Friday, August 26, 2016

RATS! Gotta Make ANOTHER Tool Run

Doggone it.....my tie rod end puller wasn't big enough to get the steering arm loose from the ball joint stud, so I ran out to O'Reilly's to get their "Pitman Arm" puller.

You guessed it......it's not big enough to slip over the steering arm and center on the ball joint stud.

So, as much as I HATE going to AutoZone, I'll stop there Saturday on my way home from the Iowa.

6 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Yeah, BUT....I'm the kind of guy that prefers to buy the tool because if I needed it once, I might need it again.

      Delete
  2. Let me save you some money hopefully.
    This is a trick I learned when doing front end work at the dealership.


    Loosen the nut on the tie rod.
    Use a good sized hammer for this, a small sledge or large Ball peen works best.
    Smack the meaty part of the steering connector arm on the side right where the tie rod goes through it, hard.
    Done right, the tie rod will drop right out of the hole.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have a tie rod end puller. It worked perfectly (easier than I expected) on the outer tie rod.

      The Celica/Supra has a separate piece called a "Steering Arm" that bolts to the bottom of the strut. This part has the tapered hole that the ball joint stud goes through, and the usual castellated nut and cotter pin.

      You can see it in the second photo from when I started work, and it's this part that I need the pulled for.

      Delete
  3. Sometimes you just can't win... sigh

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. At this point I'd be happy to break even.....

      Delete

Keep it civil, please....

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