A beginners guide to stuffing up your trackrod end ball joint...

Not a request for help, just me being a tit for your light entertainment.

I've just replaced a transmission to drive shaft oil seal, with the
exception of me being a bit of girl when it came to prying out the drive
shaft inner mounting seemed to have gone without a hitch.

Anyway, when removing the bolt from the track rod end it came away with
little effort, revealing very little thread on the bolt. When
reassembling the nut wouldn't pinch tight or take even the slightest torque.

I put another nut on the bottom, which worked a treat but the nut was
hanging off a little. I also had another locking nut but the thread was
slightly different. Buoyed on a little by my first success and my wife
enthusiastically egging me on, I tried the locking nut. Thought that
with a little muscle I might be able to carve a new thread in the putty
that was the existing thread. I got as far as the nylon on the nut
before the ball joint gave way. Needless to say the wife made an
emergency exit from the scene as I stared quietly at a now free spinning
ball joint.

Couldn't shift the trackrod end bolt, so it's off to the local garage.

Thinking about it now, the ball joint is probably just rubber so god
know what I was thinking at the time. Oh yeah, a little muscle and I'll
save myself £50 Should give the mechanic (and the guys at work)
something to laugh about.

I'm getting a little fed up of this 'live and learn' b*ll*cks, it's
costing me a fortune.

Regards,

Tim

"Tim" <tpb100 (AT) ntlworld (DOT) com> wrote

Not a request for help, just me being a tit for your light entertainment.

I've just replaced a transmission to drive shaft oil seal, with the
exception of me being a bit of girl when it came to prying out the drive
shaft inner mounting seemed to have gone without a hitch.

Anyway, when removing the bolt from the track rod end it came away with
little effort, revealing very little thread on the bolt. When
reassembling the nut wouldn't pinch tight or take even the slightest
torque.

I put another nut on the bottom, which worked a treat but the nut was
hanging off a little. I also had another locking nut but the thread was
slightly different. Buoyed on a little by my first success and my wife
enthusiastically egging me on, I tried the locking nut. Thought that with
a little muscle I might be able to carve a new thread in the putty that
was the existing thread. I got as far as the nylon on the nut before the
ball joint gave way. Needless to say the wife made an emergency exit from
the scene as I stared quietly at a now free spinning ball joint.

Couldn't shift the trackrod end bolt, so it's off to the local garage.

Thinking about it now, the ball joint is probably just rubber so god know
what I was thinking at the time. Oh yeah, a little muscle and I'll save
myself £50 Should give the mechanic (and the guys at work) something
to laugh about.

I'm getting a little fed up of this 'live and learn' b*ll*cks, it's
costing me a fortune.

Regards,

Tim

Its a ball joint therefore it will spin, that is what it is designed to do
However you are spinning the ball when attempting to tighten it.
Once in place the ball will remain still and the socket will move instead

And it is metal not rubber

Give the bottom of it an upward smack with a mallet to engage the splines
and tighten away

However as the steering is a fairly critical part of the vehicle a new ball
joint would be favourite

Tony

In article <pPGdnUDaLvx4PM_bnZ2dnUVZ8sKlnZ2d (AT) bt (DOT) com>,
TMC <anon (AT) anon (DOT) co.uk> wrote:

Its a ball joint therefore it will spin, that is what it is designed to
do However you are spinning the ball when attempting to tighten it. Once
in place the ball will remain still and the socket will move instead

And it is metal not rubber

Give the bottom of it an upward smack with a mallet to engage the
splines and tighten away

'Splines' on a trackrod end? I suppose some might have. All the ones I've
seen have just a plain taper.

I find the best way is to put a small jack under the end and use pressure
from that to provide enough friction to prevent initial turning as you do
up the nut.

However as the steering is a fairly critical part of the vehicle a new
ball joint would be favourite

Certainly if you've used heat and or force to remove it. They're not
exactly expensive.

--
*Never kick a cow pat on a hot day *

Dave Plowman dave (AT) davenoise (DOT) co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" <dave (AT) davenoise (DOT) co.uk> wrote

In article <pPGdnUDaLvx4PM_bnZ2dnUVZ8sKlnZ2d (AT) bt (DOT) com>,
TMC <anon (AT) anon (DOT) co.uk> wrote:
Its a ball joint therefore it will spin, that is what it is designed to
do However you are spinning the ball when attempting to tighten it. Once
in place the ball will remain still and the socket will move instead

And it is metal not rubber

Give the bottom of it an upward smack with a mallet to engage the
splines and tighten away

'Splines' on a trackrod end? I suppose some might have. All the ones I've
seen have just a plain taper.

I find the best way is to put a small jack under the end and use pressure
from that to provide enough friction to prevent initial turning as you do
up the nut.

What if it's one of those ends that go down into the knuckle, rather than up
into it ;-)

In article <try4i.23480$Ro3.22599 (AT) text (DOT) news.blueyonder.co.uk>,
Sandy Nuts <not (AT) forme (DOT) com> wrote:

I find the best way is to put a small jack under the end and use
pressure from that to provide enough friction to prevent initial
turning as you do up the nut.

What if it's one of those ends that go down into the knuckle, rather
than up into it ;-)

A clamp of some description? I've not had much success with the mallet
way. And really don't like whacking steering components.

--
*Virtual reality is its own reward *

Dave Plowman dave (AT) davenoise (DOT) co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Tue, 22 May 2007 10:09:45 +0100, Sandy Nuts <not (AT) forme (DOT) com> wrote:

"Dave Plowman (News)" <dave (AT) davenoise (DOT) co.uk> wrote in message
news:4ee6e6739cdave (AT) davenoise (DOT) co.uk...
In article <pPGdnUDaLvx4PM_bnZ2dnUVZ8sKlnZ2d (AT) bt (DOT) com>,
TMC <anon (AT) anon (DOT) co.uk> wrote:
Its a ball joint therefore it will spin, that is what it is designed to
do However you are spinning the ball when attempting to tighten it.
Once
in place the ball will remain still and the socket will move instead

And it is metal not rubber

Give the bottom of it an upward smack with a mallet to engage the
splines and tighten away

'Splines' on a trackrod end? I suppose some might have. All the ones
I've
seen have just a plain taper.

I find the best way is to put a small jack under the end and use
pressure
from that to provide enough friction to prevent initial turning as you
do
up the nut.

What if it's one of those ends that go down into the knuckle, rather
than up
into it ;-)

Make sure it's not greasy (brake cleaner), stick a socket over the spindle
and the back of the ball joint (if it's not a solid casting) & squash it
into place with a g cramp.

"Tim" <tpb100 (AT) ntlworld (DOT) com> wrote

Not a request for help, just me being a tit for your light entertainment.

I've just replaced a transmission to drive shaft oil seal, with the
exception of me being a bit of girl when it came to prying out the drive
shaft inner mounting seemed to have gone without a hitch.

Anyway, when removing the bolt from the track rod end it came away with
little effort, revealing very little thread on the bolt. When
reassembling the nut wouldn't pinch tight or take even the slightest
torque.

I put another nut on the bottom, which worked a treat but the nut was
hanging off a little. I also had another locking nut but the thread was
slightly different. Buoyed on a little by my first success and my wife
enthusiastically egging me on, I tried the locking nut. Thought that with
a little muscle I might be able to carve a new thread in the putty that
was the existing thread. I got as far as the nylon on the nut before the
ball joint gave way. Needless to say the wife made an emergency exit from
the scene as I stared quietly at a now free spinning ball joint.

Couldn't shift the trackrod end bolt, so it's off to the local garage.

Thinking about it now, the ball joint is probably just rubber so god know
what I was thinking at the time. Oh yeah, a little muscle and I'll save
myself £50 Should give the mechanic (and the guys at work) something
to laugh about.

I'm getting a little fed up of this 'live and learn' b*ll*cks, it's
costing me a fortune.

Regards,

Tim

Years ago, I used to have an old Granada Ghia X 2.8i Auto and one of the oil
seals on the auto box was leaking. Already knowing that auto boxes are very
specialized bits of kit and I would never dare delve into the mysterious
inner workings of one, I consulted the HBOL to find that it was a simple job
to replace said oil seal.

So, obtained new seal for £1.75 and set about dropping the box. Once the box
was on the floor, the HBOL said, "Undo the six bolts holding the torque
converter housing to the box, lift away the housing and remove the seal".

As I lifted away the housing the seal came with it and various springs,
ball-bearings and other assorted stuff leaped out of the box like some
satanic jack-in-the-box on steroids. If anyone finds themselves in the same
situation, I can say that just shoving the stuff back in the box the same
way it came out doesn't work )

A phone call to a local auto box specialist went something like this:

"Hi. Erm, how much would you charge to rebuild... "
"A lot" came the reply
"But you don't know what I need rebuilding yet"
"Aye, but rebuilding anything's always a lot"

He then burst out laughing and asked what was wrong - by the time I'd
finished telling him he was wetting himself with laughter but said that yes,
he'd do it, and it wouldn't cost too much.

Talking to him on the phone, I could tell from his voice that he was
probably middle-aged but as my mate and I carried in the main body of the
box and various bits and pieces in an Asda carrier bag, the young lad at the
counter shouted at the top of his voice, and with obvious glee, "Paul. He's
here" - and about a dozen blokes came out of various places to have a look
and take the piss )

They said that as long as Haynes kept printing the BOL they would never be
short of work. Anyway, they sorted it and charged me about £20 or £25 IIRC
(going back about 15 years or a bit more). That was Stephenson's
Transmissions in Preston, Lancs, and I can highly recommend them - unlike
the HBOL )

John.

John (doesnotwork (AT) aiabsdC (DOT) com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they
were saying :

As I lifted away the housing the seal came with it and various
springs, ball-bearings and other assorted stuff leaped out of the box
like some satanic jack-in-the-box on steroids.

Ah, you let the pingfuckits out.

Talking to him on the phone, I could tell from his voice that he was
probably middle-aged but as my mate and I carried in the main body of
the box and various bits and pieces in an Asda carrier bag, the young
lad at the counter shouted at the top of his voice, and with obvious
glee, "Paul. He's here" - and about a dozen blokes came out of various
places to have a look and take the piss )

<chuckle>

"Dave Plowman (News)" <dave (AT) davenoise (DOT) co.uk> wrote

In article <pPGdnUDaLvx4PM_bnZ2dnUVZ8sKlnZ2d (AT) bt (DOT) com>,
TMC <anon (AT) anon (DOT) co.uk> wrote:
Its a ball joint therefore it will spin, that is what it is designed to
do However you are spinning the ball when attempting to tighten it. Once
in place the ball will remain still and the socket will move instead

And it is metal not rubber

Give the bottom of it an upward smack with a mallet to engage the
splines and tighten away

'Splines' on a trackrod end? I suppose some might have. All the ones I've
seen have just a plain taper.

Sorry, blond moment, its some years since I did one of these I really meant
taper

Tony

In article <Xns9938735162110adrianachapmanfreeis (AT) 204 (DOT) 153.245.131>,
Adrian says...

Talking to him on the phone, I could tell from his voice that he was
probably middle-aged but as my mate and I carried in the main body of
the box and various bits and pieces in an Asda carrier bag, the young
lad at the counter shouted at the top of his voice, and with obvious
glee, "Paul. He's here" - and about a dozen blokes came out of various
places to have a look and take the piss )

chuckle

Seconded. I always love reading stories like this.

--
Conor

Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright
until you hear them speak.........