[1965 Pontiac Parisienne]

Hi Pontiac enthusiasts
Im just trying to replace the pitman arm shaft seals .from my 65 Bonneville.. I removed the steering gear box, pitman arm and the Clip that holds the seals and metal ring in place .. but how can I remove the metal ring and seals ?

I saw a video with an steering gear box in gar and engine running the seal and all pressed out by pressure .. that s not the way I can do it now ..
and I don’t like to open the gear box ..

Can I work with air pressure in the steering gear box pressure hose ? Does the air pressure presses the seals out too?

Thx a lot Bjoern

[mgarblik]

The easiest way is to blow them out like the video most likely showed you. They can be very tight in the housing. Using hydraulic power steering pressure directs about 1350 PSI to the seals after the snap ring is removed. Now that you have it off the car, IMO, you need to open the box. It's very simple, and nothing to hurt in the process. All you need to do is center the pitman shaft by counting the turns lock to lock and centering the shaft. Remove the 4 bolts on the top cover and pull straight up on the cover and pitman shaft. They will come out together. Even the rubber O-ring seal can generally be reused. Then after removing the snap rings, drive the seals and spacers out with a punch from the inside. They will be quite tight and you need to be careful not to strike the needle bearing in the housing. But it's not a big deal. I don't think your going to remove them from the outside without gouging the pitman shaft or housing.
About an hour start to finish.

[1965 Pontiac Parisienne]

Thx for this info .. so if I count the turns and center the steering..loosen the 4 bolts I can pull the pitman arm .. sounds not like a big thing ..
any more seals needed ? No seal between the 4 bolt housing and gear box?
I can nothing adjust wrong after removing the pitman arm in this way ?
Thx a lot for your help !

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by 1965 Pontiac Parisienne

Thx for this info .. so if I count the turns and center the steering..loosen the 4 bolts I can pull the pitman arm .. sounds not like a big thing ..
any more seals needed ? No seal between the 4 bolt housing and gear box?
I can nothing adjust wrong after removing the pitman arm in this way ?
Thx a lot for your help !

There is a seal under the 4 bolt cover. I have seen 2 designs. one design has a groove in the housing the odd shaped rubber O-ring sits in. The more popular design has the odd shaped O-ring bonded to a sheet metal shim. In either case, they are almost always re-usable. You could use some sealer sparingly if needed. The seal is probably available as well. No other seals would be encountered. As far as adjustments, the only one you don't want to mess with is the sector lash adjustment. It's not necessary to mess with this to replace the seals you are going after. This adjustment screw is in the pitman shaft on top and has an allen screw in it. It is locked to the top cover with a nut. If you center the shaft like I mentioned, the cover and the shaft will lift out as a unit and the nut and adjuster screw will not be disturbed. I think you will find the repair pretty straightforward. Getting the shaft seals driven out may take some effort. They can be pretty tight in there. When putting the new seals in, use lots of low melting point grease like Vasoline or transmission rebuild gel. Good luck with it.

[1965 Pontiac Parisienne]

Thx for all this very helpful input!
I was very careful working at the steering gear box .. and I don’t like to open it. So I spent some time to get the pitman arm washers (not easy) to remove and the both seals, too.
Finally I used a screw ..screwed carefully a few turns in the old seals and pulled the seals easy out the shaft area ..

The steering wheel input shaft seal was easy to swap ..

But yes I think you’re right .. if the 4 shaft bolts are removed and that is complete pulled it’s for sure more easy to swap ..
but the way I one it will work too ..perhaps three times longer

[1965 Pontiac Parisienne]

..and finally the steering wheel input shard seal with washer..

[mgarblik]

Using drywall screws or sheet metal screws to pull that way is a good way to remove many seals. I have not had good luck on pitman shaft seals pulling that way. I am glad you got yours out. The ones I have tried to pull with screws, either the screw pulls through the seal and I have even broken a screw or two trying to pull them, the seals are so tight. Glad you got it done without too much trouble.

[Jonsie]

Nice job, Bjoern !