Morris Minor Owners Club

Ok here goes I dont know where it is but my morris minor failed the mot on brakes and "Offside Front track rod end ball joint has excessiver play" What do I need to replace and where is it
?? sorry I am new to this stuff , Regards Steve

And is there anything else I should replace / probably need to replace while I do this job, Thanks for any info, Regards, Steve

Here's the ball joint (track rod end), circled in red.

[frame][/frame]

You will need to disconnect it from the steering arm (which is part of the swivel pin) and the steering rack.

To remove from the steering arm, you have to undo the nut below it, and split the taper fit joint. This can be done with brute force and ignorance, but is best done with a ball joint splitter if you can beg or borrow one.

Getting it off the steering rack can be tricky, they tend to get well stuck on, especially if the thread wasn't greased when it was fitted. It may require further brute force, heat, penetrating oil, or down-right destruction to get the track rod end off.

With the locking nut undone, you have to unscrew it off the track rod (end of the rack).

If you're careful, and lucky, the new track rod end will be the same length as the one you take off. If so, leave the lock nut in place on the track rod, so you can use it as a guide to wind the new track rod end on as far as the old one was. The position of this affects your tracking (toe in/out of the front wheels when viewed from above or below), so it's important to get it right. If you're not sure, it's best to get it rechecked after doing the work.

stevespickup wrote:failed the mot on brakes

Too vague to help - Need more detail on how the brakes failed, ie insufficient force, imbalance left to right, front, rears, handbrake etc.....

Indeed - the MOT fail will detail where the problem lies with the brakes. But a complete overhaul doesn't cost much in parts and only a few hours to renew everything inside each drum. then you know it's NEW and should be ok for a few months at least......

if you can not get a ball joint spliter..

before doing this as safety warning you must at all points ensure that the car is supported by something other than the front suspension.

so with that in mind..

remove the nut holding the track rod end in place.

jack up the suspension, place an axle stand under the track rod end bolt and lower the suspension so that it is held up on the track rod end bolt. make sure that you are only holding the suspension up on the bolt, not the entire car.

pour a kettle of boiling water over the steering arm and then hit down on the steering arm.. I have found that one or hits is enough to break it apart..

Thank you Chris, exactly what I wanted to know, pictures make it very clear, thank you for all the replies, I will tackle the track rod end ball joint first and then intend to strip the all the brakes and clean replace as necessary, the car failed miserably on brakes so a full overhaul and service is in order, fast an helpfull advice as always on this forum, thank you again

Couple of other points Steve. When buying the new TRE, I'd go for the ones with the grease nipples as opposed to the ones without. Just means you can maintain them better. Also, if I were doing the job, I think I'd replace both sides at the same time. The other one is probably close to failure if one side has already gone. It's a fairly simple and easy job to do both. Good luck

when doing the brakes.. it is worth budgeting to replace the master cylinder as well. A few people have reported problems with their master cylinders after a brake rebuild, where they did not have problems before.

I would leave the master cylinder well alone - unless there is leak evidence in the chassis leg where it is mounted.