FJ40 Castle Nut Torque (1 Viewer)

[JD403]

Hey all

I'm pretty green, and I'm still working through my very first tie rod end swap. I've searched through FSM and the forum, and I can't get a clean answer on what torque to tighten the castle nuts to. There's a lot of "just make sure it's tight and put the cotter pin through, but honestly I have no familiarity here, and I'm hoping someone on the forum can give me a more objective answer of what "tight enough" is on these bolts (numbered for simplicity)

Thanks everyone

John

 

[php74]

By the time you clear the space to be able to slide in the pin your usually really tight. You only have a turn or two until your past the notch in the castle too so not a ton of variables. Ive never had an issue doing it like this. Good luck!

 

[jvincig01]

By the time you clear the space to be able to slide in the pin your usually really tight. You only have a turn or two until your past the notch in the castle too so not a ton of variables. Ive never had an issue doing it like this. Good luck!

agreed

 

[shawnfj40]

X3

 

[aljollano]

By the time you clear the space to be able to slide in the pin your usually really tight. You only have a turn or two until your past the notch in the castle too so not a ton of variables. Ive never had an issue doing it like this. Good luck!

X 4 plus, if you go passed this point and you over torque them you could damage the threads in no time.

A.J

 

[65swb45]

You've got an awful lot of threads showing on the tie rod tube from the steering box. That is a recipe for failure with that long Pitman arm. What is your tube length?

 

[JD403]

@65swb45 , sorry for the slow response - I was out of town for work.

I just measured, it's approx 26 1/8 or 664 mm

How do I figure out if the tube needs to be replaced with something longer?

 

[mdsims]

You've got an awful lot of threads showing on the tie rod tube from the steering box. That is a recipe for failure with that long Pitman arm. What is your tube length?

Could be that the steering box is a bit far forward? I've never done a sag conversion, but most I've seen have the round portion of the housing tucked into the front cross member, 1-2" back from where this photo shows it. That would explain why the drag link looks short.

 

[65swb45]

Could be that the steering box is a bit far forward? I've never done a sag conversion, but most I've seen have the round portion of the housing tucked into the front cross member, 1-2" back from where this photo shows it. That would explain why the drag link looks short.

That's probably it Matt.

 

[JD403]

Interesting.

Should I invest in a longer link, or in having the PS pump moved 1-2" back? Will there be problems with my current geometry? (I've never actually experienced good steering in this FJ, since the TREs were destroyed when I came in to possession of it... so I won't be able to tell if it's sub-par with the current Sag position)

 

[mdsims]

Someone more experienced will have to weigh in on the worth of moving the box back. My guess, it'd be harder to move than it was to set it up the first time. Perhaps just source a longer drag link and go from there? That's my vote.

 

[65swb45]

Without knowing how heavily they welded the mounting plate, it's hard to say how much work it would be to move it. Also don't know how your intermediate shaft is set up between column and box.

A stouter relay rod of the correct length will definitely improve safety. It just won't help bump steer.

 

[sggoat]

This from the FAQ--
Knuckle Studs and Tie Rods (Values differ depending on the diameter of the stud)
11mm- 40 - 60 ft#'s
12mm- 62 - 79 ft#'s
Knuckle Years:
Pre 1979 were 11mm
1979 and later were 12mm