Galled TRE threads, what now?

a friend recently (2-4 months ago) installed the jcr 1-ton steering, and convieniently forgot to anti-seize the threads.... and now it seems seezed, now what?


i havent personally given myself a hernia on it, but i trust the guy to turn it the right direction, any ideas besides PB Blaster, then heat, then pb blaster again for good measure?

I dunno man that combo is usually what I use (pb blaster + heat).

Works every time.

I just mentioned this in the Big Daddy thread. I had the same thing happen. I didn't put anti-seize on my first Big Daddy tie rod, and when I went to adjust it a year or so later, the TREs were galled.

No amount of heat or force was gonna help. I had several people try. I just had to buy a new Big Daddy tie rod and use plenty of anti-seize on it. I still have the old one as a souvenir.

heat, smack it with a hammer several times, PB it, smack it again, heat it again-repeat until it breaks loose. Any seized thread can be broken loose, you just need time and patience.

whitneyj said:

heat, smack it with a hammer several times, PB it, smack it again, heat it again-repeat until it breaks loose. Any seized thread can be broken loose, you just need time and patience.

Click to expand...

x a million.

johnnyc said:

I just mentioned this in the Big Daddy thread. I had the same thing happen.

Click to expand...

yeah, saw that.
up till this i thought my buddy was just being a puss, but once you discussed galling, i figured i better move on it...

is galled when they rotate inside the body of the TRE?

from wikipedia:
Galling, according to ASTM standard G40 (2006), is: “a form of surface damage arising between sliding solids, distinguished by microscopic, usually localized, roughening and creation of protrusions (i.e., lumps) above the original surface”. In other words galling is material transfer from one surface to another caused by movement and plastic deformation.
The friction or plastic deformation of one surface generates heat and increase adhesion between the asperities (i.e., high points) found on the mating surfaces. This process is the same as cold welding, because cold welding is not cold and exhibits an increase in temperature and energy content derived from applied pressure and plastic deformation into the system. In other terms, an applied load and plastic deformation increase the temperature and the chance for chemical or metallic bonding between the two surfaces. (Note: Increased compressive pressure in the system is equal to potential energy because of initial limitation of transferred energy and thermal conductivity through the small surface area on the system boundary.)


my new found translation:lube it or lose it!