So I removed my old pitman arm, got a new one and I am trying to drive the new one in. Don't want to mess anything up so I have to ask how much force it should take to drive the new one in?? Seems like a lot!

 

heat the pitman arm up...use a torch and get the ring area good and hot, not just the surface, you want the whole thing to heat..that will expand it just a bit and ease assembly. Then I would use a brass hammer.

 

That's... really bad advice, IMO. No heat should be required to INSTALL a pitman arm, and heat will wreck the seals and boots adjacent.

Clean any rust off of the tapered shaft, and install the nut and lockwasher to torque spec. from the FSM. if it doesn't fit properly something is wrong.

Keep in mind it will NOT fit completely up against the gear housing - - there is an intentional gap that varies according to the adjustment of the sector shaft.

Anything that goes on a tapered shaft is installed using specified nut torque ONLY.

 

Thanks