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I have been attempting to remove the castle nut (M20 1.5) that holds the drop arm to the steering shaft. It just won't budge.

Yes, I removed the split pin.

Is it prudent to heat this nut with a torch to facilitate its removal, or will the heat cause damage to the bushing at the base of the shaft?

Also, I am under the assumption that this shaft/nut has conventional threads, not reverse.. Right?

I've pulled mine a couple of times without any drama - pretty sure its conventional thread. I would be concerned about heat as I am pretty sure there is a seal right behind it...

I think I have my old box sitting out still in my shop and can verify the thread direction when I get over there at lunch time.

Should be relatively easy to get a new Castle nut, so you could always do a "nut splitting" job on it either with an angle grinder, hammer and chisel or with a commercial nut splitter.

Biggest obstacle to using heat would be clutch cable, brake line being so close. Might actually be a good idea as you could have a suitable puller ready to take the pitman arm off a soon as you have the nut off.

John

I just took mine off on Weds
Threads normal - came off easy but this was 2nd time - 1st time I just used a pitman arm puller - only took a couple of cranks and it fell off

Yeah, the puller won't be the problem, but the castle nut is trouble. I usually just torch them up to expand them (thereby breaking the corrosion and grumpy threads) but I'm worried that the heat on the shaft will smoke the seal just past the bulkhead.

Mike, just went outside and verified 100% it is normal thread by testing mine.
Good luck with it!
Can you get a punch onto some of the 'teeth' and give it a few good whacks?
May help loosen it up
Dan

Putting a punch on castle nut "teeth" is not a good idea - likely to either bend / break or cause it to tighten up on the thread by cross threading the bent "tooth".

If you have access to a commercial impact drive (electric or pneumatic) you could probably get it undone with one of those with out issue. There are hand driven versions which require a wallop with a club hammer which might also do the trick.

John

I have mine off a few times without any real issue - I would be using a standard socket (not 12 point) and using a big breaker bar - moderate heat should not hurt but nothing real hot.

But all this should not be needed.

Garry

Nothing beats a good air impact wrench for getting off the Pitman Arm nuts.

Then again once you get the nut off there is no guarantee you'll be able to budge the arm.
Pitman arms are one of those things....sometimes they virtually fall off and others are almost impossible to shift.
I usually put a heavy duty gear puller on them, spray with RP7 etc, then give the surrounding areas of the pitman arm a number of good whacks with a brass/copper hammer.
.....if that fails I tighten the puller as tight as I can, then go in for a cuppa or dinner and "usually" when I get back the pitman arm is off.

Profpinz wrote:Then again once you get the nut off there is no guarantee you'll be able to budge the arm.

Not just a professor, you are also a psychic.

Nut came off after a 48 hr PB bath, and 30 inches of leverage on the breaker.

The arm, however, is still hanging in there, despite a tight pitman arm puller and repeated periodic beatings.

It's sitting, puller mounted and cranked down, dripping in penetrant.

I'm waiting for a clang/clunk sound to come from my garage.

I'm waiting for a clang/clunk sound to come from my garage.

It will go, eventually....trust me!
Every time you pass by the vehicle, see if you can tighten the puller just that little bit more, then all of a sudden (at some stage).............there will be a BANG!

Profpinz wrote:.......there will be a BANG!

Maybe if everyone sends good vibes through their computers/devices, all the positive energy will bust it loose.

Or, I'll use that big a$$ breaker bar on the end of the puller bolt.

Whatever works.

Just remember you really have to "load up" that puller bolt......tight as you can get it!

As Peter said but I would add a bit of heat - where it is is not going to damage any steering box seals - screw that shaft as tight as you can - heat - screw - heat - screw - bang - cool - cool - cool

garry

Mike,
You might want to check the availability of a new seal before you start adding heat. Good time to change it anyway. Shouldn't be too difficult to get. 35/25/7
Then you can put the heat to it.
Cheers,
Sandy