Outer Limits 4x4 Board

G'day guys
Ok, so i've bought a pair of rebuild kits for the draglink on my 92 4x4 solid axle hilux. Unfortunately i've come the the conclusion that i have no idea what i am doing about removing the draglink.
So far i've removed the split-pin and got the grub screw out of the front end (connected to the pitman arm) but cant figure out what im supposed to do next?? Can someone with experience, or a workshop manual tell me the procedure to get the thing off?

Thanks

Did one the other day, the one I did was just a matter of moving the link front to back to free up the cups in the ends and it will fall off. If that sort of makes sense. But I also used a large screw driver for a bit of leverage.

jiggle your steering wheel back and forth, this shifts the cups inside the drag link, which allows the ball to move and get to the point it will fit through your drag link.

you might find your need to turn the steering wheel and have someone else pull the drag link down if its got really old crappy sticky grease in it.

But it should come off pretty easy after you jiggl;e the steering wheel a bit as the cups get stuck in old grease if they havent been maintained.

thanks for the replies guys, i persevered with it and did manage to get the thing off.

however after cleaning up the link, im a little unsure about the state of the ends. The holes for the balls seem to be widened at one end. I'm not sure if that's to make installation easier or if its wear? I'll see if i can attach some pics...

edit: so i cant attach pics because i don't have 10 posts yet. Anyway, where the bore is on each end of the link, half of the bore is a larger diameter than the other? is this normal. don't know if you know what im talking about but the link where i've hosted the pics is here:

s809. photobucket. com /albums /zz19 /crawfy789 /hilux / without the spaces and with the h t t p : / / thing in front of it
mods, please delete if i've broken a rule here

crawfy789 wrote:thanks for the replies guys, i persevered with it and did manage to get the thing off.

however after cleaning up the link, im a little unsure about the state of the ends. The holes for the balls seem to be widened at one end. I'm not sure if that's to make installation easier or if its wear? I'll see if i can attach some pics...

edit: so i cant attach pics because i don't have 10 posts yet. Anyway, where the bore is on each end of the link, half of the bore is a larger diameter than the other? is this normal. don't know if you know what im talking about but the link where i've hosted the pics is here:

s809. photobucket. com /albums /zz19 /crawfy789 /hilux / without the spaces and with the h t t p : / / thing in front of it
mods, please delete if i've broken a rule here

your code was incomplete - i had to go find you on photo bucket.



the wider end is so you can get it off the ball, you fit the ball in through the wider bit then when the end bolt screws in the ball moves along to the section it cant pull out off.

withgout the wide bit you could not fit or remove the drag link.

oh ok, i tested the address and it worked for me

anyway yeah, tried it out and i see what you mean, there's no way it would go on without the wider bit.

NOW I've found that one of the previous owners had welded up the ball joint on the pitman arm, and is broken loose. rather than weld it up again i guess i'll just order a new one, so looks like it's not going anywhere until the end of next week. lucky it's only a work rig haha

Some places will supply the pitman arm service exchange for about $80, replacing one on a mates hilux soon but he is getting a new one to save the hassle taking the old one back. Even so the new one is only about $130. The ball on his pitman arm spins in the arm, has movement when wiggled and the ball is well and truely out of round which is another common problem with these.