Cannot get Pittman Shaft assembly out of steering shaft support Craftsman 917.252540

Help! We have a 14.5hp OHV Kohler in a 42" Craftsman 917.252540, I have the owner's manual with the exploded views so I know what I'm trying to do, but...

The situation: The steering shaft assembly snapped off at the piece (gear teeth) that fits into the gear selector. I have a new steering shaft assembly to replace the old one with, but I cannot get the shaft out of the support assembly. It looks like (on the mower, not in the book) I need to pull the Pittman shaft assembly out of the shaft support, but it won't budge. Any ideas? I can't get the whole thing out (steering bracket, gear selector, etc) to work on it, either.

There is an E-clip that holds the sector gear in place that will have to come out in order to remove the shaft from the steering box housing. the steering shaft going to the steering wheel has a bolt that holds it in. In some cases I have had to remove the engine to get the u bracket out to work on it.