In the name of everything great and small. I’ve tried everything to get my old tie rod ends out. Heat, pb blaster, a combination of both. I can’t get them to budge. Any other tricks/suggestions? This should be so easy. 
Tie rod ends seized (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Major Nelson
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If you have replacements, a hammer or mallet and vice grips working nicely...
They’re a PITA no matter how you try to do them. You need a TRE puller, a mallet, and a torch. Sometimes you get lucky and they come off easy and then the next one will extract all of your four-letter words. My best tip is to crank the puller, torch the TRE, and then hit it with the hammer from the front (see photo but don’t use a claw hammer). This can lead them to pop off pretty quickly, beware the flying puller.
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not everything is supposed to be easy
mattressking
10 digits to freedom
Yea what kind of puller are you using? These are the only way to make it easy and not ruin tie rod ends if they have been recently replaced. Found at your local auto parts store.
More heat and let them soak with PB blaster or another penetrating oil over night. Get it cooking with a propane or mapp torch. You really have to cook them when they are seized hard and make sure you heat the arm to expand that instead of the TRE itsself.
Get a 4lb sledge and smack the s*** out of the outside of the knuckle arm that the TRE is in when its under tension of a TRE puller.
If the TRE is later seized to the control arm get a big ass pipe wrench and heat/oil that too.
Get a 4lb sledge and smack the s*** out of the outside of the knuckle arm that the TRE is in when its under tension of a TRE puller.
If the TRE is later seized to the control arm get a big ass pipe wrench and heat/oil that too.
- Thread starter
- #7
my problem is I literally can’t unscrew them from the rods. I’ll try heating the rod up even more, but I did it for a long time and soaked it for three days straight.
You mean the nuts won’t come off of the threads? Are the pins removed? Maybe they broke inside the bolt at some point?
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This is why I just always buy new rods when I'm doing steering on customer cruisers. They're cheap for Joint Fuji brand from @cruiseroutfit especially considering how much time they save you. Use plenty of anti-sieze as well and have no more future problems
Make sure you are using a TRE puller that stays flat and even as you tighten, if it starts to angle over it will never work. You have to really crank on it and keep tapping the joint. X2 on watching out for flying puller once she breaks loose. I always leave the nut loosely on there to keep it from popping off too violently.
Just to verify is your steering linkages out of the truck like my below photo? (Your linkages will look slightly different because I have a Chevy 1-ton TRE sets in my 60 and 80)
You need a big ass pipe wrench and a box wrench to turn the rods if you already having the rod and TREs out of the truck. Hi-lift handles work well as cheater bars too because that will help. You only need one cheater bar if you have the whole rod out of the truck if you stand on the box wrench at the TRE and spin it loose with a pipe wrench/cheater bar
One side of the rod to the TREs is going to be reverse thread as well.
When you reinstall clean up the threads and put antiseize on.
- Thread starter
- #14
thanks.
stevebradford
In the shop
Years ago when I replaced my tie rod ends they were rusted in place like usual so I put grease zerks in tie rod and drag link. When I’m greasing the rest of the truck I give them a shot as well.
Added a little more toe in recently, piece of cake now.
Added a little more toe in recently, piece of cake now.
hj 60
JT1W0HJ6000960839
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Bigger tools!
This is one job I would almost give to a mecanic because I think it can be endagering my life, so much kinetic energy in the tool. I use two pullers, the big one does them easy.
Torque them with a power hammer to turn and smash at the same time.
not safe, the small type:
This is one job I would almost give to a mecanic because I think it can be endagering my life, so much kinetic energy in the tool. I use two pullers, the big one does them easy.
Torque them with a power hammer to turn and smash at the same time.
not safe, the small type:
Except my ex fiance.
Best combination I've found for TREs: MAPP torch and tie rod end puller. The good OTC brand one. Get it wrenched on there good, then lay into it with the MAPP torch until it pops out. You'll eventually get it.
what hasn’t been mentioned and worked for me was to:
1. Remove clamp/s from rod
2. Spray a bunch of penetrant onto the exposed tie rod threads along the open slot of the rod
3. Hammer a wedge into the open slot of the rod causing separation from the tie rod’s threads
depending on your tools and access, you might be able to do the above without
removing the rod... I had your same problem and ended up removing the rod
