What tool did you use to pop the link out of the spindle? I read the diy in the suspension section and that guy had the same problem (said he used a pickle fork).

I tried to use the small tie rod puller from Autozone, the opening was about a 1/4" too big.

Brought it back and got two different size separators (pickle forks). Didn't really budge.

Went to Oreillys and Pep boys, both of the ones they had were too short (depth wise).

From looking at the car, I need something with about an inch opening and 2 inches of depth. Anyone can recommend a tool to use that worked for them?

Update:
So I finally got my megan toe arms in. I got the proper tool from Napa. Evercraft tool # 776-9096. It is a perfect fit, no hammering or separator forks needed. Just pops the arms off without much effort.
Heres the link http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Ca...69096_00000888

 

You need a pitman arm puller. That and a few sockets and a nice torque wrench.

 

Oh, I have a torque wrench and sockets, the problem is that all of the small pitman arm pullers I have ran across are literally a 1/4" to 1/2" to big. The Autozone one would slide off of the spindle when I started to torque it down.

 

try smacking it with a hammer

 

If I get desperate maybe, but I know there must be a proper tool to use. I'm tired of breaking other stuff doing things the improper way. 2 reasons that would suck:

1. Live in an apartment complex, so trying to keep the noise down since technically I'm not supposed to do any car repairs even though I do all the time.

2. Knowing myself, I would somehow hit the abs wire

^^^^ I had to use it. Didn't know there was a golf emoticon.

 

HAHAAH, that would be my luck....

 

Hey, I am the one that wrote the DIY, I used a Tie Rod Separator that I bought from Advanced Auto Parts.

It looks like this...



It barely fit (almost rubbed against the wheel well toward the front of the car).

 

i used a hammer. knock it a few times around the knuckle.
then hammer it off. it wasnt to hard to take off at all

 

I highly recommend getting one of those pitman arm puller. It can be versatile and efficient

 

The problem I had with the Pitman Arm puller is that it would slip off before I could get enough pressure on it to pop the joint.

 

SMH at Toyota. $236 and a 2 week wait for the SST called out in the service manual.

 

Hammer.Hammer.

 

^ hammer +3

 

http://www.oem-tools.com/products/show/27022

This is the one I use, and it's probably the one got if you bought it at autozone. You have to position it in a way so that it grabs onto most of the spindle... basically by rotating the puller.

If you're going to use the hammer method, loosen the nut on the rear toe arm, but do not remove it full. You'll want it flushed at the end of the threaded stud so when you hit using your hammer, you do not damage the stud. Hammering should be okay since the toe arms aren't torqued down insanely tight.

 

That one doesn't work, it's about a 1/4" to big. It just will rotate and slip off as you torque it down. I found the perfect tool, updated in my 1st post.