Outer Tie Rod Socket? Anyone ever use one?

[YoshiMoshi3]

Anyone ever use an outer tie rod socket? Didn't know there was such a thing. Does it work well or damage the stud when you use it? Would defiantly help with seized up tie rods.

The only video I could find of someone using it was a short video on YouTube of someone using it to take an old outer tie rod off a new inner tie rod. I believe Sunex and Mac also make one.

 

[djbmw]

Anyone ever use an outer tie rod socket? Didn't know there was such a thing. Does it work well or damage the stud when you use it? Would defiantly help with seized up tie rods.

The only video I could find of someone using it was a short video on YouTube of someone using it to take an old outer tie rod off a new inner tie rod. I believe Sunex and Mac also make one.

Even after watching the video, I still dont understand why anyone would use or buy one. Just use your hand and unscrew it. If its really seized, use heat on the threads (torch or induction heater) and your wrench to get it moving.

There's also a school of thought that, if the outter is so seized that it takes you nearly liquifying it to remove it - you should just replace the thing.

The cost of aftermarket inner and outters allow for most people to just replace the whole thing. Use an angle grinder to cut the old one off within seconds... and then install the new one and get an alignment.

 

[volaredon]

Keep your hands out of the way for sure.
I only ever use mine for removing never on install of the replacement

 

[drokihazan]

If the outer isn't moving like this. It's time to take the inner off with a pipe wrench and throw it in the trash. Tie rods only cost as much as this socket probably.

 

[Wrench97]

Think of old school outer tie rod ends with the split sleeve, The socket works but will damage the stud so use it on the ones being replaced and it's good.

 

[Shadowdog500]

Think of out school outer tie rod ends with the split sleeve, The socket works but will damage the stud so use it on the ones being replaced and it's good.

+1! Old school split sleeve tie rod ends is where this tool will come in handy. Especially really old crusty ones.
I ordered the Sunnex 2801 Tie Rod Socket for about the same price.

This one fought me and that socket would have saved me time. I did buy a better torch after this video as well.

 

[Shoreline_]

+1! Old school split sleeve tie rod ends is where this tool will come in handy. Especially really old crusty ones.
I ordered the Sunnex 2801 Tie Rod Socket for about the same price.

This one fought me and that socket would have saved me time. I did buy a better torch after this video as well.

Where did you buy such small pipe wrenches? Were they salesman demos ?

 

[djbmw]

+1! Old school split sleeve tie rod ends is where this tool will come in handy. Especially really old crusty ones.
I ordered the Sunnex 2801 Tie Rod Socket for about the same price.

This one fought me and that socket would have saved me time. I did buy a better torch after this video as well.

A propane torch is NOT the torch I was mentioning. Propane doesnt get hot enough.

You need oxy/propane... or an induction heater. You need to get the metal at LEAST pink... verging on red. That little propane heater is doing nothing.

Also... you should use the appropriate sized wrench (and possibly a cheater bar) - NOT pipe wrenches. Thats how you chew up the flats on the tie rod.

 

[Shadowdog500]

Where did you buy such small pipe wrenches? Were they salesman demos ?

A propane torch is NOT the torch I was mentioning. Propane doesnt get hot enough.

You need oxy/propane... or an induction heater. You need to get the metal at LEAST pink... verging on red. That little propane heater is doing nothing.

Also... you should use the appropriate sized wrench (and possibly a cheater bar) - NOT pipe wrenches. Thats how you chew up the flats on the tie rod.

That’s not a tie rod, it’s a drag link and there are no flats.
The tie rod socket driven by my Earthquake XT would probably have have it off in seconds without heat.
The pipe wrench I used on the bench is 2’ long.
The Trimo pipe wrenches I tried under the lift (circled in red) were about 10” long.
The old rusty pipe wrenches were my grandfathers I added the new rigid pipe wrench a few years ago.

I did add a map gas torch. I thought about getting an oxy-acetylene torch but I wouldn’t use it that often.

 

[djbmw]

That’s not a tie rod, it’s a drag link and there are no flats.

There are flats on both of the ball joint ends, as shown in the attached screen shot from your video. The main body link should have a sinch ring over a split thread (or, in your case I think it was a bolted clamp over the split threads). Once the sinch ring is knocked away (or clamp loosened), the ball joint ends should simply unthread by hand. If rust and corrosion has taken a hold, you need LOTS of heat so that you dont have to put 200lbs + of force onto your wrenches to get it off.

Get it slightly glowing and you should have no problem loosening it without a fuss.

 

[Mr_B]

decent heat is your best tool on proper corroded ones, these sockets have so much slop & a long rod section will further torsionally dampen impacting making them not that effective for proper stuck scenarios ,
Do fair few of these weekly & would never bother with that socket, generally if it that badly rusted and inner rod not A1or OEM we replace both (tend balance this on actual checked part cost and expected life condition of vehicle in question) Basically if it got close to 200 bucks a corner nice tires and having alignment we not going mess with old parts unless absolutely A1 & quality, in most cases it like 30 to 60 bucks for good quality new inner and job jobbed first time and no come backs with inner rod issues or tire wear issues .

 

[NHtoolguy]

My understanding is that those outer tie rod sockets are intended for flat-rate techs that need to save time for replacements. The outer tie rod end is not reused when removed. If time is not critical, appropriate heat and more conventional tools will work fine.

 

[Lassen Forge]

I ussed one of those on an air impact wrench. It popped the Tie Rod but it was Whanga-Whanga-Whanga for 12 minutes,
Probably the socket was then trash, but when you're working on old **** someties the pain is worth the success...

 

[rust in the eye]

I'll grant that the tie rod end is to be replaced anyway so damaging it to be a moot point.
That said this thing looks like an accident waiting to happen. Many tie rod ends are curved which makes what will happen when the impact breaks it free and starts whipping it around interesting. All that twisting force/impacting is also being transferred to the inner tie rod and steering rack in many cases which can't be good. There are better ways to do this job.

 

[Shadowdog500]

I'll grant that the tie rod end is to be replaced anyway so damaging it to be a moot point.
That said this thing looks like an accident waiting to happen. Many tie rod ends are curved which makes what will happen when the impact breaks it free and starts whipping it around interesting. All that twisting force/impacting is also being transferred to the inner tie rod and steering rack in many cases which can't be good. There are better ways to do this job.

Yes, you would not be replacing that rod end unless it was trash anyway so there is no reason to worry about destroying it more because the guy at the scrap metal place don’t care how it looks..

I don’t know anyone who would wouldn’t securely hold the drag link to keep the other rod end from taking the impact hits. I’d probably take the drag link off and hold it in a bench vise.

If I ever get one that stuck again I’m definitely going to use the socket and post a video to see if it works as good as the tiger tools video.