[po'runner]

pulling the front third....using the quick and easy method to just take the whole knuckle off....but i'm having problems pulling the lower kingpin plate...bolts are off and all, but she's not wanting to come off. i have the steering arm off of the knuckle. any suggestions? how much liberal use of a BFH should i be using, if any? thanks.

Ben

 

[larryboy]

hit it till the cones pop out.

 

[yarddog]

No need to remove the bottom plate. I've always only removed the high steer arms. Don't forget to pull the cap off the hub and remove the c-clip.

 

[TNToy]

Yarddog, I believe he's following instuctions I posted on how to tear the axle down to get the 3rd out. I told him to pull the lower plate because there are no cone washers on it. That's why I always try to remove the lower plate if I can, and take off the high steer arm later if I cannot.

Here's the deal. There's a bearing in there that the lower plate press-fits into... And its one hella-tight press fit. It's not just a plate: There's a 1.5" steel shaft going up into the knuckle. Its a TIGHT press-fit. You can see the big ass post between the plate and the knuckle in this pic:

I simply took a brass punch and BEAT the tar out of it back and forth until I could barely squeeze the tip of a tiny slot screwdriver in there, pounded the screwdriver in with a BFH... switched to a bigger screwdriver, and that allowed me to slip in a prybar on one side, then the other, and pop it out 1/16" at a time. It's not just sitting on the bottom of the axle, however.

If it will **NOT** come off, you'll have to take off the steering arm on top of the knuckle instead. Same thing - big steel shaft going down into the knuckle. But this one's nice and long: You can take off the four nuts, HIT IT AS HARD AS YOU CAN SWING with a sledge way out by the tie rod's hole... and work it loose enough to squeeze a prybar in there and pry it off.
{EDIT} If you have to take the steering arm off the top instead... and you're about to hit it... try to hit it back and forth on the front, then back and forth on the rear... and repeat but hitting it up and down, and do NOT beat on the tie rod ends connecting it to the steering system. Hit right next to them instead.

If you have and problems and you need IMMEDIATE help, my cell phone number is 901-550-1712... and I don't work on mondays - just in case it HAS to be done tomorrow or something, I thought I'd give you a tech support hotline.

EDIT AGAIN: I believe the knuckle has to be disconnected from the tie rod and drag link in order for you to be able to rotate it enough to get it off of the truck: the steering arm will prevent you from taking it off if the steering linkage is connected to it.

All I can tell you is that someone told me they were able to remove the knuckle by taking the lower plate off. When I did it, I pulled the lower plate 3/4 of the way off, and took the steering arm on top of the knucle completely off... and the knuckle came right off with a little wrestling to find the right spot to rotate it to and yank. One of the other guys I helped, had the steering disconnected and we simply took out the lower plate and left the upper steering arm tight. It was a bitch to get off, but it came off.

 

[Daveyclimber]

Very true tntoy , I have had the same probs , even broke the bearings trying to get the off . Always the bottoms for me . I was toying with the idea of drilling the center of them so I could use a slide hammer

 

[yarddog]

I'm in the habit of taking the hy-steer arms off because as often as I have the axle apart for maintenance and modifications the cone washers are not tough to get off any more.

 

[TNToy]

Yeah, same here. Although a lot of that has to do with the freaking half tube of anti-sieze I put it back together with.

But on the two rusty, crusty rigs I've helped on since I did mine, you bet your ass I was wailing away at the lower plate first.

 

[TNToy]

Very true tntoy , I have had the same probs , even broke the bearings trying to get the off . Always the bottoms for me . I was toying with the idea of drilling the center of them so I could use a slide hammer

Eew. I know exactly what I'd do in that case. My greasy ass hands would slip off the slide hammer, and I'd bust my knuckles on the pavement (if the axle was on the rig) or else I'd smack myself in the face (if the axle is not in a rig, and is upside down). :flipoff2:

I'm clumsy like that. :shaking:

 

[po'runner]

yeah, i used what TNToy said....thanks for the hot-line offer...but i found the problem and it had nothign to do with the kingpin plate or what not...i just replace the steering arms ( got the sky kit ) and i hadnt torqued the things down yet, so after i took off the lower king pin plate and the thing didnt come off, i took off the arm, fucker still wouldnt come out ( yes i had removed the c-clip ) so i sat there and scratched my head, look at what TNtoy had said....drank a beer.....looked some more....drank...blah blah...then i looked on the back of the knuckle and noticed the backing plate( i dunno what it's called ( its the part that has the felt and what not)) but after i took taht off, teh fucker came right off...:flipoff2: it wasnt in TNToy's instructions, i dunno if that was a given that i was suppose to do ( this was my first time taking the thing apart.) but after i fingered that out it was gravy....other side took about 10 minutes. thanks for the help :beer:

 

[yarddog]

I've done that DOH!

 

[DRM]

I still fail to see how this method is easier than just disassembling things from the spindle in?

 

[RE:Todd]

I only drop the whole knuckle for a trail repair. If you're at home, just do the maintenance for the whole front end .