Track Rod End- Cant Tighten Without Spinning

[johnnyboy666 195 1 Cars]

Need help with a stupid problem. But as usual with me, its something that means its immobile until i get it fixed.

 

When undoing the drivers track rod end, the nut got right to the top and then the shaft started spinning. I tried everything I could think of to try and get it off but it was having none of it.

In the end i had to cut the top of the threaded shaft off just underneath the nut as I needed to get the driveshaft out of the hub and had no chance otherwise.

Ive left enough thread on there and have cleaned the thread up with a tap/die (i forget which is which)

 

But now i have the same problem as before, I cant tighten it without it spinning.

Any tips? Ive had the impact driver on it, ive had the jack under the rod end pushing it up.

 

I must be missing something glaringly obvious.

Help

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

Tap a hole and die a pole.

 

Know anyone with an impact gun?

[johnnyboy666 195 1 Cars]

I've got an impact gun, tried that with no luck

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

I'd invest a tenner in a new pair if I was you. Save the messing about.

 

Granted you'd need to shell out for tracking to be done, but would be done with then.

[Tom Fenton 1,536]

Throw it in the bin and fit a new one? About £7 last one I bought. Sounds like the taper isn't great as with a firm thump into the taper it should hold well enough to allow you to tighten the nut.

[johnnyboy666 195 1 Cars]

The f****rs are pretty much new, this is the first time ive had to undo this one.

Guess I'll have to bite the bullet and swap it out. I was really hoping to be able to sort it without having to get the tracking done.

Its strange to me that these dont have some way to grip them whilst you tighten. Do other cars have this issue?

[Tom Fenton 1,536]

Last resort, first clean both sides of taper thoroughly, degrease with solvent cleaner. Heat up female side (eg hub side) of taper as much as you can with a plumbers gas torch. Whilst its still hot put the track rod end in, jack it up as hard as you can with a trolley jack. Let it cool and hopefully the tapers will grab enough for you to do up the nut.

[johnnyboy666 195 1 Cars]

Sounds good. I'll give that a bash in the morning, if that doesn't work, I'll nip and get a new one, and then hopefuly get it tracked before Monday.

In the meantime i think ive earned a pint!

[allanallen 528 2 Cars]

What die have you run down it exactly? Aren't oe spec TREs a finer thread than some of the aftermarket ones?

[farmer 327 1 Cars]

As Tom said i just put a bottle jack underneath mine and had no issues removing after that.

[B1ack_Mi16 67]

I always just tap out the threads in both the nut and on the balljoint itself.

 

Can turn it on by hand

 

Just make sure to tighten it properly afterwards.

[B1ack_Mi16 67]

Or try to hit the rod end with a small sledgehammer at the same time as using the impact gun. Might just give enough resistance to get it moving.

[johnnyboy666 195 1 Cars]

Cant remember the thread off hand. Possibly 1.25. Yeah I tried with a fair sized lump hammer whilst using the impact gun.

Thinking about it when I had the jack under it, I didn't jack it to the point of lifting the car, just to the point where the spring was being compressed. Maybe it'll work with the whole car weight on it.

[m_attt 31 1 Cars]

another vote for bottle jack, untill its about lifting the car. never fails.

[GilesW 41]

Oldest and best way is to jack car up on the tre.

Its also what you should have done to undo it. Would have saved you cutting it down.

[TooMany2cvs 65]

There's sometimes a little hex for an allen key in the end of the stud.

[camgti 56]

Ive clamped it to the hub before to stop it slipping. Even used a pair of grips, was pretty hard to stop it slipping but got there in the end

 

Cam

[johnnyboy666 195 1 Cars]

SUCCESS! Got there in the end. I had the car jacked right up on the tre (my car tends to uni-pod rather than tripod due to the stiff suspension)

I used a good blob of copper grease on there and worked the nut on, I had to tighten then loosen repeatedly untill it started to go on. That'll hold it tillnext weekend and I'll get it swapped and tracked then.

Just goes to show when youve been working on the car all day and something stumps you, sometimes you need to leave it and come back to it with fresh eyes!

cheers for the help!

[hcmini1989 16]

Well anyone else having problems like this maybe try a blob of superglue or araldite adhesive on the taper then jack it up and leave it an hour or so then have a go .Or rough the taper on the tre so with a set of mole grips so it grabs more when it goes inside the hub.