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+--- Thread: fettling trackrod ends... advice please (/showthread.php?tid=4068)
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fettling trackrod ends... advice please - JonE - 24-03-2020
I've managed to overhaul a couple of track rods and used my reamer-which-I-couldnt-remember-what-I-bought-it-for to get the brass bush fitting well.
On one trackrod there was a lot of pitting from the shim washer/age-related wear, and I ground down the surfaces as straight/parallel as I could. I'm presuming two parallel sides that are at right angles to the line of the track rod pin is the aim.
My problems...
1. I presume I file down the bush so it is the same level as the arm thickness? Or it better to have some washers which sit 'on' the ends of the bush to keep it longer?
2. I have some washers to shim from one of the suppliers. They are all the same thickness. What does one do when you cant get a second one in, but there is still up/down play?
3. On one end, it is obvious that the supporting arms arent parallel... I fiund out when I tried to (gently) drive the pin in... and mashed one end of the softer bush. How does one get the ends back to normal?
thanks
RE: fettling trackrod ends... advice please - bob46320 - 24-03-2020
Are we talking King Pins here ?
RE: fettling trackrod ends... advice please - JonE - 24-03-2020
as title and text, Bob - track rod ends.... both ends of the tracking/track control rod. Cotter pin connection to track control arms...
RE: fettling trackrod ends... advice please - Reckless Rat - 24-03-2020
One thing to watch Jon, is when you put it all back together is that it helps to hold each track rod in position using a stillson or a mole grip to prevent it rotating while you tighten the nut on the end. An extra pair of hands can help. The Bearded Wizard and I found this out when we were trying to eliminate a tight spot on his Pearl steering when he passed this way some time back. Any strain on the track rod causes tightness in the steering. Shim out any vertical movement of the TRE if there is any without it being over tight.
RE: fettling trackrod ends... advice please - Ian Williams - 24-03-2020
A small amount of up and down play will do no harm in this joint Jon. If you assemble everything with the pinch bolts slightly loose then turn the steering through its full movement everything should align its self, as Reckless said ensure nothing moves when you tighten it all back up. You can assemble it all on the bench Jon then slide the arms back into the stub axles if you find that easier.
RE: fettling trackrod ends... advice please - JonE - 24-03-2020
Thanks both.
My real issue is that I think the track rod END on one side has been bolted through (for some past absence of a cotter).
Is it now duff, or can I bend the ends (which hold either side of the cotter) to get it all in line again?
And do I need to file the bush down so it is the same thickness as the track control arm end?
RE: fettling trackrod ends... advice please - Ian Williams - 24-03-2020
I am not understanding you question about cotter bolted through and bending the ends, a picture might help clarify what you are asking???
RE: fettling trackrod ends... advice please - Steve Hainsworth - 25-03-2020
The track rod with its threaded ends should be checked on a surface table to ensure that the threaded portions are parellel to each other, a long steel rule can be used for this instead. if this is not correct the ends will fight each other and cause binding and premature wear on the bushes and/ or pivot pins.
In other words the kingpins and track-rod pins must be vertical in both planes to achieve smooth operations. A bent front axle will need correcting first or you will destroy any work done on the track-rod assy.
Personally I prefer the bushes should be HARDENED STEEL (as original) not bronze which flogs out rapidly due to the bending loads on them due to road conditions and flexure as these components spring a lot in use.
Are the new bushes from our suppliers hardened steel ?
I agree completely that the Arms should be restrained when tightening up the assembly to avoid misalignment
The track rod with its threaded ends should be checked on a surface table to ensure that the threaded portions are parellel to each other, a long steel rule can be used for this instead. if this is not correct the ends will fight each other and cause binding and premature wear on the bushes and/ or pivot pins.
In other words the kingpins and track-rod pins must be vertical in both planes to achieve smooth operations. A bent front axle will need correcting first or you will destroy any work done on the track-rod assy.
Personally I prefer the bushes should be HARDENED STEEL (as original) not bronze which flogs out rapidly due to the bending loads on them due to road conditions and flexure as these components spring a lot in use.
Are the new bushes from our suppliers hardened steel ?
I agree completely that the Arms should be restrained when tightening up the assembly to avoid misalignment
RE: fettling trackrod ends... advice please - Tony Press - 25-03-2020
Something new every time- I have not heard about the track rod 'cross tube lever' bushes being hardened steel - unusual hardened steel pins running in hardened steel bushes.
As for the steering cross tube 'jaws' being square and true I have always thought that if the pin goes into place after adjusting then the ends are square.
RE: fettling trackrod ends... advice please - Bruce Nicholls - 25-03-2020
(25-03-2020, 05:59 AM)Tony Press Wrote: Something new every time- I have not heard about the track rod 'cross tube lever' bushes being hardened steel - unusual hardened steel pins running in hardened steel bushes.
I certainly remember the last set of bushes I fitted some time ago being hardened steel