Morris Minor Owners Club

Anyone got any tips how to release a stubborn steering track rod end?
Plusgas is flooding everywhere but i can't get the locknut free. I'm putting as much force in as i dare given the lack of space and the proximity of damageable wheelarch and fingers

plusgas morning and evening for a couple of days.

a longer spanner and a hammer

remove skin from knuckles on nearby bodywork if spanner slips and/or the nut moves. Scarr tissue is much less fragilethan the original skin anyway

Failing that - carefully cut off one side of the nut without damaging the male threads. Hacksaw + file is safer, angle grinder (butcher method) is quicker but much more likely you will go too far and reach the male threads. If you cut / file the nut close enough to the thread peaks it will crack through the remaining part and become easily turnable.

There are also devices called 'nut splitters' but I'm pretty sure you can't get them over the track rod end.

You need to force the Track rod against the steering arm, use a pry bar or the like, to trap the taper into the arm.
The best way to release the nut is with an air impact gun as it 'hammers it off, breaking the corrosion keeping the parts locked. If you don't have one of these then place a heavy hammer on one side of the nut and tap the opposite side with a light weight one, this should break the seal. As a very last resort use a nut splitter or heat.

Cutting through with a grinder will cause a lot of heat, so best of both worlds ;)

Though I go with the impact to break the seal idea if at all possible. I generally find as tight a fitting spanner as possible, and my trusty medium hitting stick.

Ah - i was thinking he meant the locknut for the tracking adjustment.
If you meant the nut holding the track rod into the steering arm then Jonathon's answer covers it...

rayofleamington wrote:Ah - i was thinking he meant the locknut for the tracking adjustment.
If you meant the nut holding the track rod into the steering arm then Jonathon's answer covers it...

"track rod end" and "locknut" strongly suggest to me he is indeed trying to undo the locknut for the tracking/ track rod end ;)

I thought that was what Jonathon was saying too, but I could be wrong. Been playing with steering a bit today amongst other things, and not overly compus mentus tonight!

he is indeed trying to undo the locknut for the tracking/ track rod end

Correct I am. The balljoint is shot so I'm trying to replace it. The balljoint nut is good and loose so no worries there, but...

Dohhh!!!

It was a drag, but on my traveller I had to take the whole rack out and put it in the vice. I made sure to put some copper slip on when I put it back together.
While I've got Sophie in pieces I'm going to take the rack out and done with. However every other time I've done the job with a well fitting spanner and a hammer. There are two flats on the rod half way down so that you can imobilise it.
Just a thought If the ball joint is loose you won't have much to keep it in line - might be better to refit the ball joint before you try again

Heat - then more heat. Gas blowtorch will do it. And without sounding too silly - are you turning it the right way ?

Wotcha mate

Once you've got that pesky nut loose do you want to borrow the ball joint splitter? I now have 2, a proper tighten up one and a new beat to death with a hammer jobby for the more awkward spots.