Removing Tapererd Sleeves in Steering Arm

[tycos]

I'm am having no luck in removing the tapered sleeves that drop into the steering arm so I can install the larger one that came with my lift kit. Is there a tool or trick to getting these out??? /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif

 

[sled_dog]

torch. THose things are a huge pain, and I've never personally seen a steering arm removed without torching it off, studs and all.

 

[JIM88K5]

BFH and heat... Try heating the studs then put the vicegrips
to work..

 

[sled_dog]

heating the steering arm makes more sense to me. I've never personally done it, but if you heat the studs, they will expand and only make things worse. When you are trying to get a bolt out of something, you heat the thing it is in or the nut, not the bolt, at least in my experience.

 

[Hossbaby50]

BFH and lots of hitting. Try hitting different places on the arm. Once you get the cone washers to unseat some you might be able to open up the gap with a screwdriver and pull them off. Or try and get ahold of them with a set of channel locks.

BFH and lots of determination is the best answer.

I have taken a couple of steering arms off axles without the use of heat. Just a BFH and some heavy hitting. I live in AZ though so rust is something I don't know a heck of a lot about.

Harley

 

[88Silverado]

Best luck I had was taking a 3+ pound sledge and hitting the arm right on the numbers stamed on the arm towards the draglink. This seems to be a sweet spot and will pop the cones up. I had 2 pop out and one come up hgh enough that I could then unscrew it off the stud. Try hitting it right on those numbers with a couple hard hits and see what happend. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

 

[TruckNutzDude]

Soak the cone's in pb blaster for a couple hours or more. Tap a screw driver into the slots to open the cones up a little and pour more pb blaster inside. Let it sit for a few more hours and start hitting it with a hammer on the numbers, as said, hit up a few times, and down a fiew times, do not hit in one direction only! If this doesn't work heat everything up since the heat will break up any rist and the expanding and shrinking of the various parts will break any bond (hopefully) allowing you to use the BFH to losten up the cones. It's not a fun job, but after doing about 5 of these with great success it's ;ess frustrating for me. Good luck /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[85mudblazin]

Isnt he just trying to remove the tapered sleeves and not the steering arm??
/forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gifThat said I would just soak it in some penetrating oil and then try and TAP them out with a hammer. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

 

[Hossbaby50]

He is installing a raised steering arm that you use with lift kits to correct the draglink angle after the lift. Or at least that is what I gather from his post.

Harley

 

[85mudblazin]

yea I know I just thought he ment he had the steering arm off and the tapered sleeves were stuck in the arm and he needs them to use on his raised steering arm correct??

 

[supersize75k5]

another page on steering removal /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif


this one has some hints, tips, and tricks /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif

 

[ugly_blazer]

You have to hit the arm itself, this will break the cones loose. I never have used heat as it could screw up your ball joint boot. I have taken many of them off and have found a system that never requires more than about 5 or 6 hits, but I will never reveal my secret... nobody ever listens anyway.

 

[berg76]

Ive taken about 4 off in the past year and all ive needed was a 3lb hammer, flat screwdriver and a punch. I usually take several hits with the BFH then take the punch and hit directly down on the cone washer once maybe twice. Use the screwdriver to wedge in the opening of the washer to spin it around the stud like your unscrewing it. It will test your patients but Ive never spent more than 20 minutes from start to finish. I need to make a video the next time i do it! Rust hasnt got anything to do with it. Ive got plenty of that to show! /forums/images/graemlins/shame.gif

 

[cdh]

I removed mine last night with a BFH and a couple of hits right on the numbers as described above, worked great.

 

[dlaw36]

I used a BFH with a torch. Pounded and heated for 30 minutes and finally came off. Burnt up my upper ball joint though. I needed to replace that anyway!