My truck almost killed me: Check your tie rod ends!
04-13-2012, 10:36 AM
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My truck almost killed me: Check your tie rod ends!
So I converted to a Marlin Crawler high steer/crossover steering set up on my '85 a few years ago and I've got about 50-60k miles on it now. It had been great, alignment had always been straight, and steering effort offroad was much better than the stock setup. Last week though, it just decided to let go!
I'm not sure exactly what caused this to happen, other than moisture getting in there over time and rusting on the inside. Once there was a little play in the tie rod end threads, it just slowly wore itself down. There were no warning signs like bad alignment, and there was enough steering play already in the system that it just wasn't noticeable.
Luckily, I was a half mile from my house and going about 2mph when it let go, so there was no harm done to anything else. I was just turning a sharp corner to park in a meadow, nothing serious. The scary thing is I drove it 90 miles the day before running errands. From the looks of it, one hard corner or swerve at speed would have taken it out, and me with it most likely.
To get home, I was able to just align the tie rod and tie rod end while the wheel was cranked and they slipped back together. I then ratchet strapped the two knuckle arms together and limped it back home.
So, I would encourage everyone with this setup, no matter who made it, to check over their rod ends periodically and make sure everything is tight and the threads are good, both in the tube and on the rod end.
By the way, these were the Toyota FJ80 rod ends, not some knock-off brand.
Trashed threads:
The other side was actually just fine:
New tie rod from All-Pro:
I'm not sure exactly what caused this to happen, other than moisture getting in there over time and rusting on the inside. Once there was a little play in the tie rod end threads, it just slowly wore itself down. There were no warning signs like bad alignment, and there was enough steering play already in the system that it just wasn't noticeable.
Luckily, I was a half mile from my house and going about 2mph when it let go, so there was no harm done to anything else. I was just turning a sharp corner to park in a meadow, nothing serious. The scary thing is I drove it 90 miles the day before running errands. From the looks of it, one hard corner or swerve at speed would have taken it out, and me with it most likely.
To get home, I was able to just align the tie rod and tie rod end while the wheel was cranked and they slipped back together. I then ratchet strapped the two knuckle arms together and limped it back home.
So, I would encourage everyone with this setup, no matter who made it, to check over their rod ends periodically and make sure everything is tight and the threads are good, both in the tube and on the rod end.
By the way, these were the Toyota FJ80 rod ends, not some knock-off brand.
Trashed threads:
The other side was actually just fine:
New tie rod from All-Pro:
04-13-2012, 11:57 AM
#3
How much of the rod end thread is inside the tie rod? I found on my '85 with the AllPro kit, my tie rod length was OK, but the drag link was on the short side, like the rod ends were only screwed in maybe half way in. They tended to loosen up. So to fit that, I pickup up a RH and LH nut that matched the threads then welded a nut on each end of the drag link to make it longer. This let me thread the rod ends in so there are only a few threads exposed when the jam nuts are in place. Now it never loosens up and the flats on the nuts on either end make it super easy to adjust the drag link length, just slap a wrench on to turn it.
Before doing this, I had applied some Loctite to try and keep it from loosening and that sort of worked. But now, with the remnants of that Loctite inside the treads, I think that helps keep if from loosening. That and the slight thread mis-match where the nuts are welded in place.
Before doing this, I had applied some Loctite to try and keep it from loosening and that sort of worked. But now, with the remnants of that Loctite inside the treads, I think that helps keep if from loosening. That and the slight thread mis-match where the nuts are welded in place.
04-13-2012, 12:10 PM
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How much of the rod end thread is inside the tie rod? I found on my '85 with the AllPro kit, my tie rod length was OK, but the drag link was on the short side, like the rod ends were only screwed in maybe half way in. They tended to loosen up. So to fit that, I pickup up a RH and LH nut that matched the threads then welded a nut on each end of the drag link to make it longer. This let me thread the rod ends in so there are only a few threads exposed when the jam nuts are in place. Now it never loosens up and the flats on the nuts on either end make it super easy to adjust the drag link length, just slap a wrench on to turn it.
Before doing this, I had applied some Loctite to try and keep it from loosening and that sort of worked. But now, with the remnants of that Loctite inside the treads, I think that helps keep if from loosening. That and the slight thread mis-match where the nuts are welded in place.
Before doing this, I had applied some Loctite to try and keep it from loosening and that sort of worked. But now, with the remnants of that Loctite inside the treads, I think that helps keep if from loosening. That and the slight thread mis-match where the nuts are welded in place.
It was threaded in almost all the way, the position the nut is in right now was tight against the rod the last time I did alignment.
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04-13-2012, 12:54 PM
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Sound like a loose jam-nut to me. Once they come loose there is a slight amount of play in the threads which can slowly wear the threads down. I always spot weld my jam nuts because mine like to come loose sometimes.
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