I used a pipe wrench and a hammer and nothing. I am gonna wait and go to the auto skills center (military garage) next weekend and use their tools. I am just limited on tools right now...

I had to take an angle grinder to the pitman arm on my Pathfinder to get it off...I just cut enough to take a BFH and chisel to it. Not the best way to get the old pitman arm off, but it worked.

MickB

Aye, I did the same for my pitman arm. But you have to get the nut off first. I took a pipe wrench and stuck it good and tight on the nut then put my floor jack handle over it (4ft. of steel) and PULLED!!! It finally came off, but it screamed the whole way. It was the tuffest SOB I've ever dealt with. After the pitman arm was off, it took me maybe an hour to finish the truck, including a driveway alignment. Lots of liquid wrench too.

Just a note to be careful with those steering boxes, my pitman arm nut came off fine but some how in the hours of torturous abuse it took to get the pitman arm off my steering box, the steering box was ruined. Started binding and I dunno what caused it...

But it was actually a good thing as it turned out that steering box was a 92.5+ steering box (don't ask how the hell it got on a 91, I have no idea) so I was screwed regardless. To the rescue came a steering box off of an 89 and all was well.

And calmini {edited out by Admins) for making a big production out of switching out pitman arms for me after I drop $500+ on their steering. I called before I got the 89 box and they wouldn't ship out a new pitman arm until they got the old one back or had me pay for a new pitman arm in the meantime. Good customer service a**holes. And for threading both the tie rod adjusters the same way, lazy, they should make them the same as factory so you can actually re-use your current outer tie rods like their really crappy instructions say you should.

Just wanted to let others know the shortcomings I found with this system, it's not perfect...

Geese. That's why you should go with the L&P Performance replacement centerlinks. The centerlink uses 4 teflon-lined ball-end bearings seated in a machined centerlink-end made from 2 inch thick C1020 bar stock. EACH END of the centerlink is able to take in excess of 30,000 lbs.... it gets bolted up with the included grade-8 5/8" bolts and hardware.... and since it retains the stock tie-rod mounts, it'll bolt right up with your existing tie-rod ends. This centerlink should be considered for all intensive purposes, short of wrecking the truck, impossible to bend or break. And, there is no need to mess with the idler arm or pitman arm... all you have to do is get a 5/8" drill and drill the holes out for the new bolts (both can be drilled while still on the truck). The only thing you need otherwise, in our opinion, is an idler arm brace. Phil has beaten the living crap out of his centerlink with no ill-effects... and he has 32's and 3" lift. No more slop, no more bending, no more twisting, just solid purpose-built steering... all for much cheaper (only a bit more than a new centerlink would cost) and with much greater ease of installation than the Calmini system. www.ifwda.com/l&p.htm Phil will post some pics very soon.

Lee McQuinn
89PathSE
Mechanical Design Engineer, L&P Performance

quote:

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Originally posted by somethingcool:
And calmini [edited out by admins] for making a big production out of switching out pitman arms for me after I drop $500+ on their steering. I called before I got the 89 box and they wouldn't ship out a new pitman arm until they got the old one back or had me pay for a new pitman arm in the meantime. Good customer service a**holes. And for threading both the tie rod adjusters the same way, lazy, they should make them the same as factory so you can actually re-use your current outer tie rods like their really crappy instructions say you should.

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I went to put my pitman arm on and found that it was to small, they had sent me the pitman arm for a older Pathy...I called them up and they overnighted me a new one at no additional charge no questions asked. They also included a return shipping label so I could send them back the wrong one. I had the new one at my door 16 hours later. Excellent customer service in my opinion. As for your outer TREs, you DO use your stock outers. Although I bought new ones just so everything was nice and new, they were stock outer TREs...which BTW are the same for both sides. There is no left or right outer TREs for us. If your TREs don't fit, it may be because you have the wrong ones... kinda like your steering box. Calmini's set up is a excellent set up that was engineered for easy installation and rebuildable with easy to get off the shelf parts. Don't blame them if your truck has the wrong parts, they didn't put them on there.

quote:

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Originally posted by 89PathSE:
Geese. That's why you should go with the L&P Performance replacement centerlinks. The centerlink uses 4 teflon-lined ball-end bearings seated in a machined centerlink-end made from 2 inch thick C1020 bar stock. EACH END of the centerlink is able to take in excess of 30,000 lbs.... it gets bolted up with the included grade-8 5/8" bolts and hardware.... and since it retains the stock tie-rod mounts, it'll bolt right up with your existing tie-rod ends. This centerlink should be considered for all intensive purposes, short of wrecking the truck, impossible to bend or break. And, there is no need to mess with the idler arm or pitman arm... all you have to do is get a 5/8" drill and drill the holes out for the new bolts (both can be drilled while still on the truck). The only thing you need otherwise, in our opinion, is an idler arm brace. Phil has beaten the living crap out of his centerlink with no ill-effects... and he has 32's and 3" lift. No more slop, no more bending, no more twisting, just solid purpose-built steering... all for much cheaper (only a bit more than a new centerlink would cost) and with much greater ease of installation than the Calmini system. http://www.ifwda.com/l&p.htm Phil will post some pics very soon.

Lee McQuinn
89PathSE
Mechanical Design Engineer, L&P Performance

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Am I the only one that finds this kind of post-jacking advertising tacky?

I apologize for being distasteful…. didn’t mean to upset anyone or commit post-jacking… I just thought it was relevant information to share, as this is a forum, you are supposed to share anything and everything. Feel free to delete the post.

Well I'm glad they weren't dicks to you on the phone Thanatoz, but I do know for a fact that pathy (at least the older ones) tie rods are threaded opposite ways on each side, and the calmini adjusters came threaded both the same way, so I had to use one of my inners as an outer. See the many posts on the previous page discussing the threads not being right if you don't believe me.

Somethingcool - No flaming on vendors. Take it up with them directly.

Thanks.

Well. I'm so tired of the wobble in my front end I'm looking at ordering this kit. Anyone in the NW Phoenix/Glendale area have it installed? I would like to see what it looks like in RL. Anyone having any troubles with it now?

A lot of guys over at NOR have had trouble witht he Idler bushings wearing after only a couple trips off road. Mine are OK so far...
I dunno what the full story is there...

i havent done anything extreme with my truck, but yes the bearings in the idler arm will wear out. mine has a good bit of play in it. the system is very beefy but they slacked on these bushings.

I've had the Calmini Steering for about 1.5 yrs and have had the idler arm replaced twice due to worn bushings...I did wheel my Pathfinder quite often, on some pretty extreme trails in Northern Cali & Hells Revenge (MOAB). See my cardomain pages.

IMHO, there's no way I could have ran these trails with 33x12.50's & stock steering, without breaking....then I drove my Pathfinder accross the country, from Sacramento, CA to Pittsburgh, PA!

Calmini has been very accomodating everytime I called them about the idler arm bushings. The steering system itself is rock solid and a must have for lifted Nissans that are used offroad!

And I'm not being paid for this indorsement!

MickB

i need to call them then. i have heard mixed things about there responces. bah. i'll have to find out on my own then.