Rod end popped right out, I could have died.

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Gippster

Gippster

Joined
May 30, 2024
Threads
26
Messages
159
Location
Colorado
I drove on the highway. I felt my steering was loose and made nothing of it. By some miracle, I somehow didn’t die on the road. I got to my destination, went in, came back out, pulled in reverse, and the whole thing came undone.

I popped it back in, strapped it, towed it back home, bought myself rod-ends and a rebuild kit, but I’m now curious how this could happen. Is it a common issue?

Beyond that, since I’m going to rebuild and install, what are the tips I should be aware of?

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That end plug looks like it’s almost fully unthreaded itself - should be seated under flush on that bore and have a kotter pin through the slot to lock it, but guessing it was missing.

Glad it wasn’t catastrophic!
 
toy_tek said:
That end plug looks like it’s almost fully unthreaded itself - should be seated under flush on that bore and have a kotter pin through the slot to lock it, but guessing it was missing.

Glad it wasn’t catastrophic!
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Yup, just went in, looked at it, and the second I wiggled it, bolt came right off. I guess the shop missed that.
 
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Run from that shop. In fact, consider suing them! That is negligence.
 
I would have to prove this was their fault, but I’ve had this thing for over a year and a half. Of course, I didn't touch the rod ends. I have no reason to do that. I gave them the parts and asked them to install them. It's clear who did it, so that much is established.

It’s been driven, and I’m pretty sure the stress and road vibrations eventually loosened the bolt. Honestly, a lawsuit would be almost impossible to win, and what would I really get out of it? I’d spend money, maybe get compensated, or a judge might not agree with me, and I’d waste time and money. A lesson, if there's any, is that with these rigs, it's best to learn how to work on them yourself unless you're wealthy enough to afford the professional restoration, and I'll take this lesson to inspect the work and see what else is missed.

The silver lining is that the rig got me to my destination before it gave out. Even did me a solid by not letting me get off the parking lot. None of this dawned on me until the tow truck driver looked at me and said, "You're lucky to be alive." Until then, I was trying to understand what happened to the rig, and wasn't even thinking about how incredibly close it could have gotten.

There must be a guardian angel watching over me.

Edit: The really crazy part is that my family has been in it several times. We've gone on road trips.
 
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BurntToast said:
Another reason to work on your own truck
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Bingo. When you touch every part of the truck you know what's wrong and usually how to fix it.

I agree with @toy_tek, that end plug is missing the cotter pin and worked itself out via driving. If those are 555 rod ends, they come tightened appropriately and cotter pinned right out of the box. Just slap 'em on. Not sure why a cotter pin would have been removed, and they're in tight from the factory so I can't see one falling out.

Glad you're ok Will!
 
Jim gave me the clue. I just chased it. No, not 555 rod ends; they're OEs, so never replaced.

I ordered the kit from Man-a-fre back in March of 2025; they're 555. Two things could have happened:
1. Man-a-fre never fully fulfilled the delivery, and I lost track.
2. Man-a-fre shipped the kit, and the shop never installed it.

Either scenario: $150 down the drain. I ordered it again from SOR today; it definitely shows 555. I guess I'm doing the install myself soon. Something something, do it yourself.
 
Cool
 
Gippster said:
Jim gave me the clue. I just chased it. No, not 555 rod ends; they're OEs, so never replaced.

I ordered the kit from Man-a-fre back in March of 2025; they're 555. Two things could have happened:
1. Man-a-fre never fully fulfilled the delivery, and I lost track.
2. Man-a-fre shipped the kit, and the shop never installed it.

Either scenario: $150 down the drain. I ordered it again from SOR today; it definitely shows 555. I guess I'm doing the install myself soon. Something something, do it yourself.
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You got this, it's a real easy job. Even with time spent cleaning it's probably 1-3 hours. The FSM has it all detailed for you.
 
I lost a drag link connection a few years ago. I was on the south side of Montgomery, AL (not the best part of town) and had just pulled away from a light, made a slow left turn and once straightened out the steering went loose. I was able to coast off onto the shoulder which was a blessing. A quick check of the steering revealed the issue. I used a NRS strap and Gorilla tape to reattach the link, then made a slow 30 mile drive home. Temp fix held up fine. These were 555 joints and I attribute this failure to my lack of greasing the link. I replaced them with 555.

Missing cotter pin in the photo is from my pulling it. You can see the intersection in the distance where I had made the 90 left turn.

As I was lying under the front fixing it I was constantly looking down the road for oncoming traffic or off toward the neighborhood watching for neer-do-wells who might come over to offer "help." No one did.

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you should have stopped and inspected when you felt something was off in your steering, that’s your responsibility when you drive a 40 year old vehicle
 
For what it’s worth that rod end looks brand new, now that you’ve assembled it back, hit and all the other’s with the grease gun, and then some black paint, and party on. I don’t see a need to replace that end.
 
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