Replacing Pitman Arm & Tie Rods

My broke college buddy has a 1999 Jeep Cherokee XJ. It has a 9" lift kit with new 35" tires. After he replaced the tires he went for a front end alignment and was told that the tie rods were bad and that they couldn't align it until they were replaced. Tonight we ordered a heavy duty tie rod kit and a Pitman Arm from Quadratec. Neither of us are mechanics but looking at it it seems like a simple job. Just unbolt the existing and replace with the new parts ? Am I missing something ? Do we need any special tools ? A garage quoted a price of $200 for the labor. I would appreciate any information. Parts should be here in 3 days. Thanks.
 

bob91yj

Resident **************
Tie rod ends are a taper fit in the knuckles. A tool called a "pickle fork" will help you get them separated. (do not bang on the bottom of the TRE with a hammer, you will mushroom the end and create a whole new problem) When taking the old ends off, count the turns, install the new ones to the same position.

I'd love to see some pics of the steering linkage/track bar on an XJ that will accommodate 9" of lift.
 

mudbutt

Explorer
50/50 on the pitman arm. It is a tapered spline. If it has been on there for any amount of time, it is most likely stuck on there pretty good.

You will need a 1-5/16 socket to get the nut off. That's the easy part.

I had to replace the steering box on mine. I tried everything. Penetrating oil, heat, 2 different pullers (1 of which I broke), impact guns, sledge hammer...

Finally I pulled the box and took it to work. Put on our 50 ton press. It took almost 10 tons to get the arm off.

If you are going to need heat, be very very careful. There is a seal just above the pitman arm and can be easily destroyed resulting in a leak.

$200 sounds like a fair deal. If you have the means and trust them, I would gladly have paid somebody else to do it.
 
Last edited:

bob91yj

Resident **************
I missed the Pitman arm, you'll need a gear puller for that. I've had to cut a Pitman arm off in the past. If you're going to do it yourself, I'd start spraying everything down with penetrating oil on a daily basis until you actually do the work.
 

madmax718

Explorer
Could be worse. But do you need to pull the full pitman?

Tie rod ends are a pain in the butt. Giant vise grips, a torch, penetrating oil.(not wd40 please, though it does work for a lot of things).

I use a bottle of MAAP gas. The hotter the torch the better. You don't want to heat the whole area, just the thread/nut area. Propane isn't quite hot enough, and will just heat up the whole section of metal before you get the area you want hot enough. Heat, quench (with oil) heat again, Quench. Gotta break that rust up.

Seperating it is another matter. I use a pickle fork on an air hammer. Been good to me, haven't found one that doesnt come off.

Now, if it uses those cone washers on the pitman, that !@#! is crazy. Between heat and dumb luck honestly.
 
I'm thinking that I'll give him the money to get the thing repaired. The last thing I need now is to have it stuck in my driveway. I just sold my house and I'll be back on the road shortly. Regarding the pictures, I'll get some in the next few days and post them. Thanks for the help.
 

jeep-N-montero

Expedition Leader
When I replaced my last gearbox I swapped the pitman arm in under 15 minutes using the right rental tool from Autozone and was my first time ever changing one, nothing to it. And steering linkage is easy as well, about a 30 minute job. I'm curious to know which steering "upgrade" he bought and about this "9 inch lift"?
 
What do you mean "which steering upgrade" ? I reread my post and didn't see where I mentioned a "steering upgrade". What do you want to know about "this 9 inch lift kit" ?
 

jeep-N-montero

Expedition Leader
What do you mean "which steering upgrade" ? I reread my post and didn't see where I mentioned a "steering upgrade". What do you want to know about "this 9 inch lift kit" ?

Heavy duty tie rods are a steering upgrade, I'm just curious what they sold him when he could have easily gone down to the salvage yard and grabbed the steering linkage off a v8 Grand Cherokee for much less money, it's a common and cheap upgrade for the TJ and XJ. And most of us kind of giggle when folks bring up lifts over 6 inches, so I was inquiring what his lift consists of.
 
Well I really don't know about all that stuff. My Jeep Wrangler has a 4" lift but he bought his with a 9" lift. I'll try and get some pictures when the storm passes and I see him again. I know that we never really thought about going to a salvage yard to get the parts. I posted a link to the parts we bought. He found a guy that he goes off roading with that will replace the tie rods for $50. I told him to go for it.

http://www.quadratec.com/products/56118_0200.htm

http://www.quadratec.com/products/16301_4490.htm
 

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