1991 XE Center link wont fit on pitman arm

[pizuski]

Awesome site btw,

So i bought an ebay kit ( inner & outer tie rods, idler arm, CL, ball joints..)

It was really hard to get the older center link off the pitman arm, broke 2 removal tools, finally got it with a pickle fork and a sledge hanmmer, and now the new CL bolt wont go all the way into the pitman arm. But it fits all the on the idler arm no problem. Any tips? Ive read on here theres 2 different types of CL for the 90's era. I cant tell who has the correct part, and im pulling my hair out over this nonsense.

[Slartibartfast]

 

Yep, sounds like you've got the wrong one. For some reason Nissan increased the pitman arm and tie rod end tapers in mid '92. The split is July of '92 according to the parts lookup at nissanpartsdeal.com. They show the 48560-31G26 centerlink for 7/'90-7/'92, and 48560-61G25 for 7/92+. I ran into this myself when I bought a knuckle assembly off a '92, got it half-installed on my '93, and then discovered that the tie rod end didn't fit in the taper.

 

You could pick up the later pitman arm from a part-out or a wrecker, but you would still have the wrong outer tie rod ends. Hopefully that part number helps you track down the right centerlink. Rockauto's parts catalog is usually pretty good about year splits, but I would check that they don't list the same link for a '95, or see if I could find the aftermarket PN associated with the Nissan PN somewhere else.

 

If your truck is lifted, and/or you wheel it hard, look into other options. The stock centerlink design does not handle abuse well. I replaced mine with the Grassroots link, though I've had some trouble with the bolts on that backing off. The increased drag from the Grassroots does help to mask the play in the worn-out reman trash that is my steering box, though.

 

While you're in there, do your strut rod bushings. If they're original, they're most likely wallered all to hell inside, even if the bushings themselves still look okay. The bushing cups tend to break off the frame. I welded bearing cups to the frame when I did mine. 

[pizuski]

Thank you. Im 100% stock no lift, i just wanted to replace the steering parts, and its become a nightmare. 

I bought junkyard pitman arm, it will fit the CL now. then i noticed a crack in the tie rod section of the  new CL. I believe its the moog brand, the weird part is, my tie rods fit in my knuckles no problem. Only the pitman wouldnt fit. So now im going to buy the CL again for a 93 just to stay cononical....

 

 

[Slartibartfast]

That is weird. Hard to know what's been swapped already and what hasn't at this point. I considered installing one older-style tie rod end just to get that knuckle onto mine, but decided having one mismatched tie rod end would come back to bite me at some point. 

 

Good thing you noticed the crack! That's not good. Hopefully the new one fits up with no drama.

[pizuski]

So im just going to swap everything to a 95 setup. Ive got the gearbox with the pitman from 95, and im going to get the PS pump and lines for the same year. 

Then everything will be a little cheaper to repair in the future. Easier to find. 

Thanks again for the help.

 

[RustFlames]

I’ve always wondered if someone has ever tried putting a heim joint on that twisty dog bone, then out of plane twisting, bump steer damage is kept to a minimum, as long as it doesn’t cause any clearance issues Im going to attempt to build one this year. The shipping for a grassroots is as much as the part. those ball joints were pressed in, I was surprised to see some sort of teflon coating inside where it seats,




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[Slartibartfast]

Where are you thinking you'd put the heim joints? Or are you basically building your own Grassroots?

[adamzan]

I wonder if you could simply get a spherical bearing like the grassroots uses and press it into that CL.

[Slartibartfast]

This thread says the Grassroots bearings (for the first-gen D22, I assume the WD21 got the same ones?) are #63195K18 from McMaster-Carr. They're larger diameter than the factory joint pocket, and the GR uses two per side (stacked to turn a pillow block into a rigid swivel). I doubt much will fit in the factory pocket that will handle the load better than the factory crap.

 

That said, I wonder what would happen if you stuffed two idler-side joints into a stock centerlink. I'm not even sure where you'd find those on their own, and I assume the result would still be weaker than the Grassroots. But at least it would attach with proper tapers.

[pizuski]

So what ive learned from all this is that an automotive reamer wouldve solved my problem. 

At 1 point i had a moog CL and the brand oriellys caries, and i was seriously considering having the two holes that connect to the pitman and idler arms welded together with a bar, running straight through the gap in the steering damper mount.

To bold maybe?

Stay in my lane?

To be continued...

[Slartibartfast]

If you can find a reamer with the correct taper, then, yeah, I imagine you could just ream the holes out a little.  

 

I don't think welding a bar across the centerlink would do any good. The link itself isn't what bends. 

[adamzan]

Yeah, the link doesn't bend the joint wears out (this is coupled with a worn idler arm usually, keep that in good shape and the CL will last way longer) and starts the whole system twisting.