Having trouble adjusting/removing tie rod

MrSimon · Apr 19, 2009

I have pretty bad toe-in and decided to lengthen the tie rod myself. The collars came off easy enough, but the rod won't turn at all ... it just won't budge. So decided to just take the whole thing out and use a vise. I took the castle nut off the drivers side TRE, but thats where I'm stuck. I don't know what to do next .... nothing budges. This is my frist time messing with the tie rod, so any help woule be appreciated.

scully · Apr 19, 2009

PB blaster the hell out of it.

8Mud · Apr 19, 2009

I usually put a throw away nut on top and leave it above the last thread a little and give it a solid whack with a BFH. You can also whack the side of the mount, this deforms the cone hole a little and can help loosen things up. I always put a coat of grease on things before reassembly, it really makes life easier the next time.
Try heating the adjuster with a propane torch or even an electric heat gun and dosing it with water, dry it out, then respray with oil. This can break or loosen the rust bond that's causing all the grief.
I use a mixture of acetone and old Dexron, it seems to penetrate better than most sprays. Though I have found some new stuff that seems to dissolve rust pretty well, another Loc Tite product that seems to perform as advertised.

joe_peters · Apr 19, 2009

Rent a TRE tool from AZ:

winterbeater · Apr 19, 2009

Another tool normally used for TRE removal is a pickle fork applied with a big hammer. But if you want to reuse the TRE (usuall not the case), it can F.U. the rubber.

stewie · Apr 20, 2009

winterbeater said:
Another tool normally used for TRE removal is a pickle fork applied with a big hammer. But if you want to reuse the TRE (usuall not the case), it can F.U. the rubber.

yah, torn rubbers suck :doh:.

once removed you may want to coat the smooth tapered portion (NOT THE THREADS) with some anti-sieze. this will help aid in removal next time.

Shorty · Apr 20, 2009

nut on the end with BFH would be my plan as well. If it's the first time they've been off, I'd think about changing them for new ones too. Check them closely for wear and decide if you want to do this again when they wear out.

winterbeater · Apr 20, 2009

I wouldn't try to remove it unless I was going to replace it anyway. Keep working on the collar if all you want to do is adjust the toe in.

Terrific · Apr 20, 2009

winterbeater said:
I wouldn't try to remove it unless I was going to replace it anyway. Keep working on the collar if all you want to do is adjust the toe in.

I agree. With the front endoff the ground, generously applied penetrant, and a large pair of pliers, it should be doable.

kujito · Apr 20, 2009

Buy one of these instead of renting; < $15. The BFH method is harder to apply on a couple of the ends(pitman, drag link @ pitman). You're not doing them right now, but you may in the future.

Looks kike you could use a new tre anyway.

MrSimon · Apr 21, 2009

Thanks for the advice.

I was able to get the TRE out of the steering knuckle by soaking it in PB overnight, then whacking the knuckle from a few different directions with a BFH. Then a few taps on the bolt and the TRE fell right out.

To get the TRE to turn in the rod, I had to lock the rod in a vice, heat up the rod with a torch, clamp some locking pliers on the flat part of the TRE and turn it with a 4' cheater bar. And that was AFTER two days of soaking it with PB. Man was that thing tight.

I cleaned everything up, treated it with some anti-seeze, and now it turns easily by hand:sure:

8Mud · Apr 21, 2009

I always get a little nervous using too much heat, it can soften the metal. But sometimes you got to do whatever it takes.
Wiggling the adjuster back and forth, backing up half a turn for every turn forward and kind of treating it like a thread cutter, may save some threads. A real bumber to get finished and then finding out the threads are gone.
I used a 24" pipe wrench and a torch to get the last one I did loose.

I've got a puller like Kujito posted for rod ends, a little different. The legs on mine are hinged, the more pressure you apply the harder the legs push in. But mine is a little small (I always get nervous the next time I use it will be the last, even though it's a quality tool and twenty years old), I usually try the hammer method first.

scully · Apr 21, 2009

MrSimon said:
Thanks for the advice.

I was able to get the TRE out of the steering knuckle by soaking it in PB overnight, then whacking the knuckle from a few different directions with a BFH. Then a few taps on the bolt and the TRE fell right out.

To get the TRE to turn in the rod, I had to lock the rod in a vice, heat up the rod with a torch, clamp some locking pliers on the flat part of the TRE and turn it with a 4' cheater bar. And that was AFTER two days of soaking it with PB. Man was that thing tight.

I cleaned everything up, treated it with some anti-seeze, and now it turns easily by hand:sure:

yay for PB Blaster!!party1:

arty

arty1:
congrats on finishing :cheers:

Having trouble adjusting/removing tie rod

MrSimon

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scully

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8Mud

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joe_peters

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winterbeater

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stewie

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Shorty

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winterbeater

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Terrific

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kujito

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MrSimon

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8Mud

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scully

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