Drop Pitman arm a.k.a. Mr. Wiggles

[Mudderoy]

I've posted on and off about the issue I've had with two dropped pitman arms.

Both from reputable companies, but both start wiggling side to side about 1/16 of an inch. This creates a dead spot in the steering of about 15% to 20%. It starts out fine then progressively gets worse over about 2 months.

To solve this issue I placed some nice big thick washers between the nut and lock washer. This solved the problem for, yet about 2 months.

I torque the nut to 180 ft/lbs and when I go to remove the nut to replace the washers (2 of them) I have to use the 1/2 torque wrench to break the nut loose. In other words the nut isn't backing off.

My next attempt to fix this is my buddy Mark at DETOURS has agreed to make me a bad a$$ washer. Hopefully it will be up to the task of holding the pitman arm in place long after my 2 month solution. I think the washers are getting flat over time with use.

http://xjtalk.com/images/special/pitmanarmspacer-width.jpg

http://xjtalk.com/images/special/pitmanarmspacer-depth.jpg

So I read this as 2 3/16" by 1/8" and the hole is 15/16" wide. I use 2 of these washers so it would be 2 3/16" by 1/4". The hole is a little big, so 7/8" would probably be perfect.

As you can see I got a pretty good fit!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7jXDp38qMTI/T5TQiKghLWI/AAAAAAAACD4/SfsrZROEEds/s800/20120422_210255.jpg

[LizardRunner]

Bet that Mark's solution will take care of that problem. It's good to know that the bolt isn't backing out to create the issue.

[4.3LXJ]

I think I might have asked this before, but did you use a lock washer under the nut?

[Mudderoy]

I think I might have asked this before, but did you use a lock washer under the nut?

Yes, but if I had not I would not expect the nut to keep it's torque.

[DETOURS]

Tony's request is being granted.....;)

[Mudderoy]

The parts fairy showed up today (a.k.a. UPS, FedEx, USPS...)

123

124

Over torqued to 190-ish...

[Mudderoy]

Ever since I put the custom made washer on my steering box the dead spot in the steering has been as bad as it ever was.

A few days of thinking about it I decided I needed to hit the pitman arm with the impact hammer. I thought I could check to see if this did anything by first removing the washer, it's pretty and I don't want to hit it with the impact.

Put the lock washer and nut back on, torque it to 180 ft/lbs. Then hit the pitman arm with the impact hammer and try torquing it again. If it stays torqued then there is something else wrong. If it isn't still at 180 ft/lbs, then the pitman arm wasn't seated far enough up the spline.

Well I didn't get that far.

I took off the nut and lock washer and that's when I saw what the problem was. The pitman arm is too far up the spline. So far up that what I'm torquing isn't the nut to the pitman arm it's the nut to the steering box shaft! Leaving a small gap between the pitman arm and the lock washer. So small that the pitman arm can move side to side and that's my dead spot in the steering wheel. I'm talking about maybe a 1/6th of an inch gap, very small.

So I measured the diameter of the old TJ pitman arm. It's about 1.25 inches. The inner diameter of the custom washer wasn't any where near that large. So off to the hardware store to but a 1.25" drill bit! Come to find out they have a drill press at (KATY HARDWARE) and they were more than happy to put my new drill bit in their machine and drill the hole larger for me. :drinking:

Here's the washer drilled out to 1.25" i.d.

141

142

So for those of you that are playing at home, the washer is 2" o.d. and 1.25" i.d.

I installed it and did a test power off. Steering was almost as tight as the TJ.

I took it for a test drive. Boy what a difference! I think if I hold the steering wheel too tight and sneeze I'll wind up in the ditch!

:driving: :rotfl2:

Now lets see how this "fix" holds up over time. I'll check the torque in about a week.

[DETOURS]

Huge difference in center hole size, if it loosens, I'd say the cast pitman arm is spreading open....if so, it's liable to crack.

[Mudderoy]

Huge difference in center hole size, if it loosens, I'd say the cast pitman arm is spreading open....if so, it's liable to crack.

Yep, well at least now I know why the torque wasn't changing. It was tight just tight against the shaft and not the pitman arm. I have another pitman arm.

[Mudderoy]

Huge difference in center hole size, if it loosens, I'd say the cast pitman arm is spreading open....if so, it's liable to crack.

Yep that makes sense. The inner hole diameter was the correct size for where the threads are on the steering box shaft. Problem was it was much smaller than the upper tapered portion. So it wasn't until I fully understood what was happening that I knew the hole diameter had to be much bigger.

I'm pretty sure you understood the first time, but just in case someone else didn't.

I really don't think the pitman arm is spreading. It's always been loose. I think it was made a little to big and it goes further up on the shaft that the nut and lock washer were able to press against.

[Mudderoy]

It's been a little more than a week now and driving the XJ has been pure heaven. It is so much more relaxing to drive now. Before I would have to keep a close eye on the road and be ready to make minor course corrections to keep it off the curb.

I still have several weeks to go before I'll know that the problem is solved, but I suspect it is, especially considering when I put the new improved washer on it didn't just torque up quickly, I had to make several turns before it got tight. I feel confident that the washer is up against the pitman arm now.

[Mudderoy]

Still working!

[Mudderoy]

One thing I noticed different when I torqued it this last time. I felt the pitman arm move! At this point I am ready to call this problem solved.

Now I am planning on adjusting the steering box adjustment screw, I think it's called adjusting the steering box "lash".

Anyway, the only reason is because I messed with this in the past. I made it too tight, then I loosened it. So my concern is that I may have loosened it too much. The only reason I can tell the steering "may" not be as tight as it can be, or should be, is from driving the TJ.

The TJ steering is scary tight. Not had to move, but you need a light touch on the steering wheel unlike the death grip I learned to use on my XJ after the pitman arm problem.

So I'm calling the main problem here, the lose pitman arm, solved!

[4.3LXJ]

:congrats:

[denverd1]

damn I should've read this earlier.. i've got a gap between the arm and the box. My wrench only goes to 150 lbs so I'm working on getting another. I don't see how your pitman arm would shift against the steering gear shaft with all the grooves in the two. I'm sure there's a more technical term for it...

[denverd1]

Also did your alignment change when you changed arms? The front looks toed out pretty bad and all I did was get the dropped arm.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2

[Mudderoy]

damn I should've read this earlier.. i've got a gap between the arm and the box. My wrench only goes to 150 lbs so I'm working on getting another. I don't see how your pitman arm would shift against the steering gear shaft with all the grooves in the two. I'm sure there's a more technical term for it...

I may have already stated (I'm too lazy to go back and read it) but the lock washer and nut were bottoming out where the splines turn into smooth shaft. So it wasn't getting tight against the pitman arm it was getting tight against the steering box shaft.

Basically the pitman arm was going to high (far) up on the shaft. Adding the washer didn't work at first because it too was pushing against the shaft and not the pitman arm. It wasn't until I made the hole in the middle big enough that the nut pushed on the lock washer, pitman arm. Nice and tight now!

[Mudderoy]

Also did your alignment change when you changed arms? The front looks toed out pretty bad and all I did was get the dropped arm.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2

I don't remember. I mean I changed the entire front end parts, then had it aligned months later.