Replace Pitman Arm, how hard?

[Green_Mold]

I recently took my 1997 Chevrolet C/K1500 short bed pickup into the shop because the steering was becoming extremely loose (if I take it up to about 40, the wheel feels like it isn’t even attached to anything, it moves so freely). After a quick inspection, the shop told me that my Pitman Arm needed to be replaced (I’m assuming it’s just the arm, as that’s all they stated it was).

As I originally bought this truck as a project vehicle, I would like to do the work myself. As far as I know, about the only special things I will need are a Pitman Arm puller, and a torque wrench (not so special I know). I’ve heard some stories that replacement of this part is extremely difficult, but I’ve also done some reading and it looks pretty straightforward to me: straighten wheels, remove bolts, pull old arm off, grease knobby thing, put new arm on. So I would like to know if anyone has experience with the replacement of this part, and just what exactly I’m getting myself in to?

Also, if I do this work myself, where would be the best place to obtain the specifications for the amount of torque needed on the Pitman bolts? Thanks for any help.

-Mark

[mbumgua]

It is not to hard if you have the pitman arm puller and a large socket set(3/4 inch drive). You probably need to replace the idler arm too as they wear out at about the same time as the pitman arm. Alway use your grease gun to lube the new parts as they don't always come from the parts store with enough grease.

[skipr]

I did my own on a 1998 K1500 (same set up as yours) the nut is a 1 5/16" . It is not all that easy to get at , you will need a combo wrench, socket will be difficult to use, unless you remove steering gear.The front plastic guard plate swings down for access when u remove the two 3/8 bolts. I could not get mine off with a pitman arm puller (I even snapped the puller shaft trying) I had to cut mine off with a die grinder, carefully to not cut into splined shaft.Hopefully yours is not this difficult. Too bad it's not just the idler, that is much easier.

[skipr]

Oh and the torque on the pitman shaft nut is 215 lbs. (OEM spec.)

[sitdusa]

I replaced mine and it took about 20 mins, but I work at a shop

[Green_Mold]

Thanks for the replies; the job definitely looks do-able to me. I looked up the torque specifications in my newly purchased Chilton manual, and it listed the tightness as 184 ft. lbs, so that’s what I’ll be going by. One quick question though, would it be in my best interest to replace the idler arm while I’m down there? And would I be stupid to just purchase these parts at the dealer? I’m not looking for anything fancy, just the normal OEM versions of them. Thanks.

-Mark

[sitdusa]

I would go with Spicer on the parts...

[Green_Mold]

Ran a search on Spicer and came up with: http://www.spicerchassis.com. Unfortunately, this site has no information on ordering or retailer information. I'd not heard of this brand before, do stores such as Shuck's, NAPA, or AutoZone carry these? Or do I need to find a more specific retailer? Sigh, every answer brings two new questions, sorry...

-Mark

[cousincletus]

Carquest Auto Parts carries Spicer, Moog and other decent parts. Rental tool companies can rent you a big puller to pull the pitman arm. It requires a decent sized puller.

[mbumgua]

Partsamerica.com is the online store for Checker, Schuck's, Kragen,Advance auto parts, and Discount auto parts. They sell Moog suspension parts. Find the parts you need, print the pages out and take it in to your local Checker etc. store and they will match the online price.
At least check the idler arm to see if it is loose. If it does not have a grease zerk on it it probably has never been replaced. To check it, jack up the right (pass) side front tire and wiggle it from side to side while watching the idler arm. If it moves even a small amount, replace it.