semlin
curmudgeon
Hi, so I replaced the relay rod ends and installed the ome steering damper today. I am basically done but have some questions i woulde like answered before i tighten up.
should I even out the thread distance on the rod ends? the thread distance on the two relay rod ends was 1cm ps and 0 cm at the pitman end( it was tigh as it is possible to be). when i pulled the rod ends, the pitman arm end loosened up fairly easily, but the ps end took a lot of blaster and torch work work to turn it. I suspect that the last guy to do an alignment gave up on the frozen side adjusted at only one end, so I took the total of 1 cm of thread on the last time i was ps end and split it into .5 cm at each end. does this sound like a good idea? After my last alignment the truck has always pulled to the right a little more than I like. the alignment guy told me there was no more adjustment and he could not fix it. I think now i understand why
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I used christo's replacement set and they come with metal wire spring clamps to hold the bottom of the rubberboot on. does anyone know if they are supposed to be installed like that or if they are removed before install? I left t5hem on.
are you supposed to fill the boots with grease? I looked inside and there was no grease other than a thin layer on the rod end so I filled them up with axle grease.
does 67 ft lbs torque sound right for the rod ends? That is the FSM spec but when I tighten them the boot is a lot more flattened and distorted than it was when I removed them.
As you can see my last 3 questions are potentially related
As far as a write up, I realize this is pretty basic stuff but this was my first time doing this job and I tried but could not find a write up beforehand and the FSM is farily useless and it would have helped to have one, so I will contribute some comments for those, like me, who don't know how to do this.
one comment is that Christo's parts look like very good quality to me and are nearly identical to the oem.
the OCT 7315A tie rod removal tool that christo and others here recommended worked like a charm on the rods end, but would not budge the dampoer bar ends. it took a bfh on the vice to get the steering damper ends out. they were so stubborn i wondered for a while if they were threaded into the rod end. it is good ome gives you replacements with the new damper because they are unlikely to survive removal intact.
if you do a rod end replacement, make sure you have something to break loose the old rod ends from the rod. the pitman end rod is not so bad because you can use the hole where the damper goes on as a lever point, but for the other rod ends you need something long and strong that grabs the neck of the rod ends. I assume most folks use a pickle fork? In my case I used a big adjustable wrench to grab onto the rod end, then a 24mm socket stuck over the end of the wrench and a 30 inch socket extensionon the socket to get enouygh leverage to turn the rod end (after cooking it for 5 minutes with a torch).
You also need a vice strong enough to really grab the rod and hold it, or else a big powerful set of vicegrips with a round mouth. Make sure the vice has a pipe mouth if that is your plan.
oh yeah, lots of penetrating oil before hand and a propane torch help too
should I even out the thread distance on the rod ends? the thread distance on the two relay rod ends was 1cm ps and 0 cm at the pitman end( it was tigh as it is possible to be). when i pulled the rod ends, the pitman arm end loosened up fairly easily, but the ps end took a lot of blaster and torch work work to turn it. I suspect that the last guy to do an alignment gave up on the frozen side adjusted at only one end, so I took the total of 1 cm of thread on the last time i was ps end and split it into .5 cm at each end. does this sound like a good idea? After my last alignment the truck has always pulled to the right a little more than I like. the alignment guy told me there was no more adjustment and he could not fix it. I think now i understand why
.I used christo's replacement set and they come with metal wire spring clamps to hold the bottom of the rubberboot on. does anyone know if they are supposed to be installed like that or if they are removed before install? I left t5hem on.
are you supposed to fill the boots with grease? I looked inside and there was no grease other than a thin layer on the rod end so I filled them up with axle grease.
does 67 ft lbs torque sound right for the rod ends? That is the FSM spec but when I tighten them the boot is a lot more flattened and distorted than it was when I removed them.
As you can see my last 3 questions are potentially related
As far as a write up, I realize this is pretty basic stuff but this was my first time doing this job and I tried but could not find a write up beforehand and the FSM is farily useless and it would have helped to have one, so I will contribute some comments for those, like me, who don't know how to do this.
one comment is that Christo's parts look like very good quality to me and are nearly identical to the oem.
the OCT 7315A tie rod removal tool that christo and others here recommended worked like a charm on the rods end, but would not budge the dampoer bar ends. it took a bfh on the vice to get the steering damper ends out. they were so stubborn i wondered for a while if they were threaded into the rod end. it is good ome gives you replacements with the new damper because they are unlikely to survive removal intact.
if you do a rod end replacement, make sure you have something to break loose the old rod ends from the rod. the pitman end rod is not so bad because you can use the hole where the damper goes on as a lever point, but for the other rod ends you need something long and strong that grabs the neck of the rod ends. I assume most folks use a pickle fork? In my case I used a big adjustable wrench to grab onto the rod end, then a 24mm socket stuck over the end of the wrench and a 30 inch socket extensionon the socket to get enouygh leverage to turn the rod end (after cooking it for 5 minutes with a torch).
You also need a vice strong enough to really grab the rod and hold it, or else a big powerful set of vicegrips with a round mouth. Make sure the vice has a pipe mouth if that is your plan.
oh yeah, lots of penetrating oil before hand and a propane torch help too
