Pitman arm - steering gear

[vogey]

What I thought was just a broken sway bar end link ended up being much more drastic. Can the pitman arm link be changed (were it bolts to drag link. Mine has 1/4-1/2" of play in ouy side to side. Am I gonna have to replace the pitman arm? If so were do I begin

 

[Jglew82]

Yeah, you're going to need a pitman arm - I had the same issue, but with almost a whole inch of play . They aren't that bad to change. Go grab a pitman arm puller from autozone or o'reilly (they usually loan them for free with a refundable deposit). There are some good threads on here with tips on getting them in and out.

 

[RichLo]

If you have a 2wd you can replace it with the steering box in the truck, if you have a 4wd you'll have to remove or at least unbolt the steering box to get to the pitman arm as the front differential is in the way.

 

[bugdewde]

If you have a 2wd you can replace it with the steering box in the truck, if you have a 4wd you'll have to remove or at least unbolt the steering box to get to the pitman arm as the front differential is in the way.

'95 K2500 'Burban .... I'll been swapping a bunch of new front end parts soon. Been thinking of adding a small eBay 2" diff drop (may crank keys up a little ) .....
Will dropping the diff a little bit allow the pitman arm to be removed without loosening or removing the steering box?

 

[Russ600]

I have a 98 k3500 cclb srw and replaced the pitman arm without removing the steering box or loosening bolts. I took the front skid plate off and could reach in from there. Not sure if it's different on the vehicle you have but it worked good for me.

 

[Wlfman]

If your going to replace the pitman arm anyway, don't waste a lot of time with a puller and fighting it to get it off. I just cut a slot with my die grinder on the side of it being careful not to hit the steering splined shaft to relieve the pressure and pop it off. Sometime they are on there so tight you risk damaging the steering box getting them off with a puller. The last one I did on my 95 Jeep I broke the puller due to it being locked on there but 5 minutes with a cutting wheel on my dremel and it popped right off.