grinder with a cut-off wheel.

[79coyotefrg]

I'm hoping that works.  I'm running out of options.  I'll have to wait till I get home and use my angle grinder with a cut-off wheel.

thats what i did

[Travis H]

are you hitting it with a hammer along with the puller?

[IronClad]

sounds like you screwed yourself when you heated it up and swelled it on there.. never had a pitman arm i couldnt get off with just a hammer. going to have to just cut it off but i suggest making slices on atleast 2 sides to make it alot easier

[axled89]

x2 on the hitting it with a hammer while pulling on it with the puller.

[BUDDERS [OP]]

Well, I got it off.

Ok, so I ended up cheating.   Since I don't have anything to do at work right now, I ended up cutting a slot in it with the mill real close to the splines then I put my puller on it and it still wouldn't budge.  So I heated the pitman up with an acetalean torch and it still wouln't budge then I smacked it on the backside with a bfh while it was still hot and it popped off and flew accross the machine shop! Woohoo! 

[axled89]

taht's how you got to do that.

[germ]

Just needed a bigger BFH. That always works...

[BUDDERS [OP]]

A bigger bfh has always worked for me in the past, but this time it did not and I've replaced dozens of them when I worked at Toyota.  I did a lot of the steering rod campaigns and if the joints were loose on the pitman and idler arms, I would recomend replacing them.  Those weren't covered under warranty, but if you explained to the customer that it would throw off their alignment and would prematurely wear out those expensive tires they have, they would jump all over that upsell.