Mr. Pickles Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 So I have the lift essentially done. I fired her up, got everything up to operating temps, and was pumping the brakes and cycling the steering while checking for leaks and issues. Then the familiar *clunk* and and the steering wheel went slack. The shaft had backed itselt out of the top splines again, and any extra lenght on the shaft retreated back inside so now I'm about 1/4" short. Does anybody know how to get that shaft out so I can hopefully stretch it on a vice or something? My Haynes manual is predictably worthless in this respect. I'll be darned if I'm gonna take the body back down (again) on the driver's side. I spent hours just getting the bumper back on. So, any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 Can you get a **GOOD** pic up on that? It's REALLY hard to tell how to advise on that when you can't see what's being asked about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
statikuz Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 I'm not sure, I think you should be able to disconnect it from the bottom end and lengthen it enough (make sure you can still fit it in after you stretch it out). The top joint on mine fell out when I was lifting the body, so I let the body back down so it would slide in again, and then just wrenched on that nut to hold it in there... lifted it back up and kept bangin' the shaft with a hammer so that middle joint would loosen up and telescope out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pickles Posted February 7, 2005 Author Share Posted February 7, 2005 (edited) Ok, details, details. It looks as though the lower joint should slide on the splines, as they are barely visibly, but it wasn't budging. I tried prying it, and jacking the body with the bolt on the pinch clamp thing removed, but it wouldn't move here. I've dumped some more PB Blaster on it and will give it another try prying. There has to be a way to get that shaft out, they're not going to expect a person to jack the body to remove it. I'm hoping to get it off, then get it on a bench vise or something and try to extend it. I'm at the point where I'm all but done with this lift. I tested the steering before just after the stretch and it seemed fine. I've put most everything back together, including the bumper which was a complete joke. It would be a huge step backward to have to completely take the driver's side back apart, including the bumper, we're talking hours and hours to a full day wasted. As it is, I'm tired, the GF thinks I'm nuts, and the neighbors are about to kill me. Edited February 7, 2005 by Mr. Pickles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pickles Posted February 7, 2005 Author Share Posted February 7, 2005 Here's the shaft held to the angle it needs to go to meet the end of the steering column. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 Your picts are making me dizzy... Are you saying that with the pinch clamp loosened it wont move ? Is the shaft binding it or interfering ? Have you tried levering it out on both sides simultaneously ? Sometimes a spline type fit will dig in if not 'equally pressured'. Maybe loosten the mounting bolts for alignment; hard to believe a slip fit could be so bound up... Straw clutching, but trying to help B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pickles Posted February 7, 2005 Author Share Posted February 7, 2005 There really isn't any way to get at it from the other side without tearing into the engine bay to remove the alternator, etc. And there's not much to pry against in there to gain leverage, other than the steering box with its plastic cover. I appreciate the grasping at straws effort, who knows what will pop up. This truck is suprising me. I had 9 body mounts that came out and went back in with reasonable to little effort, yet the last one was frozen beyond belief to the point that it broke that monster bolt. I think my truck is cursed, as its just random stuff that pops up that is a pain. I'm gonna continue to soak it with PB cause I won't be able to do much this week. I'm ready to have my truck back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 LOL, dont ask me about not havng a truck; thats why I cant just go look right now. Humor me this though; LIGHTLY wedge/lever the spline bit you are trying to move, and at the same time tap the spline or housing with a small hammer, but hard enough to vibrate things. Again, just shooting in the dark, but stupid, carefull things like this have succeeded for me in the past. Wish I had me manual; it's in the truck... GL B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 Ok. Yours looks exactly like mine. My Trailmaster body lift kit came with a longer centershaft to replace the stock shaft with. Apparently it's not all that important to the PA people. The top and bottom parts attached to the steering box and steering column output shouldn't be moved/extended. If you look closely inside the clamp, there's a flat spot machined across the input shaft where the pinch bolt goes. The bolt needs to stay there to prevent the bottom jointed shaft from pulling off the steering box. Like so: The part that needs to be lengthened is the upper shaft, at the joint of the lower shaft in the middle. Like so: The center shaft extends into the bottom jointed shaft. You'll most likely need to remove it completely to get it apart far enough...I know, it's a PITA. I had to put mine in a vise, WD-40 it, then lock a pair of Vise-Grips onto the upper shaft and pound on that with a hammer to get the shaft out of the lower jointed section. The green circle and arrow shows that the upper shaft extends into the lower shaft. The yellow rectangle is around the hole where the retainer bearing is inserted and removed. If you pull the shaft out enough, the little teeny bearing will pop out that hole as it's pulled along with the center shaft. The bearing is near the end of the shaft, so don't go much further than that... Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pickles Posted February 8, 2005 Author Share Posted February 8, 2005 Yeah, I know about the sliding business. Now I've just gotta come up with a way to do it without a bench vise, as I don't have one/don't have anywhere to put one, and don't know anybody that does. Sooo... its either off to Home Depot to find something to ghetto fab this, or buy a vise and invade my parent's garage for a bit. I'm thinking one possiblity could be to use your vice grips approach, and to hold the shaft, drill a hole through a large enough chunk of wood with a large washer or something to keep the shaft from sinking in as I drive it down from below. Who knows... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diesel Boy Posted February 8, 2005 Share Posted February 8, 2005 Im not sure, but i would be thinking of some way to heat it probably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pickles Posted February 8, 2005 Author Share Posted February 8, 2005 (edited) Oh, I did get the shaft out by the way. Amazing what a continual 24 hour soak in PB Blaster and a BFH can accomplish. Edited February 8, 2005 by Mr. Pickles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pickles Posted February 9, 2005 Author Share Posted February 9, 2005 88, thanks for a straight forward approach to the extraction of the shaft with the vice grips and vice solution. To my suprise, my dad recently bought a vice so we did it tonight. 5 min tops, and I had what should be all the extension I'll need to wrap this baby up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Sweeeeeeeeeeet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhatter_xe Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 (edited) Great to see you've almost won the battle! Hey, did you have to heat and bend your t-case shifter? Edited February 10, 2005 by madhatter_xe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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