Well, I'm still fiddling with this problem. I don't seem to be able to find a tool available to remove the left inner tie rod end from the Pitman arm. I've looked everywhere and found shops that normally carry it (like Performance Products), but they're out of stock till next week. Oh well, patience, they say, is a virtue. I guess they were never down to one car and had to shuttle the family to work and school twice a day.

Anyhow, I'm thinking of just replacing the upper and lower shaft seals, cleaning the innards by flushing it thoroughly and hoping for the best. It's the original steering box with about 144k mi. on it and seems to work just fine with little to no play in it. Has anyone tried replacing the seals and had luck with it long term?

Alternatively, has anyone tried rebuilding their box with the seal/o-ring/circlip kit? Is it difficult, or just tedious? How much time does it take, on average?

Thanks for any info.

Gary