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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / Maintenance and Repair / November 2005More Tie Rod Problems
Hi, I posted earlkier about replacing outer tie rods on my 85 Chevy Caprice. I finally got the stud out of the control arm(?) on the passenger side, by using a "puller" tool. "Hooray" I thought, "Now the hard part is over, and all I have to do is loosen the bolt on the adjusting sleeve and quickly turn the tie rod out of the sleeve!" Well, the rod isn't budging from the sleeve so far. Even with lots of Liquid Wrench (2 hours of soaking), and even after heating up the sleeve with a propane torch. I'm pretty sure I saw a mechanic turning the sleeves with some tool during a recent alignment, so I'm wondering why they don't turn now. Is there a special tool I need? I can get an adjustable wrench on the outer end of the tie rod, but nowhere else on the tie rod/ sleeve assembly is there a good clean spot for a wrench to grab. I've tried using vice-grips, but they slip. How does a mechanic get a rusty sleeve off? Pipe wrench ? Thanks for any ideas. > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > How does a mechanic get a rusty sleeve off? Pipe wrench ? Loosen the sleeve before pulling it out of the control arm. As for putting the grab on a round rod, vise grips will slip - a pipe wrench is what you want here because the more pressure you put on it the harder it grabs. Also, use a tape measure and measure the length of the tie rod before you start taking everything apart. When the new one goes in adjust it to the same length. Ted > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > Thanks for any ideas. There is a special tool. I can't even describe what it looks like - it's got a "hook" on it - you won't find it in the tool section at walmart. After doing one on my Jimmy that was super rusty, my $.02 is you might be better off replacing the inner and the sleeve as well. You've already spent two hours... and the inner probably has the same # of miles as the outer. Ray "Caprice85" <user132384@aol.com> wrote in message > I've tried using vice-grips, but they slip. > > How does a mechanic get a rusty sleeve off? Pipe wrench ? > > Thanks for any ideas. Visegrips are all but useless for serious twisting...because they slip, often after rounding off a bolt head, or buggering up something else beyond easy recovery. A small (but decent quality) pipewrench can be very helpful. NAPA can probably order the special tool for you, if you want it. Thanks. Maybe I can hook the tie rod back up, then loosen the bolts on the adjustment sleeve, use lots of liquid wrench, use a pipe wrench on the adjustment sleeve, and hope I don't end up mangling the sleeve, or popping out a ball joint. btw, I spraypainted the threads on the tie rod where they go into the sleeve, as a method of locating the new rod. Maybe the spraypaint worked its way into the threads and has "glued" them to the sleeve. Just a thought. Doesn't seem like paint would act like glue though. > Thanks. Maybe I can hook the tie rod back up, then loosen the bolts on > the adjustment sleeve, use lots of liquid wrench, use a pipe wrench on [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > worked its way into the threads and has "glued" them to the sleeve. > Just a thought. Doesn't seem like paint would act like glue though. It won't. worst case I believe the sleeves may be available from PST or similar, you could just buy an inner tie rod end and a sleeve and be done with it. But hopefully you will be able to free it up. nate > Thanks. Maybe I can hook the tie rod back up, then loosen the bolts on > the adjustment sleeve, use lots of liquid wrench, use a pipe wrench on [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > worked its way into the threads and has "glued" them to the sleeve. > Just a thought. Doesn't seem like paint would act like glue though. That method, although listed in Hayne's and Chiltons manuals, isn't reliable because it depends on each tie rod being manufactured exactly identically. If you put the tie rods up against each other and measure from the center of the bolt to the end of the threads, there's a good chance you will find they aren't equal, espically if they come from different manufacturers. Ted I use pipe wrenches. They work well for me. Mike 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Aug./05 http://www.imagestation.com/album/index.html?id=2120343242 (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page) > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > Thanks for any ideas. DO NOT use the pipewrench on the sleeve, it will collapse. If all the advise above fails, which by now your already apart, remove the bolt from the clamp (on the sleeve) knock it off the sleeve (onto the tie rod end so its loose from the sleeve) , dangle the tie rod till it hits the ground or put something under it so as to prop it up. Whack the TIE ROD (not the sleeve) close to the threads. This wil effect the same cure as spreading it with a adjusting hook without buying one. All the penetrant should kick in at this point & it should spin out freely. Another alternative to latching onto it would be to take a big combo end wrench (an inch or so) & hook the stud with the box end to spin it out. Good luck. If one is careful with the pipe wench, it can be used on the sleeve at the end where it is on the rod threads. If the wrench is positioned right, it will pull the split in the open direction. Mike > DO NOT use the pipewrench on the sleeve, it will collapse. If all the > advise above fails, which by now your already apart, remove the bolt [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > end wrench (an inch or so) & hook the stud with the box end to spin it > out. Good luck. It's the same with those "universal" box wrenches... The harder you pull on the universal and pipe wrenches, the tighter they squeeze the nut/sleeve onto the bolt.....virtually guarantying galled/stripped threads. Tie rod sleeves are split for a reason....to allow the use of a tool that opens them up slightly, and to allow the clamp to tighten them so they will not back off. Pipe wrenches squeeze the sleeve tighter onto the tie rod end.....and are NOT the proper tool - even though some people have been lucky in their use. I would rather see someone abuse a box wrench by hooking it onto the tie rod stud........ > It's the same with those "universal" box wrenches... > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > I would rather see someone abuse a box wrench by hooking it onto the tie > rod stud........ Maybe someone makes this, I don't know... but I could see a use for a "tie rod adjusting tool" which would look like the adjustment tool for coilovers, only smaller - basically a wrench with a half-circle end with a little tooth at the end to grab the split in the tie rod... nate N8N <njnagel@hotmail.com> wrote in article <1132588848.903933.244880@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>... > Maybe someone makes this, I don't know... but I could see a use for a > "tie rod adjusting tool" which would look like the adjustment tool for > coilovers, only smaller - basically a wrench with a half-circle end > with a little tooth at the end to grab the split in the tie rod... Just about anybody who sells automotive tools sells some sort of tie rod adjusting sleeve tool quite similar to what you describe. Front-end alignment specialists have some pretty sophisticated tools. Mine are snap-on. Mac makes (or made) them too. When I bought them (20 yrs. ago), they had 3 sizes. The headache may be that they are outdated nowadays as almost everything is rack & pinion. > N8N <njnagel@hotmail.com> wrote in article > <1132588848.903933.244880@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>... [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Just about anybody who sells automotive tools sells some sort of tie rod > adjusting sleeve tool quite similar to what you describe. Well, guess I have to keep working this year too. :/ nate > Maybe someone makes this, I don't know... but I could see a use for a > "tie rod adjusting tool" which would look like the adjustment tool for > coilovers, only smaller - basically a wrench with a half-circle end > with a little tooth at the end to grab the split in the tie rod... This is what I use, this tool as been around for "ages". http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=all&item_ID=12121&group_ID=162 6&store=canada&dir=catalog Ian |
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