Steering Rack Gaiter, How do you remove the ram arm?

[JunKie123]

I've got to change the LH gaiter for the MOT test. (RH drive). I've prised off the outer boot but can't see how you remove the cast aluminium arm that the ram drives. Equally I can't see you can change the gaiter without getting this off?

[horrid1]

Hi, S/W,
I had this problem with a BX, I made up a clamp to fit loosely around the spear and sit closely against the cast arm and connected the clamp to a Sykes-Pickavant hydraulic puller. Took quite a bit of power to loosen it! It is a shrink fit on the spear and needed a lot of heating to refit it. I damaged the first gaiter when I allowed it to touch the hot piece, so be careful with this. Make sure you mark the position of the arm in relation to the spear before you attack it!! I managed to do this "in situ".
I don't know if this is applicable to an XM but I think it is very likely to be.
Regards from "down-under", Ernie

[JunKie123]

Managed to get a stretchy boot to pull right over the arm. I put an old rubber wine bottle cork with a hole drilled in over the thread to prevent the thread tearing the gaiter.