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I had like massive trouble from the nuts on tie rod taper ends when I replaced the axles on a new-to-me 96 CS last week and I want to post on here:
I recommend removing the original nut with hand tools, either box end or ratchet. THEN take a brand new 12MMx 1.75mm pitch plain nut, bought at hardware store, and oil it well and run it on and off the threads till they run easily, without breaking the taper free. It may help to apply acetone as someone tells me this is a solvent for loctite; maybe, maybe not. Or to apply flame from a propane or MAPP gas torch to the threads, as it seems to help.
Anyway, don't break the taper till it's plain you can run a nut on and off the threads freely.
On Side A, I thought I'd use my impact wrench and a socket on the nut. It got off about 2 1/2 turns and then the impact shock broke the taper part free from the steering knuckle arm. It just wanted to spin, and not enough thread was showing above or below the nut to grab onto with anything. I tried setting the taper back into the arm, with a hammer etc., but nothing would hold. I ended up having to grind the nut off, two opposite flat sides, just in to the threads. Didn't mess up the bolt threads much.
Then putting it back on, tho I cleaned up the threads meticulously with a knife-shaped Swiss file, and tho I had a plain nut new-bought without nylon keeper on it, to make it easy to tighten the taper down, I still had God's own time of it, getting the taper to hold till nut started pulling things down tight. It was as if more was on the threads than the slight marring where I'd ground it. Finally it did it, and tightened up nicely. Luckily I had a spare original tie rod nut from the junkyard, where I'd cadged the two good axles I was installing. I replaced the plain nut with that once I had the taper snugged down.
On Side B, I got what I thought was smart and took the tie rod nut off by hand wrench. Its threads looked nice and clean and unrusted. I whacked the knuckle arm to pop tie rod taper out, did my axle replacement, then when I went to reset the tie rod, I couldn't get the original perfect nut or a brand new M12 plain nut to go on more than about three threads before the taper started spinning in the knuckle, just like the other side. Oil or solvents didn't help.
I concluded then that the problem was loctite, still on the threads, and wound up removing the tie rod joint boot (a tough steel spiral clip like a section of a Slinky toy, unwinds down over the boot and out of its groove).
Then I locked a Visegrips onto the top of things, just where the taper ends at its top and narrows before the ball goes into the socket. Didn't mar anything that mattered. I still had to play flame onto the threads, and applied oil, and, working nut on, then off, on more, off, with lots of oil, it finally got free enough to trust to not spin the taper. I put the boot back on and all back together.
Nothing at all was wrong with the tie rod ends; they're robust enough I think the Saab originals are good for life. Boot back on, all went together as it should have.
Anyway fair warning to others who have to take these apart. Maybe the loctite came from a later reassembly but I think it was from the factory.
It may seem like extra wasted time to run a nut on and off before popping these free but it would have been a big time savings in fact for me if I'd known to do it. The factory nuts have nylon collars and they're not going to come undone if properly tightened. Definitely don't need loctite.
posted by 72.73.7...
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