Bent Track/Tie-Rod [Help Unbending/Replacing It?]

Bent Track/Tie-Rod [Fixed - Cheers Frank!!]

I wish I was joining up in happier circumstances but my poor Micra had a bump last night on the icy roads (I was only doing 20mph - the irony) :down:

I managed to nurse the thing back home with the wheels seriously out of allignment. When I took the drivers wheel off for a look I noticed the track-rod had bent quite badly.

I won't say how I 'tried' to fix it first time round while it was all still attached. But I soon realised I'd need to take it out to fix it properly. From what reading I've already done on this it seems a definate possibility to simply take out, straighten up and put back. Then maybe get a 2nd-hand scrap car track rod as a replacement for the long term.

I'm off to get a ball-joint seperator tonight from Halfords and I'll start tomorrow (Tuesday).

Does anyone have ANY advice, pictures, info, good, encouraging things to say that could help me? I've got a Haynes manual but its about as clear as Latin poetry in the dark. Its also got nothing on removing the whole tracking rod. :confused:

I'd REALLY appreciate your help people. More than you can imagine.
 

frank

Club Member
ashiro

best to change the trackrod really ( bend the locking tabs back and screw it off )
the fork shaped splitters tend to rip the gaitor ( i usually shock them off )
 

Swiper

Ex. Club Member
Club Member
i'm not sure if you can change the track rod on it's own, you may need to change the complete steering rack.
 
OP
OP
Ashiro
I was reading on some Land Rover sites that bent track rods are pretty common and a lot of them lot talk about hammering it straight with a sledge hammer and smacking it against rocks or using the winch!!

I dunno if its just Land Rover drivers being nutters or if thats feesible.

I do plan on getting a scrapped track rod but I just want to repair it in the short-term so I can drive to a scrap yard to buy one!

Frank - Really appreciate your help but I don't suppose you could tell me what the locking tabs are or what they look like? The Haynes isn't very good for steering. Though looking at the pics its not too good for any area (if anyone knows of a good colour manual I'd really appredciate it)

I think I'll buy some axle stands too so I can properly get under the car as all I have is the standard issue jack which can only do one side.
 

frank

Club Member
ashiro

inside the rack gaitor theres a rose joint ( inner trackrod end ) that screws off the rack with tab washers that lock it
axle stands ? deffo HEALTH AND SAFETY !
did you get a ball joint splitter ?
 

joesouthgate

Super Moderator
Moderator
Club Member
yer you should deffo use axle stands as jacks can lose hydraulic pressure and i definetly wouldnt stick my head under a car with just that holding it :p
 
I would not recomend straightening the track rod. It coud be weakend already, or you could put a hairline crack in it straightening it. If it failed you could find yourself in charge of a wreck looking for somewhere to happen! And if it did fail it would do so under load, so you unlikley you would be doing 5 mph in a straight line. Leave the straightening to the Land Rover and Rally nuts and they should only do it in emergencies.

I think a replacement rack is your best option, a scrappy shouldn't be to expensive And remeber to get it tracked afterwards. If you do go for the replacement tracjk rod, do not re-use the Tab Washer. The tabs have a nasty habit of breaking, again at the worst possible time. I doubt if you can buy new ones, but you can always make one out of a bit of sheet steel.
 
OP
OP
Ashiro
Ah brilliant - cheers Frank. Local Halfords didn't have a splitter but apparently there's a motor factors in Bromsgrove which I'll pay a visit to first thing as its closed now.

I'll take photos as I go in case it helps anyone in future. Will keep you all posted. Thanks everyone. :)
 

frank

Club Member
ashiro

the screw up splitters wont split the rubber but can chew the t/r/end thread (if not used with care)
the forked splitters usually split the rubber
i always give the track arm (part of the hub) a sharp wack on the "end" (full lock) and the t/r/end will pop out the taper
 
OP
OP
Ashiro
Its not going well so far. :(

I've so far got the wedge splitter, axle stands and a trolley jack. I have all the rest of the tools but its getting expensive.

I tried to pop open the ball joints using the wedge - I hope I got it right - but it just won't come apart. I stuck the wedge in used a 4lb sledge hammer on the end a good few times and it just stays there. I'm worried if I wack it anymore it's going to break/bend something. Should I be less timid and just hammer the damn thing until it pops apart?

Another thing - would a blow torch help soften the track rod to bend it back to shape? Thats if I ever get the bloody thing out of the car. This is a lot tougher than I thought it'd be. :(

I'll start on it tomorrow at 9am - I've spent hours on it today and got nowhere so maybe a new day will help.
 

solarice

Ex. Club Member
yeah can blow torch the surrounding metal on the hub, which should i theory will expand the metal and make it easier to remove...is the nut on the underside loosening off or is it just spining the ball joint.

If its spinning you can either try and clamp it up or grip it to help stop the joint moving, but i ended up having to hacksaw the stud off, then remove the track rod from the rack, and then mmm how should i say, convince the remaining pieces to leave.

Somthing ive got a feeling youre heading towards doing. :)
 
OP
OP
Ashiro
Oh god. :s

Yeah that nut is spinning. I thought the splitter wedge would help me avoid having to undo that as I thought it'd pop apart the shoulder/cap end of the ball joint? But does it actually need that nut taking off first and its the whole of that bolt coming out. Descriptions are hard to figure out so I did a picture:

balljoint.gif

http://www.maguild.co.uk/balljoint.gif

So I have to take the bolt off first then use the wedge - I thought the wedge popped ball joint shoulders & caps?

I don't want to use a blowtorch on the cap but on the bent track rod itself. I want to straighten it so I can get the car working well enough to get to the next town (Redditch) where there's a breakers yard and the chance to get a new one. Reckon that'd work?
 
OP
OP
Ashiro
I need a whole new track rod too, but I'll have a go at that tomorrow. :(

I have another question though - I may have bitten off more than I can chew. When I looked earlier today (Tues) it looked like I wouldn't be able to get the track rod out without taking apart the whole stearing gear assembly. There's two large bolted C clips that seem to hold the bar on but the bar goes through a cylinder and joins with the steering column bit that comes in. I guess it makes sense that I'd have to take apart the whole system to get just the rod out but isn't there an easier way?

I looked in the Haynes and a full removal and refitting of the stearing gear is a 4/5 difficulty. I dunno if thats going to be too much. :(

Getting demoralised now. Its my first car and cost £400. Should I break it up and sell it or stick at it?
 

solarice

Ex. Club Member
nah theres no need to replace the whole steering (providing you havent bent anything else)...if you look at the track rod end you'll see a threaded section that the track rod end screws onto (may need a wire brush down, incase theres a little surface rust hiding this) there'll also be a nut butting up to the track rod end...before this threaded section you'll see a flat, this is where you put your spanner to keep the steering bar still (so you dont adust its internal length -- this is the bit the garage will use for adjustment when getting tracking done),

you then put some rotational force onto track rod end and it will eventually unscrew (may need wd40 and blowtorch) you then just need to screw on the new one (id recommend greasing up the threads) and tighten the lock nut up to the track rod...(remeber where the lock nut was on the threaded section as it'll set your tracking close to what it was before you started)

if youve managed to keep everything still, you might not need to get the tracking done, but if youre unsure it'll be worth getting it checked.

But before all that the nut on the underside has to come off because the part with the nut on, is slightly tapered thin at nut end, fat at the other so it will only come out one way.

Haynes section you should be looking at is Chapter 10 section 16.

Hope that helps :) unfortunatly on older cars, rusted/siezed parts is somthing you get to enjoy undoing lol. stick with it as you'll be chuffed once youve got it sorted.

I can get you a pic if needed, to hightlight the areas ive mentioned.
 
OP
OP
Ashiro
nah theres no need to replace the whole steering (providing you havent bent anything else)...if you look at the track rod end you'll see a threaded section that the track rod end screws onto (may need a wire brush down, incase theres a little surface rust hiding this) there'll also be a nut butting up to the track rod end...before this threaded section you'll see a flat, this is where you put your spanner to keep the steering bar still (so you dont adust its internal length -- this is the bit the garage will use for adjustment when getting tracking done),

you then put some rotational force onto track rod end and it will eventually unscrew (may need wd40 and blowtorch) you then just need to screw on the new one (id recommend greasing up the threads) and tighten the lock nut up to the track rod...(remeber where the lock nut was on the threaded section as it'll set your tracking close to what it was before you started)

if youve managed to keep everything still, you might not need to get the tracking done, but if youre unsure it'll be worth getting it checked.

But before all that the nut on the underside has to come off because the part with the nut on, is slightly tapered thin at nut end, fat at the other so it will only come out one way.

Haynes section you should be looking at is Chapter 10 section 16.

Hope that helps :) unfortunatly on older cars, rusted/siezed parts is somthing you get to enjoy undoing lol. stick with it as you'll be chuffed once youve got it sorted.

I can get you a pic if needed, to hightlight the areas ive mentioned.
I'd really appreciate a pic - the Haynes pics are hard to decipher.

Its the track rod itself thats bent unfortunately so I need to replace it. I've just spent an hour getting the split pin out on the passengers side rod end. This is a hell of a lot harder than I expected. 1994 means almost 14yrs of setting and rust. How on earth classic car owners do anything I don't know!

So because I need to replace the rod I've bought a new steering rack which should be delivered tomorrow. The problem is I also spent another unsuccessful hour trying to unbolt the 2 big C clips under the car. Using wrench, extended with spanner (through the hole). Also whacking the wrench with a sledge hammer in the loosening direction. LOTS of WD40. Nothing worked.

I'm on the verge of doing one of two things:
1. Getting an angle grinder and cutting-ripping it out by force.
2. Paying the nearest garage (Kwik Fit) to do it for me.

I don't wanna do either of those so if anyones got any tips I'd be immensely grateful. Does blowtorching a nut really help unscrew it? I've already bought about £100 of tools so I want to make sure a blow torch is gonna help before I buy one. Or should I buy the angle grinder?
 

solarice

Ex. Club Member
pretty much everything ive removed on mine was rusted solid...and ive done virtaully the whole car...so needless to say ive gone through a few cans of blowtorch gas and wd40. :)

For track rod end removal ive included a pic -- best i can get at the moment as the car isnt at its most accessible...the lock nut is the main item that needs heating up til its glowing red (if yours is as bad as mine was)

Im assuming the bit youre saying youve also bent is the item ive labled as "Track Rod Threaded Bar" which is a bit of a ###### it'll be a bit more involved...id assume you can replace just the one side...but thats the one item i havent removed...so cant give you a heads up on what to expect im afraid.

The blowtorch can help but anywhere theres a risk of damaging rubber items that youre not replacing youll need to be careful...all it does is break the thin layer of corrosion thats worked its way onto the threads...to be honest it depends on what youre going to be doing later on..personally if youre just removing these rusted parts then a blowtorch would probs be the best thing to get, as if you have a hacksaw then those two things will get the track rod end off quicker...or ask about maybe someone you know might have the bits you can borrow.
 

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OP
OP
Ashiro
Its all sorted now!!! Frank came to the rescue this afternoon.
Complete pro: The rod end I spent an hour getting the split pin off he managed to get hold of and remove it entirely in the space of 2-3 mins!! I couldn't believe it! Driving like a charm now - its so damn good to have my car back.

Thanks Frank - you're a legend! :)
 
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I replaced a bent tackrod today. It was easier than I expected. I was busy bashing a screwdriver under the little tab here but it was facing the bulkhead when I uncvered the one on the car. I didn't need to worry about it. I simply used pipe pliers to grab it and it came undone. I couldn't bend the tab back in when refitted to the rack on the car though, just tighten it hard and trust it to stay tight eh.
 
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