Not long ago , putting back a tie rod into its ""slot"" the tapered length fit in nicely, and the castellated nut was turning on the thread until it reached a point where there must have been a misalignment or some nick in the thread or somesuch, because the nut would not turn any more without putting a spanner on it. ARound and around it went and I noted that it was not progressing down the thread. Yet it was turning.

Of course it turned out the entire ball and shaft within the rubber protected boot and metal knuckle was turning with the nut.

So my question is....what to do (besides buying a new tie rod joint). Any suggestions how to remedy the problem?

thanks

Rae

Sometimes the top of the threaded portion has a internal hex so you can put an allen key in there to hold it, use a spanner to turn the nut. I usually just use an impact run and run the stupid things on there, but if you don't have that try tapping the bottom of the tierod with a rubber mallet. That should help seat it into the taper and grab.

hold pressure of some sort against the other side of the tie rod jambs the taper together harder and usually enough to tighten up nut

OK thanks...will try those methods.

rae

added question.

 

without a pickle fork, without a pitman puller, (or other special tool for tie rods)....can someone remind me how to get the tie rod out.?

I have sprayed it with WD - 40 to work itself into the tapered stud overnite. And it seems to me that I read that a good sledgehammer hit on the tie rod knuckle will loosen the tapered shaft and it will pop out nicely.

I even remember doing this one time, and it worked...but it did not work today...and after scouring old threads, it seems I have not found the simple directions how to do this. Can someone remind me of this method? thanks

RAE

A few hood solid hits with a 4lbs sledge should do the trick. 

Just to make sure we're on the same page as to what we're hitting with hammers, a nice square hit on the end of the mounting tab will do it. I've never had it fail me on subarus or anything else with taper fit balljoints/tie rods. Hammering them deforms the metal slightly (and temporarily) and pops the taper out.

 

Pickle forks work, too if you're not going to re-use the joint. I still usually hit things with hammers first.

 

Edited January 12, 201610 yr by 987687

I have used a block of wood on a floor jack to help get the tie-rod to seat in the knuckle.

 

The hammer method works a charm to remove a still serviceable tie-rod end.. Have had to lay a pry bar across the tie-rod itself to give that extra little bit of assistance though.