How to change the pitman arm on a Crown Vic or Grand Marquis
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ส.ค. 2021
- These cars are more popular than a Janet Jackson Super Bowl video. They will run for seemingly forever. Like anything else, sooner or later, you will have to fix on her. The pitman arm on this pretty lady was about to come apart so it was time to replace it. In this video you will see why and how I replaced it. For all of you do it your selfers, this video should make it an easy fix. You do not need the pitman arm tool in the video but you will need some form of two finger puller. You should be able to rent one at your local auto parts store. Keep the shiny side up...
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Thanks dude! I have a 97 crown and you just saved me a couple hundred bucks maybe. I have all the tools and found the part for super cheap. I’ll be doing this job this weekend for sure! Thanks for the straight to the Point video 😎
You are welcome. Gotta love TH-cam
Service Manual states 220 lb/ft on the big nut and 56 lb/ft on the ball joint nut. The factory tool ID is 211-003. Great Video !
Great information thanks
Good video this was a big help I’m gonna work on my 01 town car this weekend thanks for uploading your content it’s gonna come in handy 🙏🏼
Glad I could help
Thanks very educational and easy to understand and follow
Glad it was helpful!
Great help thanks buddy
That pitman is no joke😲👍💪!
Nice job 👍
Thank you
My pitman arm is only 200miles old and it is creaking already. Thanks for the video. Now I know for sure it's the arm because this one did it too
Did you get the one with the grease fitting? Try greasing it and the squeak should go away.
@@essigspeed unfortunately no, it's a bargain brand arm. I think its defective honestly. They forgot to put grease in it or something. I have a replacement ready to go though
Sometimes is best to spend the extra money on a better-quality part. I put two $80.00 lifetime warranty power steering pumps in my truck before finally biting the bullet on an $800.00 replacement. Changing one in a hotel parking lot in the rain 600-miles from home only to need another one in 9-months was the clincher. 5-years later she is still working well.
Good video but I don't understand why you & other DIYers don't use PB Blaster or some other rust disolver! Makes a job so much easier!
Nice car,
Thank you but it is not mine, it belongs to a friend. I am trying to buy it, but so far, it's a no go. My plan is to use it for some more videos and then give it away. Keep watching, and maybe someday it could be yours.
I usually wire brush the threads and splines followed by brake clean. Then anti seize the splines and the threads where the cotter pin holds it in as well as where the flat surfaces can rust together and the tapered area. I have had a car that I put enough miles on it to need replace, pops off a lot easier. Downside to anti seize is turning into the Tin Man by just opening the bottle.
Good advice. Tin man is a good way to put it.
Have not used a pickle fork for a long time, try a hammer to the side of the joint. If you put on the pitman wrong your turn signals won't work because your steering wheel will be crooked.
Very true but I only prefer hitting it on the side to preserve the grease boot. If I am not reusing the boot, I prefer the fork. I do not want to ding up or damage the parts I am reusing. Marking the box and the old pitman with a sharpie and then transferring the mark onto the new arm should keep the wheel straight. Occasionally you will run into an aftermarket arm that doesn't match up quite right and will cock the steering wheel. In this case an alignment should fix it.
Perfect Video!! BUT... HOW DO YOU GET Steering wheel balanced when Installing new pit arm??????
There are 2 slots in the shaft that match up with the Pitman arm. If you turn the steering wheel while you're doing the job you might get it 180º out so don't allow the wheel/shaft to turn.
Thanks for this. Did you have the car on jack stands?
You are welcome. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe it was on ramp stands. That way the wheels don't move when you start banging on stuff.
Can you list your tools and parts?, I'm hearing impaired and could use the help. Undetstanding the tool sizes and parts.. Thank you.
Hi, Jay, I will try to remember but I fear I may accidently mislead you trying to rely on my memory. The car belongs to a customer, so I will not have access to it until it breaks again. I know for a fact the tool I used to pull it off is called a pitman arm puller. Profound right? A regular two arm puller should also do the trick. The big nut I believe was a 15/16 and the smaller ones I think were either 3/4 or 17mm. The tool I used for the cotter pins is called a side cutter and the fork looking thing used for separating the joint, I am sure has a proper name, but I call it a pickle fork. Maybe it's called a ball joint/tie rod separator thingamabob? Hope this helps...
Your pitman arm puller actually fit on there. Mine doesn't. It's a USA made KD Tools version. I had this problem 4 years ago with my Lincoln Town Car. A mechanic who I've known a long time came over and he was somehow able to get the tool on there. I'm trying it now on a 2002 Ford Crown Victoria.
My puller is probably 20-years old and sometimes the old stuff is just better. The Crown Vic is the identical twin to this Mercury so you shouldn't have any trouble
@@essigspeed We eventually got it to work by putting it on as far as it'd go and then hammering it into place. The space between the steering gearbox and the pitman arm was slightly too small.
Sounds like old school mechanics to me. If it doesn't fit, force it, if it breaks, it needed replacing anyway. If that doesn't work, get a bigger hammer. LOL!
Dude hit it with a drill fk the ratchet 😂
Do you have to lift the car to do this or on the ground is fine ?
I suppose if you are skinny enough you may be able shimmy under the car without jacking it up, but it will leave you very little room to work.
So you prefer I just jack it up on stands ?
Im on day 2 of trying to get that bad mamma jamma off of my 95 town car. I was beginning to feel pretty damn defeated. Your video and the way you explain everything really brought my hope back. Sure appreciate ya!
You are quite welcome. Dont be afraid to smack that thing with a hammer to shock it loose. They can be very stubborn. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. I will do my best to help you.
BTW, love the DIY or Die motto
@@essigspeedthanks! I'm still trying to get this damn arm off,This one is definitely making its way up the to top three most aggravating repairs. I'm definitely applying the advice to hit it. No better therapy lol.
I've been working on my own car for about a year now. It's super rewarding but oh my gosh, I have a newfound respect for anyone under the hood.
P.s. I love the way you included your daughter in how to repair videos.
You have a great way of educating and making it not seem so impossible. Thank you!
Hammer shock therapy... I like it! Nothing is impossible as long as determination is at hand. She/he who succeeds, never quits. He/she who quits, never succeeds. I admire your gumption...Hit it again!
Unfortunately, my daughter now has a job, discovered boys, and has her drivers license, so Garage time with Dad is almost nonexistent. I may have to buy a broken Porsche Boxter or 1993 RX-7 to get her interested again. However, the way she keeps bouncing her Caddy off of cars in parking lots, those days are a little way off. Arghhh!
Same procedure for the passenger side?
Yes and no. The passenger side is not splined like the driver's side. The ball joint/pivot attachment is the same, but it will bolt to the frame, not to the bottom of a steering box. I believe it is called an idler arm as opposed to pitman arm. Please subscribe if this helps.
@@essigspeed I sure will man thank you, another question for you: if the ball joint boot is blown and possibly worn out on that idler arm, would it cause an occasional clunk when turning ?
It can, but so can ball joints and tie rods. The best thing to do is have someone turn the steering while you look/listen for the clunk. Try to do it without jacking up the car so it's at ride height and load.
Did you have to jack the car up !?
I used ramp stands. That way the wheels didn't move during the surgery.
forgot the washer under the castle nut -- looks like.
Great observation Andrew but if you look closely, you will notice that the original nut was a crush nut with a built -in washer and the new one was a castle nut and carter pin that did not require a washer. Keep watching my other videos and see if you can catch some of my real boo boos. I promise, there are quite a few. Rest assured though, I almost always catch them and fix it off camera. Hey, pobodies nerfect.
My steering wheel is cocked to the right after I installed new pitman arm.
You may have been off a little during the install. There are several flats/double teeth on the pitman arm that you have to line up and it is possible that you set it on the wrong one. The easiest way to fix it is to get the front end aligned. The shop will adjust the tie rods to set her straight again. It is always best to align it after any front end work anyway. I had the same problem on my Corvette and it was because the new rag joint I installed was set at a different degree than the original. Sometimes the new part is off a little and no matter how good the install it will put things out of whack. Again, an alignment will fix it. Otherwise you will have to set the wheels straight, pull the pitman back off, reset the steering wheel and see if you can get them to line up. If they do not, it is the new part. If they do, put her in. You should still get an alignment though.