TomB Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 LHS Track Rod End (TRE). I changed the RHS rack rubber gaitor last night & tried to the LHS tonight. The adjuster bolt wouldnt shift, so I undid the track rod from the wheel upright to see if I could remove the TRE & get the nut off after that, followed by the gaitor. Couldnt get the TRE off, so I decided to call it a night & re-spanner it all together. Unfortunately now, I cant tighten the nut on the bottom of the TRE bolt as the threaded male part of the TRE rotates as I tighten the nut. Should this happen? Any bright ideas? Got a track day in 2 weeks so Ive got that timeframe to play with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caterhamnut Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 ok - I *think* I understand what you are saying. No you have not broken anything, and yes the 'male part' does turn (thats how the ball joint works) but obviously you don't want it to turn when trying to tighten it up! The 'male part' of the TRE is tapered, and goes into a tapered hole on the wheel upright. You need to tap this into position so that it 'grips' or 'jams' and therefore does not turn as you tighten the nut. However, the plastic of the lock nut you are trying to tighten is likely to break the taper seal and turn the TRE. One cunning way around this is to initially use another nut which is not a lock nut, in order to tighten the TRE into the taper and pull it through enough to then use the lock nut.(ALWAYS USE A LOCK NUT FINALLY - ONLY USE THE NON-LOCK NUT TO START THE PROCESS - YOU DON'T WANT THIS NUT WORKING ITS WAY OFF WHILST IN USE!) Hope this makes sense - but don't worry - as I understand what you have written, you have nothing to worry about - its just a pain sometimes when the taper does not lock the TRE and stop it from turning! 'My First Race - SPA' pictures here 60,000miles in 3years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irrelevant Posted June 16, 2004 Share Posted June 16, 2004 Alternatively, either clamp or hold the taper in place so you can tighten the nut. Best way is to jack the car up on the balljoint. I use a rubber block to protect the balljoint and only jack it up just enough to stop the taper shaft turning - never fails ! After a hi-vis (pocketted side) driver's door if anyone's got one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheds Moderator Posted June 16, 2004 Share Posted June 16, 2004 This is a very common occurrence, there exist several tricks to lock up the taper and stop it spinning, including doing it up with a standard nut first, like Angus, bashing it with a hammer to get it to stick, and loading the suspension in various ways. Above all don't panic, it's common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB Posted June 16, 2004 Author Share Posted June 16, 2004 Thanks chaps, hopefully I can sort it out. If I cant Im in deeper poo, as I can get the TRE to move to unscrew it & replace the unit! Is the tapered hole the one the thread male TRE passes down through the upright, or is it inside the TRE? Can I see it? Still cant get the adjuster nut to move so I can replave the gaitor, but thats a separate issue. Any top tips for getting the nut to move? Ive tried a big spanner & WD40 but its not shifting. The other side was OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheds Moderator Posted June 16, 2004 Share Posted June 16, 2004 Quote "Is the tapered hole the one the thread male TRE passes down through the upright" Yes, that's the one. You can't see it because the TRE is still in it. To get seized nuts and bolts apart, heat them with a blowtorch or (less violent for paintwork) a hot air gun. Watch out for surrounding rubber bits and protect anything sensitive with wet cloths etc. Repeated hot and cold cycling (flame then water, then repeat) will get anything apart - warm up the "female" fastening part first as this makes it expand. You can then get the male half moving easier. 😳 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB Posted June 16, 2004 Author Share Posted June 16, 2004 CC tech dept suggested standing on the TRE to load it whislt tightening it up!! Any other ideas as my usual helper is on holiday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caterhamnut Posted June 16, 2004 Share Posted June 16, 2004 One of the 3 or 4 tips suggested above will work - try them first - you shouldn't need 2 people!! 'My First Race - SPA' pictures here 60,000miles in 3years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECR Posted June 16, 2004 Share Posted June 16, 2004 When fitting a recently supplied TRE (from Caterham) to Alex's car recently we found it impossible to get the male taper to lock into the female. Either the wrong part was supplied or the taper tolerances were far too great. Using one of my older TRE it locked very easily. It might be that you have one of the "difficult" ones. Perseverance will work in the end ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB Posted June 18, 2004 Author Share Posted June 18, 2004 Thanks chaps, its sorted. I discovered a slightly damaged thread that the nut didnt like, so I re-cut the male thread on the TRE with a new nut & lots of copper grease. Cleaning off the copper grease, loading the TRE & gradually tightening the nuts got it sorted. I even managed to get the steering rack gaitor changed after a blasting with the blow lamp! Big Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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