(stupid) pitman arm replacement question.

[Retiredwarhorses]

How is you steering gear? A sloppy gear will do the same, also worn u-joints in the steering column…quite rare, but seen it on early
99 auction trucks,

 

[Coug]

How is you steering gear? A sloppy gear will do the same, also worn u-joints in the steering column…quite rare, but seen it on early
99 auction trucks,

steering gear seems relatively tight.

Now with everything tightened down and the tie rods, pitman arm, and idler arm all new, I have maybe 1/2-1" of movement in the steering wheel with the truck off before the wheels start moving.

I drove it last night and steering is much more responsive than it used to be, but as I had finished up the pitman arm in the dark and it rained all the next day before driving it, I didn't realize how far out of alignment everything is at this point. It's probably at least a couple inches of toe in right now compared to before I replaced the pitman arm, so not sure if all the slop was letting the alignment work well enough, or if the new pitman arm somehow moved everything.
Once I get alignment closer I'll report back as to how the steering feels.

 

[mccullek]

steering gear seems relatively tight.

Now with everything tightened down and the tie rods, pitman arm, and idler arm all new, I have maybe 1/2-1" of movement in the steering wheel with the truck off before the wheels start moving.

I drove it last night and steering is much more responsive than it used to be, but as I had finished up the pitman arm in the dark and it rained all the next day before driving it, I didn't realize how far out of alignment everything is at this point. It's probably at least a couple inches of toe in right now compared to before I replaced the pitman arm, so not sure if all the slop was letting the alignment work well enough, or if the new pitman arm somehow moved everything.
Once I get alignment closer I'll report back as to how the steering feels.

With a rebuilt gear box, mine now drives great with no slack at all in the steering. Very responsive now and easy to steer and drive. It’s amazing how difficult it is to steer these things without power steering.

With the right tools and know how, it’s not that difficult really. I got my rebuild kit from one of the military suppliers, but do not recommend them. The spindle arm seals weren’t the right size and the pitman arm seal failed instantly.

I was able to match my Saginaw box to a 79 Chevy Malibu, so if you have a 1079, you can get a rebuild kit from a local auto parts for half the price and it will actually be a better quality.

I bought a spindle only seal kit for $11 and the replacement pitman arm seal kit for $12. I got them both at NAPA. A full kit is about $40 to $50 vs the $100 at the military surplus sites. I was able to replace the pitman arm seals without having to take the box off again. Took about 30 mins to do.

 

[mccullek]

So now it's getting frustrating.
Installed the new Moog problem solver pitman arm.
It doesn't go on very far. With the nut torqued down to 186 ft lbs, and no lock washer installed, the nut is on the shaft with only a couple threads past it. In other words about 1/4" or so further down than the old pitman arm was.
Went and bought a puller and pulled it back off and inspected everything. As far as I can tell the splines are lined up properly, as there was no signs of any splines being damaged at all.
Was extra careful when lining everything up, and it tightens down to the same spot. Can't use the lock washer because there just isn't enough room on the shaft for it and the nut.
Will keep an eye on it and keep the torque wrench in the truck with me.

Unless I'm somehow missing something, the new one is just that much tighter than the old one was and won't fit on any further.

I had another thought on this that might help, but not sure. It might be worth looking into it. Is it possible that some of these boxes have different diameter Pitman shafts? If so, maybe the Pitman arm you have is too small? If you have any calipers, I would measure the inside of your old pitman arm and the pitman shaft, then compare those to your current Pitman arm and see what difference there might be overall. If you don't have any calipers, you can pick them up from Harbor Freight cheap.

I know that the rebuild kit I purchased came with much smaller input shaft seals than my box had, so I think those shafts can certainly be different sizes, unless someone just made a big mistake on my rebuild kit. If the input shafts vary in size, then maybe the Pitman Arm shaft can vary in size, and you need a larger diameter opening on your new shaft? Someone that knows more about these boxes than me could probably verify this thought.