Tips Putting Pitman Arm Back On

[darkenfire]

So I can't get my pitman arm flush with my new (to me) steering box. 

 

It won't hammer flush,and when putting the nut on to try and tighten it and force it up, I got the nut so tight it won't budge with a long pipe on my wrench and the pitman arm is still a ways away from being up where it should.  I had to use a puller to get the arm off the old box ... are they tapered or something?  Why can't I get it flush?!

 

.... anyone have any tips?

[jimoshel]

Did you align the grooves? There is  grove on the arm and shaft ti insure it will only go on in one position.

[darkenfire]

Did you align the grooves? There is  grove on the arm and shaft ti insure it will only go on in one position.

Yeah, they're lined up. So no one else has had problems with these? You guys' have just gone on real easy?

[Eagle]

What makes you think the pitman arm is supposed to be flush to the steering box? I've never seen one that was.

[comanche1989]

I would boil the pitman arm to expand the metal, kind of like a harmonic balancer.

[johnnyc]

Like Eagle said, the pitman arm doesn't sit flush to the box. There is a bit of a gap where you can see some exposed splines. That's normal.

[darkenfire]

Maybe flush was a bad word to use, but I'm sure it should be up higher than this.

[jimoshel]

I see nothing wrong with that. Looks OK to me. I believe as long as none of the threads on the nut are exposed you're good.

[Biotex]

Isn't there a rubber boot that covers that up? Just like ball joints have?

[HOrnbrod]

Isn't there a rubber boot that covers that up? Just like ball joints have?

 

No boot came on the steering gear end of the Pitman arm from the factory.

[Eagle]

The ZJ box I got from a junkyard has a rubber collar (I wouldn't call it a boot) that fills that gap and covers the exposed splines. I've never seen that before -- none of my XJs or MJs has it.