Jeep Wrangler Forum banner

Help needed on pitman arm nut

10K views 19 replies 11 participants last post by  Laggy 
#1 ·
Ok so my steering gearbox is leaking very bad out of the top where the steering shaft couples with the gearbox so I have a open replacement ordered along with a new pitman arm but the new gear box didn't come with the nut. If someone could get me a part number or the size and thread pitch I could get one from a Fastenal type store.
 
#2 ·
Call up a dealership and they can give you the part number for just the nut. I tried looking it up on wermopar.com but it wouldn't give the part number. Gave everything else but that nut.
 
#4 ·
From one of my posts where someone could not get the nut off. Took me a few days to locate and verify the info, (chuckles) still working on a wrecked CJ7 :)

It is possible that the nut has been threaded past the threads and onto the shaft itself (shudders).

Make sure to lock/block the pitman arm against the frame with something. And put cardboard or something under the steering gear incase the seals start leaking.

Worse comes to worse, cut the nut off. 7/8-14 is the jam nut size, socket can be either 33mm or 1-5/16in. I ordered my replacement from Fastenals as the stealers said it now only comes with gear box

I am not sure what other vehicles would use the same size nut. I do know it is the same for a 82 CJ7 and TJs upto 2002.

edited
Included the thread count/size cause it took me awhile before I located the info by revising the words and lots of reading!!!
 
#6 ·
I had to use a Dremel tool with a small cut off wheel and take very careful cuts around the nut and I took a flat bladed screwdriver and it came right out.
Before this I used heat and every kind of lube I could find along with a 1" drive socket wrench with a cheater bar with no luck.

Good luck
 
#7 ·
When I replaced a nasty worn out suspension on mine, I sprayed the nut for days with Kroil. I then used a 2 foot cheater bar on a 2 foot breaker bar. It was still "welded" on. I then got out my big ball peen hammers and me and a buddy played a song on both sides of the nut. couple minutes of that and it popped right off. This also helped when it came time to removing the drop pitman arm. Ball peens are a wonderful thing ;)
 
#8 ·
I am wondering why order a new pitman? Relief cut that nut and cold chisel it off and reuse the pitman.

FWIW, all the gearboxes I have ever replaced came with the nut/washer on them.

You could always hit a junk yard...might get lucky!
 
#10 ·
It's only gonna be one thread pitch, one for metric or one for SAE. 32mm fits it which means 1 5/16. If you by chance find that locally, not at a dealership, it would be amazing.
 
#14 ·
What some don't understand about the one of the biggest benefits of an impact wrench is that it can spin a nut off so fast that it overcomes the inertia of what the nut is on. Like I can use a 3' (heck even a 6') breaker bar on the nut that holds the alternator pulley on but struggle getting it off. Holding the pulley firmly enough to get the nut off is extremely difficult. But the speed and sudden application of instant torque from a good impact wrench can spin that nut off with zero drama. It's like, really? That easy?

It's easy to duplicate the torque of a big impact wrench with long breaker bars. But you just can't replicate the impact wrench's speed and ability to spin a nut off where using a breaker bar and related desperate shenanigans could actually damage the assembly the nut is on.
 
#18 ·
But the speed and sudden application of instant torque from a good impact wrench can spin that nut off with zero drama.
"Zero drama". Well said.

Don't forget about the hammering action of an impact. For every 1/2 turn you get a hammer. Which is the analog of hitting the nut with a ball peen while you're turning.

I like to give the example of a motorcycle front sprocket nut. 90ft-lbs. Notoriously ignored due to chains being ignored. Anyway, with a breaker bar, you need someone on the bike, holding the brakes, blah blah.
OR
With an impact, you can hold impact on nut with left hand, hold the rear tire with right, and it comes off wonderfully.

Indispensable.
 
#16 ·
Thanks everybody I will be picking up the impact driver tomorrow. But I have already returned the core with my original nut and arm. I am wondering one more thing about the nut and that is what grade it should be. I am guessing grade 8 but if someone knows for sure the knowledge would be appreciated.
 
#17 ·
Hard to tell. You're talking about thread deformation and breaking vs deforming. Again, as with the thread pitch, there's probably only one offering in car/small truck automotive applications.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top