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View Full Version : Tie Rod End problem (EP on jacks help!)



BlackEP9
08-28-2008, 01:30 PM
Okay I feel kinda lame asking this, but while changing into H&R springs I noticed one of the tie rod end boots was split and I ruined the other getting it off (with a fork!) so I had to buy 2 more of these. I thought I remember replacing one of these myself a couple years ago but now I am having problems. I can't get the jam nut loose.

I know you're supposed to mark the threads before you start. Then put one wrench on the tie rod end (or is it on the jam nut) and another on the tie rod itself to keep it from turning. Then loosen as you would anything else counter clockwise...right? Well it won't loosen. Do you have to break it with it still in place (nut/cotter pin) and then take it off and loosen it or does it matter? Well that didnt work either. I tried it with it still in place and also off the damper arm.

Any ideas?

ep_hatcher_510
08-28-2008, 01:58 PM
put some wd40 or pb blaster in there and let it sit, if it dries put some more, and see if you can find a longer wrench for more leverage.

if you are just replacing the boot u dont have to take the ends off.

talonXracer
08-28-2008, 02:00 PM
Put the tie rod back in the steering arm and lightly put the nut back on, apply a wrench to both the jam nut and the tierod and turn the jam nut.

mustclime
08-28-2008, 03:19 PM
1, loose the fork, give it to a ford owner.....get one of these and never need to replace a boot again...

http://www.toolrage.com/prodView.asp?idproduct=5046

2, check the tie rod ends for play( if the are super easy to move around, they are toast)....if they are still tight, just buy boots( 5 bucks as aposed to 40 bucks).....

3, just get a big pipe that can slide over your wrench, put the balljoint back into its mount and give the nut a good pull....it will come loose, if you are unsure of the direction, look at the threads going into the nut. you want to go clockwise....:mwink:

quest4boost169
08-28-2008, 03:46 PM
some of these can really be a pain in the butt! like these guys say its all about some pb blaster and leverage! if those ideas dont work (which i believe you if you say it doesnt) then you gonna have to find someone with a litte bottle tourch and carfully heat the nut up (this will expand the nut hopefully allowing it to break free!)... may have to use a pipe wrench to get a better grip on the lock nut!

If this still doesnt work (which i have had cases where NOTHING would work) your gonna have to get a inner tie rod and replace it all! (this however requires a special tool)

also make sure you get someone to align it once your done installing the new tierods!

mustclime
08-28-2008, 05:51 PM
A lot of people stick a 6-8 inch wrench on a 19mm nut and expect to loosen it......check out the guys in the alinment shops some time, they are using wrenches that a foot and a half long and when they get you toe set they hang on those wrenches......get a pipe, slide it over the wrench and lean on dat some-bitch......:mwink:

BlackEP9
08-31-2008, 02:57 PM
Well I did finally get it, actually not too long after my original post. Thanks for the replies anyway.
Some of you guys thought I was trying to get the tie rod end OUT of the damper perch. Actually no that wasn't the problem, I already got one out (and ruined it, thanks to the fork) and the other one was already out. I was trying to get the tie rod end OFF and it turned out to be really simple.

Instead of trying to loosen the tie rod end or the jam nut you actually just have to roll the jam nut further down (as if tightening it) and then the tie rod end just screws off nice and easy. It was actually simple once I started turning the jam nut the right way (although PB blaster might have had something to do with it along with the 1 foot long wrench I used)...LOL I felt really dumb as soon as I figured that out.

BlackEP9
08-31-2008, 03:01 PM
if you are just replacing the boot u dont have to take the ends off.

If you have done it, I would love to know how that is done. I bought 2 boots in advance and found no way possible to remove them from the tie rod ends. I asked a honda mechanic about it and he just shrugged and said, " I don't know why we sell the boots, we just replace the whole thing."

BlackEP9
08-31-2008, 03:03 PM
1, loose the fork, give it to a ford owner.....get one of these and never need to replace a boot again...

http://www.toolrage.com/prodView.asp?idproduct=5046



very nice looking tool, but hopefully I won't have to do that again for a few years.

BlackEP9
08-31-2008, 03:05 PM
Put the tie rod back in the steering arm and lightly put the nut back on, apply a wrench to both the jam nut and the tierod and turn the jam nut.

good directions, just add ...turn the jam nut "RIGHT AS IF TIGHTENING. THEN MARK THREADS WITH SOMETHING LIKE PAINT AND UNSCREW THE TIE ROD END."

mustclime
09-01-2008, 03:21 PM
If you have done it, I would love to know how that is done. I bought 2 boots in advance and found no way possible to remove them from the tie rod ends. I asked a honda mechanic about it and he just shrugged and said, " I don't know why we sell the boots, we just replace the whole thing."

Chisel and a hammer, the tie rod boot is formed around a steel sleeve. The sleeve is hamered down around the tie rod ball joint. You just need to get under it and pry it up.....:tehehyper: