Idler arm, pitman arm, tie rod ends: Should I tackle these myself?

[OCMike]

I got an estimate to replace the pitman arm, idler arm and inner & outer tie rod ends today. Parts & labor is $900. Is this something I could do myself? Any special tools I'd need? It looks like I may need a SST? Guessing that's some kind of special tool. I did a quick pricing lookup over on Rock Auto and parts come out to about $225 vs $480 from the shop.

Also, I don't have a lot of mechanic skills yet, but want to start doing some work. Getting tired of spending all that money on labor and over priced parts.

 

[fourwd1]

For TRE's and pitman arm you need a few tools the average person doesn't have.
Different size "pickle forks" for TRE's , BJ's etc are fairly inexpensive, while the tool set used for u-joints, pitman arms and stuff is a bit more $. Sometimes you can improvise, but having the correct stuff makes it a lot easier.

 

[azshtr]

Those are not hard to do. You might need a puller for the tie rod ends but a BFH works as well. A torque wrench would be the main added item I would think.

 

[KidVermicious]

You can borrow pitman arm pullers from most auto parts stores. Don't bother with the pickle fork, those things are near useless.

You can do it yourself, and it's not technically difficult at all. Just give yourself a day, invite a friend over for company, and be ready to wrestle with rusted and stubborn bolts. Soak everything liberally with penetrating oil several times in the days before you start.

When I last did my TRE's, I didn't even bother trying to remove the TRE's from the adjuster sleeves, I just ordered new sleeves. That made the job much easier.

 

[ozzyleven]

I'd do it yourself. It's not really hard just frustrating tryin to deal with old parts/rust. Agreed that pickle forks are pretty worthless. As a warning those pitman pullers can suck too if its being stuborn. I broke three napa brand ones (thanks lifetime warranty!) before I got pissed and cut it off with an angle grinder. The only other special tool I really needed was a good rubberized dead blow hammer. That seemed to be invaluable while doing the front end.

 

[OCMike]

Thanks for all the tips. Now, do I need to use jack stands if I do this. I don't have a grinder, but I do have a bfg and penetrating spray. I'm going to run over to O'Rielly's to make sure I get all the correct part numbers then check the prices on Rock Auto to see who's cheaper.

 

[KidVermicious]

Absolutely get jackstands, you're going to be reefing and pounding and you really don't want your rig to fall off the jack.

Once you know your part numbers, check Amazon too. I don't trust their parts lookup, but they're frequently cheaper than Rockauto. Either is going to be cheaper than a chain parts store. Get your idler from Autozone, though, and check out the beefy idler bushings from SDORI, that's a good upgrade if you wheel or are running oversize tires.

The 4 pound persuader and/or stud puller should be all you need to unseat the TREs. Just remember to reverse the castle nut and thread it back on if you choose to whale on it with a hammer, that way you protect the threads and can save the old TRE for a trail spare.

 

[ozzyleven]

I like the tip about the castle nuts. Never thought of that. Honestly I just beat the crap out of everything. Now that I think about it, I'm probably lucky I didn't destroy some threads.

 

[priestsallore]

as these guys said, its better to save your money, as a buddy of mine did all of my steering & ball joints for 150-200, so 900 is the biggest rip ever. You can do it yourself, oreillys rents all the tools you need, just obtain a good lift. also, make sure you reallign the steering stabilizer, as it can clunk onto your frane & limit turninh capability on one or both sides.

 

[goatfarmer]

I have basic mechanical skills and as a first time 'do it myselfer', 90 t4r, just completed the project and found it was not that difficult; fortunately I had the pullers and the large hub nut socket and purchased a set of metric sockets and wrenches. Not sure if the large hub socket is necessary, removing the nub nut probly would not be a problem, large set of pliers would work but when it comes to reassemble the bearings need to be preloaded, on my 90 the bearing preload was 48 ft lbs, and then back off and tighten to 18 ft. lbs. Perhaps more knowledgeable member can advise? Since front end was disassemble decided to do the front brakes, and suspension. Saved approx. $500 in labor and Wow!! what an improvement, she's as tight as the day I drove her off the show room floor, hopefully, the T4r will give me another 200k.

 

[priestsallore]

definately will bud. Congrats.

 

[OCMike]

Sounds like this is very achievable. I just have to make sure I have all the required parts before I start. It's a 4 mile bike ride to the auto store if I forget anything. Plus, I can't fit my 4runner all the way in our tiny garage yet. Hate having to leave it open in our apartment complex, even though it's pretty safe around here.