Tie rod end stuck

[Lyle Kilson]

Does anyone have a hack to unscrew a tie rod end? I’ve tried penetrating oil and a blow torch to heat it up. Neither methods worked. Maybe there is a tool someone’s used to get these suckers unscrewed? Any help would be great.

 

[2000cruiser]

It also wouldn't be so bad if you ended up with some new HD rods and 555 ends

 

[Lyle Kilson]

What gas was the torch?

I’ve just been using a propane torch but it looks like I need to upgrade to the MAPP gas.

 

[Lyle Kilson]

It also wouldn't be so bad if you ended up with some new HD rods and 555 ends

I got the 555 ends. Some new HD rods are looking more and more appealing

You wouldn’t happen to have a link for those would you? LOL

 

[Lyle Kilson]

After doing this a few times and living/working on cruisers in salt prone Canada.. Air chisel is the best tool I found. I've done the above suggestions and just absolutely kill myself with heating with torches and using massive pipe wrenches.

Air chisel with a flat head/hammer bit. Quick work every time. Hammer along the rod where the thread of the tie rod would be inside, up and down all around. Breaks all the corrosion lose and then pop them into a vice and use a normal size pipe wrench and they generally dont put up any fight loosening off

I don’t have access to an air chisel but I’ve had the same thought. Breaking up the corrosion makes total sense. I might have to find someone with an air chisel.

 

[2000cruiser]

I got the 555 ends. Some new HD rods are looking more and more appealing

You wouldn’t happen to have a link for those would you? LOL

I was lazy and bought both the ends and HD rods from Marlin: 80-series Steering Upgrade Kit | Marlin Crawler, Inc. - https://www.marlincrawler.com/steering/parts/80-series-tie-rod-kit
I would call them and see if they can just sell you the rod/drag link set- I'm sure they can. The price probably won't be so bad. Slee sells them for about $150 each: SLEE - Steering Tie-Rod - '91-97 Land Cruiser / LX 450 - Slee Off Road - https://sleeoffroad.com/products/sof1322/

 

[Lyle Kilson]

I was lazy and bought both the ends and HD rods from Marlin: 80-series Steering Upgrade Kit | Marlin Crawler, Inc. - https://www.marlincrawler.com/steering/parts/80-series-tie-rod-kit
I would call them and see if they can just sell you the rod/drag link set- I'm sure they can. The price probably won't be so bad. Slee sells them for about $150 each: SLEE - Steering Tie-Rod - '91-97 Land Cruiser / LX 450 - Slee Off Road - https://sleeoffroad.com/products/sof1322/

Thanks!

 

[Lyle Kilson]

This or just ATF, slather it on and let it sit overnight at an angle where it would flow down the threads. Next day, place the thing into a vise and use a big pipe-wrench. If you don't have a vise, bolt it back onto the car and use a pipe wrench to break the rod loose.

You inspired me with using the steering arm. I took the drag link out completely and bolted one end onto the passenger side steering arm and used a heck of a lot of flames, penetrating oil, and quite a few four letter adjectives.



Got both of the ends done on the drag link. Tie rod is next….

It’s taken me a whole day but I’ve made progress.

 

[Mark W]

More of these that I have dealt with have been seized than have not been. I use a combination of muratic acid, then heat (red hot with the oxy acetelyne), then Ed's Red and a dull chisel with a hammer to carefully open up the sleeve. Use care with the chisel and torch not to damage the threads. Big pipe wrench and cheater bars. Anticipate a cycle or two of it all.

A set of the tools referenced above seem like a very nice addition. I can't believe I have missed those. Just ordered some myself cause I know I will have to deal with this again soon.

Mark...

 

[60wag]

I went to do the tie rod ends on my 60 and found out Toyota offers one end with a new tie rod. No need to unscrew the old rod ends. Not sure if this is true for the 80 rod ends. Doesn't help if you're going with some aftermarket oversize ends but is sounds like a new rod is worth it either way.

 

[manofthewoods]

Does anyone have a hack to unscrew a tie rod end? I’ve tried penetrating oil and a blow torch to heat it up. Neither methods worked. Maybe there is a tool someone’s used to get these suckers unscrewed? Any help would be great.

you're gonna hate me
I just did mine (all 4) last weekend. Each one unscrewed by hand

On the other hand, each brake hose nut was so tight (not rusted) that I had to use a vise grips to get them off.

My wife said, "I thought this was supposed to be a fun project?" Huh!

 

[Lyle Kilson]

you're gonna hate me
I just did mine (all 4) last weekend. Each one unscrewed by hand

On the other hand, each brake hose nut was so tight (not rusted) that I had to use a vise grips to get them off.

My wife said, "I thought this was supposed to be a fun project?" Huh!

I thought this was supposed to be a fun project too

 

[Lyle Kilson]

DONE! Thanks so much to everyone who helped me out. I literally tried out EVERYONES suggestions. It really came down to heat, penetrating oil, more heat, and elbow grease. You all are great

 

[ChargedSHOTaco]

DONE! Thanks so much to everyone who helped me out. I literally tried out EVERYONES suggestions. It really came down to heat, penetrating oil, more heat, and elbow grease. You all are great

View attachment 2776695

Now don’t forget to add some anti seize paste when you reinstall.

 

[b16]

haha, I tried all these on mine. Ended up breaking my bench vise in the process. Just bought a new one and used anti-seize on the new TRE's. . Glad you got it off, they really get stuck on there.

 

[Lyle Kilson]

Now don’t forget to add some anti seize paste when you reinstall.

haha, I tried all these on mine. Ended up breaking my bench vise in the process. Just bought a new one and used anti-seize on the new TRE's. . Glad you got it off, they really get stuck on there.

Trust me I was so close to just buying a new drag link and tie rod. I plan on putting ALL of the anti-seize on these new 555 TREs. I hope to never have to do this again. I would be lying if I said that there is no greater feeling then accomplishing something difficult though. I’m convinced that’s why so many of us love our Cruisers.

 

[mudgudgeon]

I used a MAPP gas torch, (2) two pound hammers, two pipe wrenches, a 3 ft cheater pipe, 2 cans of PB Blaster, and a vise.

It took me about four hours of heating, beating, and twisting to get both ends out.

I would heat the collar as hot as I could get it with the MAPP torch, then use both hammers at the same time on opposite sides of the threaded tube to impact the tube and break it loose.
Then I would spray PB Blaster on it to cool it and to lubricate it. Then attempt to twist with two pipe wrenches and a 3 ft cheater pipe.

I've done a lot of tie rods in my time, and that one was probably the hardest.

Since then, I have well coated the threads in copper anti-seize and filled the slit gap with grease in order to keep water away from the threads. It moves easily now.

I feel your pain!!

I've had a similar experience with an 80.
I busted an 18" pipe wrench on mine after setting wrenches up with the tierod on the floor so I could stand on the handle of one pipe wrench,the other on the concrete floor.
I had to go and get 24" pipe wrenches.

Not a chance of gripping that in a vice!!

 

[mudgudgeon]

I don’t have access to an air chisel but I’ve had the same thought. Breaking up the corrosion makes total sense. I might have to find someone with an air chisel.

How about a cordless rotary SDS hammer drill?
Set to hammer only

I've used my hammer drill with a ground back chisel point bit when I wanted some percussion to break shït loose

 

[mudgudgeon]

Another tip, use a 2.5mm zip cut disc to cut a groove or two into the threads along the length of the rodend to make an improvised thread cleaning tap. Run the old rod end all the way in and back out with some penetrating fluid to help clean the threads. Saves fighting the new rod ends to do adjustments.

I did this recently when changing rod ends on a 4RUNNER after finding the new rodends bottomed out on corroded threads deeper in to the tie rod.
Actually, i used a sawzall with a fresh metal blade as I had no grinder available.

After running the old rod end in and out, the new one went in easy, and adjustment was easy

 

[MrMikeyG]

Jeezus! The lengths we go to sometimes. I can only guess I would see the same stuff on any other "classic" vehicle forum. I do like the tool links that these threads spawn. My wallet does not.
Good job to the OP on powering through! Time for step 6

 

[Pin_Head]

In the last year when I was working as a mechanic in a high volume department store shop, I did mostly wheel alignments, so I have seen hundreds of seized tie rod ends. My service manager would chew my butt if I didn’t get the job done in 30 minutes, so I didn’t have time to be gentle with it. If the hook type tie rod adjuster didn’t get it after spraying some penetrating oil on it, then out came the 4 foot pipe wrench. Sometimes that would just break the tie rod, so we could sell them a new tie rod job, which someone else would do and then bring it back to me for alignment.