----- Original Message -----
From: "Bobby Joe Pendleton II" <bobbyjoe@chartertn.net>
To: "List yahoogroups.com" <MVlist@yahoogroups.com>; "Military Vehicles
List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2001 11:10 PM
Subject: [MVlist] close call
>. . . . . . .The body of the tie rod end completely fell off and left the
tapered shaft in >the arm.
>
A salutary warning, steering joints are important and not to be ignored,
maybe we are fortunate in an odd way that our vehicles have to undergo a
rigorous govt defined series of annual tests (The "MOT") to be allowed on
the road.
I apologise if anybody is being taught to suck eggs but there is a way of
removing taper steering joints that isn't intuitive, I haven't seen
described in the last several years, and may be of value to some.
Of paramount importance never, ever, ever, try to drive the taper pin out by
hitting the screwed end, without a nut on it you will surely swell the
threaded portion and the nut will never fit again, with a nut flush to the
end you will swell the taper shaft like a rivet and its now never coming
out.
Read the above paragraph again. . . . . . . . .
Undo the nut until its flush with the shaft end or use a spare plain nut if
its a nylock type, apply some force in a direction to separate the taper pin
from the eye.
On smaller vehicles a helper with a big pry-bar can be used but a specific
bolt-up ball joint puller is preferred, there are drive-in forked wedge
tools available too.
Don't expect it to pop out just yet, if it does its a bonus. With some
significant force applied and the puller (its really a "pusher-aparter")
really tightened and to one side, fetch the eye a really good whack on its
vertical FACE with a substantial hammer IN LINE with its cast shaft. The
loose nut on the taper shaft is a protection for the thread in case you miss
! It also limits the travel when the shaft pops out.
Obviously belting it anywhere else has no effect as the shock load makes the
eye casting spring away, the effect is to swell the eye a fraction of a thou
or less and this releases the pin. Particularly difficult joints may need
some pounding on the sides away from being in line with the casting shaft or
this shaft may be a cranked affair, in these cases you have to learn the
technique of simultaneous two handed hammer operation and give it a whack
simultaneously from both sides at the same instant.
On re-assembly ensure the taper pin and eye is clean, if you mis-hit it
previously and raised a bulge in the flat eye faces, dress with a file and
give one taper surface the merest hint of something to alleviate corrosion,
a non-gritty but grubby finger will do. Use the torque specs on the nut or
the undescribable engineering feel and mechanical sympathy (a good "nip"),
the forces on the taper are huge with quite small torques and it goes into
molecular attraction thereby which is why they don't part that easily.
Don't get your biggest Snap-On breaker bar, snug socket, brace your feet on
the chassis and pull until your eyes pop; even my Stalwart joints with inch
and something AF nuts aren't more than snug, you can rattle your thumb in
the taper holes, such is the size of the taper bearing area.
Richard
Southampton - England
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Jul 05 2001 - 00:40:34 PDT