Tie Rods

[Davidian]

Hi everyone, ive been a member here for a while but this is my first post.

I have a mk2 that needs the tie rod knuckles ( the little rubber parts between the joints ) replaced .

I have another mk2 (an old postie van ) that im pulling parts off to use. problem is i cant figure out how to get it off. apparently the bolt that goes through the knuckle and attaches to the arm connected to the steering box has some kind of taper inside it and you need to give it a good whack in some way to dislodge the bolt so you can remove the tie rods ( hope the way i described it makes sense ) or so i was told by a few people. i just cant seem to get it out. any suggestions as to what i may be doing wrong would be greatly appreciated!

i can try and provide photos to show what im talking about if anyone can help.

thanks, Dave

[Luke]

not really sure which bit you mean but if its the ball joint you can get new ones (i think) and for a part thats not designed to last for ever then just get a new one - it also makes removing the old one easy as you can just smack it on the top of the thread to get it out

[cartooner]

Spray it with penetrating oil, let it stand overnight. Remember to support the arm with a jack, or the arm will flex and absorb most of the force. Now whack with a large hammer. Should be a piece of cake now. There are special tools for this, but these are only necessary if you want to re-use the part.

If you do want to use the old part ( better buy new, I bought them from Ebay for about 7 pounds each) and don't want to buy an expensive tool, be sure to leave the nut on! You will damage the thread hitting it with a hammer. Unscrew the bolt untill it is just flush with the thread end. Now pray and whack. Did I say it is better to buy new ones?

[Davidian]

hi guys and thanks for the help.

i think i got it figured out now. i am ordering new ones but they are hard to source out here in australia... most of the parts dealers dont know what im talking about.. i found a guy in victoria who has the new parts that i am ordering. by the way do you know if the MK1 and MK2 ones are the same, as one of the local auto parts dealers can get ones from years 65 - 80 or from 96 onwards frustrating. hopefully the new ones im ordering will fit.

cartooner thanks heaps for the advice, i sprayed the part and will give it a go. lets hope all goes well. the parts in australia are about $30 each, and i need three. the ones i was gonna use off my spare parts mk2 are in pretty good condition, so ill see if i can get those off first and then if they are crap ill get the new ones. the thing is im tight for money at the moment and cant afford to pay someone else to do it or waste money on new ones if i have decent ones sitting there. of course when i get some money id like to replace the whole thing with brand new parts, i just need to get this done so i can get the car registered in the next three weeks

ive also realised that my description of "tie rod knuckles" might be called something else in the UK. other people here in australia have called them othere names, bushes, rubbers, tie rod ends etc. so here is a picture to explain better what im talking about. its really just the rubber part in between the joints that i need to replace as you can see its worn (first time ive uploaded a picture here so i hope it works, not really sure what im doing, if it dosent can someone describe to me how?? lol )

[img]/Users/David/Desktop/DSC04715.JPG[/img]

or there is this one off ebay in the UK from 85-91 transits??? will this fit mine???

[img]http://i.ebayimg.com/09/!BULVvoQ!Wk~$(KGrHgoH-CIEjlLl26,yBKMOVr3+ZQ~~_1.JPG/[img]

if they dont work heres the link to the part.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/FORD-TRANSIT-TIE ... 7C294%3A50

sorry im such a noob at all this, i just love my transit and want to learn how to keep it running myself.. hopefully you can put up with all my silly questions and i might learn a few things haha

thanks again guys,

Dave

[Davidian]

ok i i think i got it figured out.

its called the drag link arm. and the three bushes or end parts are the things that need replacing. the tie rod is big long one that attaches between the two wheels. stupid mechanic telling me it was a tie rod so ive been running around looking for the wrong part. also found out that i cant use a 91 version on my mk 2.

ive ordered the three i need from a transit GOD here in australia. all he works on is transits. very nice old italian bloke. i can provide his number to anyone in australia that may need it ( PM me please ) he explained everything i need to know. im also going to borrow a special tool to remove the drag link arm and the tie rod arm from a local mechanic. saves having to bash it on the nut and possibly damage the thread. Joe ( Italian Transit God ) told me not to bash the nut or the bolt as you may damage the thread, and is actually harder that way. instead hit the housing that it goes through, which should loosen the taper inside it better. best way is to use the tie rod remover tool which is what ill do. all up going to cost me about $100 which isnt too bad.

also ordering a transit workshop manual from ebay soon! should help with any further problems hopefully.

by the way my photos that i took and tried to link didnt work. can someone tell me why? i dont really know what im doing lol.

Dave

[baconsdozen]

A usefull tool for eperating tie rods,ball joint and the like is a ruddy great hammer head.Years ago I bought a 14lb sledge hammer head at a car boot.Held on the opposite side it helps keep the assembly from flexing and the shock of hitting the joint passes straight into the part being hit.The greater shock makes parting tapered assemblies much easier.

[cartooner]

How come You only want 3? I'm sure there are 4! 2 Drag link ends and 2 connecting rod ends. I'm pretty sure they are the same for both MK1 and Mk2.

[Davidian]

Hi guys!

Cartooner, yeah there are four in total, but i only need to replace 3 at the moment to pass yearly registration. ill get to that last one when it wears out!

got them off today. done it as you said cartooner, took a bit of work but got them off without damaging the threads.

and yes Baconsdozen i ended up using a 8kg rubber dumbbell weight as i needed something with more force hahaha. braced a scissor lift jack in-between the parts to absorb some of the shock of the hits. gonna order myself one of the tools mechanics use ( tie rod end remover ) in the future as i know i will need it lol. should save a lot of time and energy lol.

next part is getting them onto the transit i drive then for a wheel alignment and registration.

hope it passes the mechanics inspection

happy with myself and thanks a bunch for the advice

[Ollie]

another less brutal way if you get desparate is to apply light pressure with a jack if possible then gently warm the arm with a blow torch, don't cook it but it lets the arm expand slightly differently to the taper and a gentle tap should now do it.

[Davidian]

yeah ive been told that but i dont have access to a blowtorch or oxy.... bashing it worked in the end, let my brutal side out hahaha