Separating a tie rod end. How ?

[Daniel Dudley]

A guy on another forum can't get his tie rod end off the steering knuckle.

What's your trick ?

 

[heavychevy1]

Pickle forks and a BFH, maybe a little heat also.

 

[Bull]

This thread might be helpful:

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=101561&highlight=pickle+forks

 

[aandpdan]

How about a tie rod puller? Or a pickle fork if I don't care to save it.

 

[1949 caddyman]

Use a heavy hammer. Hit the part that the tier rod stud goes into. It may take many strikes of the hammer to loosen the tie rod.

 

[kornjulio]

I usually just undo the castle nut a few turns, then a sharp rap with a hammer on the nut is enough to unseat it from the tapered hole...never really ran into a problem on the few I've done...

 

[heavychevy1]

Sorry should have added that. Pickle fork for a really stubborn POS that you are definitely replacing.

 

[jethro29]

all of the above suggestions will work,but do not use heat on it.

 

[KenC]

I loosen the nut, place a 4lb hammer against the side on my left (cause I'm right handed and swing a hammer in my right). Then hit the other side with a 2 or 3 lb hammer. The shock normally releases the taper grip on the 1st or second blow.

If not, put a little pressure on it with a pickle fork, and then repeat the hammer trick.

 

[e-tek]

HEAT. Then rap on the side of the joint with a hammer until it works loose. Also, once you have the torch going, take it to the pickle-fork and melt it into a dolley - much more useful tool! Actually, the reason I don't like to use a pickle fork on a joint I am reusing is that it can stretch the joint and also rip the boot.

 

[e-tek]

all of the above suggestions will work,but do not use heat on it.

WHY NOT? Heat is MUCH better, more elegant tool than a pickel fork!
Actually, of all the above methods, I like KenC's method best.

 

[Zeke]

If it's a Porsche (I know Dan follows Porsches), then a sharp blow to the outside of the arm inwards towards the ball joint is how John Walker and others do that. I helps to have some upwards pressure on the castle nut end when you hit the arm. I agree no heat unless the rod end is being replaced. And at that, no heat hot enough to change the color of the arm.

I found that thread on Pelican and Sherwood has even a better answer. Your friend either doesn't have anything but his wife's kitchen drawer hammer or he won't swing away. That 2nd backing hammer needs to be over a pound.

 

[Hammer1963]

I generally use an extremely powerful Air hammer with a 3/4"-7/8" round hammer head bit. One or 2 seconds and it's loose.

 

[1948]

about the hitting it with a hammer on the nut: castle nut off, flip it over(because the castle part will smash), turn it till its flush with the top of the threads, then give it a good wack with a hammer.

 

[jayoldschool]

Loosen nut, pry bar between rod and spindle with pressure, hit spindle with 3lb sledge. Pops right out every time.

 

[socapots]

If you are not re-using it id say pickle fork and beat the **** outta it.. lol.

ive seen these used for balljoints to.. Maybe it'll work for your tie rod.. supposed to be a gentle way of doing it.

 

[fergus]

Just pulled the tie rods on my VW. Loosened the nuts, then I used an 18oz ball pein hammer and just rapped the end of the arm, right next to the ball joint. About five hits and they popped loose. The steel has to go somewhere...the little bit of contraction/expansion and vibration knocks the ball joint out.

 

[PSYKO_Inc]

I've always used a pickle fork for tie rods and balljoints. If you're careful it won't rip the boots...

 

[54FordPanel]

This thread might be helpful:

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=101561&highlight=pickle+forks

I have a kit like the one BMWPower posted on the other link. The lever type tool that's in his picture, right hand side.....same thing Socalpots posted a picture off: When I first used that thing, I wanted to kiss it.
Nothing else came close to getting my tie rod end off.

 

[WVBrady]

I loosen the nut, place a 4lb hammer against the side on my left (cause I'm right handed and swing a hammer in my right). Then hit the other side with a 2 or 3 lb hammer. The shock normally releases the taper grip on the 1st or second blow...

This is how the mechanics around here usually do it. Also mentioned in the above reference:

"Usually I use 2 BFHs on opposite sides of the knuckle. This sets up a vibration in the assembly and the the tie rod/ball joint pops right out!
I have the same puller set as BMW, but I seldom use it."

 

[NUTTSGT]

I usually just undo the castle nut a few turns, then a sharp rap with a hammer on the nut is enough to unseat it from the tapered hole...never really ran into a problem on the few I've done...

Same here.

 

[Stick]

Use a heavy hammer. Hit the part that the tier rod stud goes into. It may take many strikes of the hammer to loosen the tie rod.

I've always had better luck using a quick sharp blow from a 24-32oz hammer than a hard blow from a heavier hammer.

I worked a Military Stryker reset, and blew a couple of the guys minds when they couldn't loosen tie rods with a blow from 3 foot long 12lb sledge, so they came to me for help. I popped all four of them on the truck loose in about a minute with a single blow from a 32oz hammer on each knuckle.

 

[joecon]

I use a screw type puller.I use to use a fork but it would allways
rip the boot.Sometimes I use the hammer trick but you can deform
the hole that the taper is in.Don't heat the joint you can weaken the
part and it is your steering.

 

[Kevin54]

I use a 3lb drilling hammer on the backside and a 2lb ball peen on the front to rap it hard. If it doesn't work, pull out the pickle fork. But use caution as the pickle fork can and mostly does rip the boot.

 

[rodm1]

If using a pickle fork these cant be beat.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...921x00003a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=00947688000

 

[Kevin54]

If using a pickle fork these cant be beat.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...921x00003a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=00947688000

Are those for an air hammer? I can't really read the pic, but I am assuming they are.

 

[Daniel Dudley]

Are those for an air hammer? I can't really read the pic, but I am assuming they are.

I was actually wondering if anyone used an air tool. I have used most of the methods described, but I never use heat.

 

[Lugnut64052]

I don't even own a pickle fork.

Just beat the eye with a BFH. It'll come loose after a few whacks. I have never had one not come loose after a couple of hard hits with the BFH.

 

[gmein]

Like some have mentioned, using a hammer for solidity on one side and then rapping it once by swinging has always worked for me, done hundreds of times. Last week on my Dodge I just left the nut on by a few threads and utilized the weight from the A-arm to help, one little blow with a 16oz. straight claw and it went dink and off, leaving the nut on keeps the A-arm from flying off like a bullet with the spring load on it. I know we are responding to the tie-rod subject, but any part with a taper is about the same. What is really going on hear is that the blow from the hammer flexes the casting to an egg shape, thus relieving the male taper. The other day on my buddies 379 Peterbilt, it took a 7lb. single jack and about 6 blows on the center link, but it went dink too and came off. After a few tries, you will get good at knocking things off. Good luck

 

[Cobra6]

What is the year/model/make of the car?

 

[Greatbear]

A few raps from a 1 pound hammer is usually all I've ever needed. I also have a tie rod rattler bit for my air hammer for the stubborn ones.

 

[allinon72]

I use a gear puller, only because I've messed up the threads beating on one that I had to reuse.

 

[Lotek]

Beating on the nut or stud can ruin your day on smaller tierod ends, tapping the arm with feeling always gets them loose for me. Heat is bad for steering components as a rule.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I usually just undo the castle nut a few turns, then a sharp rap with a hammer on the nut is enough to unseat it from the tapered hole...never really ran into a problem on the few I've done...

I go one step further. Remove the castle nut, turn it over a screw it down until the top (previously the bottom) of the nut is now flush with the top of the threads.

As stated, just a few hammer hits and it pops.

If you do it this way, neither nut nor the threads get damaged.

 

[sdowney717]

dont hit the threads, hit the side. I take 2 hammers and it works

pickle forks can mess up the rubber boot.

 

[Jagmandave]

I use the tool in Socapot's post - I've had more than a few that simply would not come out no matter what I hit them with, where or how hard but the tool always gets them, and doesn't damage anything. If your hammer slips or misses, you can hurt yourself or something you didn't want to hit, like a speed sensor or ABS sensor. The tool takes a few moments to set up and turn the screw, but it always works....and it doesn't damage the threads or the boot. I always leave the nut on tho, just in case....some of them really pop when they come loose!

 

[LoRollinLS]

I use a small tie rod and pitman arm puller. That seems to be the best method for me. A pickle fork will rip the boots and I've broken pickle forks beating the **** out of them. Loosening the castle nut and rapping it with a BFH like the guys said above is a really quick way to do it, but gets tiresome.

 

[SGKent]

If you want to keep the car use the right tool. A hammer works well as described but the blows can damage other suspension parts such as worm gears or relay levers. Pullers are cheap and work well.

Examples:

 

[Lugnut64052]

What's a relay lever?

 

[sdowney717]

What's a relay lever?

likely an idler arm as it would relay the force from the steering box worm gear