really stuck tie rod end

Boss · 04-17-2003, 07:17 AM

I thought that while was doing strut inserts and wheel bearings I would install that turbo tie rod kit I've had for a while. Well, the outer tie rod ends are really stuck.

Last weekend I tried a pretty stout puller and a "pickle fork" to no avail so I applied some more Kroil and ordered a pickle fork attachment for my air hammer. That arrived yesterday and I tried it last night and the d@mn thing still won't come off.

Anyone have any suggestions?

I was thinking I would just unscrew the tie rod all the way and take the strut off and use the hydraulic press but the strut doesn't want to come off the ball joint (the tapered bolt is out). Is there a way to get the strut off without wrecking the ball joint?

Thanks for any ideas

Rot 911 · 04-17-2003, 08:13 AM

I always just get a big f'ing hamer and beat on the top of the threaded stud sticking out of the tie rod.It will mess up the threads, but you are going to replace the tie rod anyway.

echrisconnor · echrisconnor's Garage

A tie rod end pullier is pretty effective, even when the pickle fork fails. You may also wan to try heating the arm around the joint.

JWest · 04-17-2003, 08:33 AM

If you hit the steering arm perpendicular to the hole for the tie rod end, it will squeeze the taper and come out.

I have beat them to death on the threads only to have a couple good hits from the side pop it right out. This method has never failed to work for me.

You need a heavy hammer, and try to hit it so you are sending the force right down the arm to the strut. This gives you the most rigid path and the least loss from the arm flexing.

I can take a pic tonight if that does not make sense.

dtw · 04-17-2003, 08:35 AM

Hit the knuckle around the threaded portion of the tie rod end, not the end itself. You can deform the end if you hit it directly, making it even more stuck.

Just whack the %$#! out if it around the knuckle and the tie rod will just drop right out. This has worked for me on the most-stuck of tie rods.

Boss · 04-17-2003, 08:51 AM

I tried the method described by James and Dave (it has always worked for me in the past).
I put one big hammer on one side of the steering arm to support it and hit the side with another big hammer, perpendicular to the taper stud.

rlane · 04-17-2003, 09:36 AM

You probably already have done this but getting the angle better by raising the wheel makes the whole thing a LOT easier

dickster · 04-17-2003, 11:05 AM

Quote:

If you hit the steering arm perpendicular to the hole for the tie rod end, it will squeeze the taper and come out.

thats the correct method.

another great tool is one where you undo the nut to the top of the threads, then wrap this tool around the arm and the top of the threaded part/nut. at the top there is a thick bolt that you can tighten down onto the tie rod nut. the other end is forked and grips and pulls on the streering arm. you keep tightening until the tool forces the arm up the thread of the tie rod.

sorry, about the crap description - got the gist???? i've got one in the tool kit that i can take a pic of if you like.......

that never fails.

dickster · 04-17-2003, 11:21 AM

have you tried one of these?

Boss · 04-17-2003, 11:24 AM

Dickster-
What you (quite clearly) described is a tie rod/pittman arm puller and I tried the one I had, which admittedly is not as sturdy as the one on Pelicans site. It didn't work with the force I felt comfortable applying to the bolt.

Maybe I should don my safety glasses and impact wrench the sucker until it works or self destructs.

Thanks for all the ideas - doesn't anyone have any thoughts on whether you can get the strut off the ball joint without ruining the ball joint?

Boss · 04-17-2003, 11:26 AM

Dickster - the one I tried wasn't that heavy duty. Perhaps I should upgrade.

dickster · 04-17-2003, 11:28 AM

get one! its never failed me yet. and you dont wreck the threads.

JWest · 04-17-2003, 11:51 AM

For getting the strut off the ball joint, as already mentioned, jack up the wheel. Or put a jack under the hub since the wheel is off.

You have to be careful, but this way you can use the torsion bar to pull the ball joint out from the now supported strut. The more you jack up the hub, the more you twist the the torsion bar resulting in more downward pull on the ball joint.

ZCAT3 · 03:57 PM

Brian - how old are the ball joints? If they are original I would go ahead and replace them now.

Whacking the crap out of the tie rod stud should work - you may have to hit very hard. Try heating the area with a torch for a bit and then giving it a good whack (and then another, and another, and then scream profanities at it, and then hit it again - and so on and so forth).

On the ball joints, you should be able to take a rubber mallet and strike the A-arm to dislodge the strut (of course make sure you remove the bolt

.

john walker's workshop · 06:24 PM

i generally use the BFH method. been doing it forever and it works every time. i don't even own a tie rod tool, or a pickle fork.
ps; beating on the threaded end will get you nowhere.

Zeke · 04-17-2003, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by James Adams
For getting the strut off the ball joint, as already mentioned, jack up the wheel. Or put a jack under the hub since the wheel is off.

You have to be careful, but this way you can use the torsion bar to pull the ball joint out from the now supported strut. The more you jack up the hub, the more you twist the the torsion bar resulting in more downward pull on the ball joint.

Holy (insert your favorite word here)!! When the thing lets loose, it must come down like an earthquake. Can this be good for the A-arm ass'y? Seems to me that I would put something soft under the A-arm as I was jacking the hub to "catch" the arm when it flings down. Maybe an old tire. I took that stuff apart on the bench, so I don't know. Just wondering.

Jdub · 04-18-2003, 06:46 AM

Bump.

Can anyone comment on Milt's observation. I would probably have a set of old pillow and blanket to prevent any damage, but certainly a combo of BFH and some torsion bar pull would do the trick?

Thanks mightily,
John

JWest · 04-18-2003, 08:15 AM

Zeke, this method is what Brad Roberts recommends also.

The torsion bar does not "fling" down, because you hardly put any twist in it to get a lot of force built up. When it lets go, it goes to the untwisted position, which is about where it was when you started jacking.

You will only get the t-bar twisted a little bit because the whole car will lift off the ground if you jack very much - you don't want to go this far!

When I have done this, the ball stud did not even come out of the strut after it released it's grip because it moved such a small distance.

It's really much less dramatic that you are picturing, I think.

YMMV and you should always be careful around heavy suspension parts anyway.

dickster · 04-18-2003, 08:33 AM

guys, are we getting our wires crossed here?

we're talking about the track rod end, NOT the A arm to strut ball joint.

JWest · 04-18-2003, 08:39 AM

Actually, we are talking about both. Boss gave up on the tie rod and asked about the ball joint.

Quote:

doesn't anyone have any thoughts on whether you can get the strut off the ball joint without ruining the ball joint?