steering rods

[paranoid android]

hey everyone, now i know this may sound really neive but i am changing my steering rods soon, i havent done it before and im accident prone, just curious if there is any safety issues with removing and changing steering rods, any precautions or measures i can take, thankyou.

[V8MoneyPit]

Usual requirement of supporting the vehicle safely on stands.

The track rod ends will need a splitter. These go off with a bang, but no real safety issue.... just makes you jump every time it does it!

That's it really!

Obviously, you will need to get the tracking set up correctly afterwards.

[paranoid android]

something like these yes? http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/cht118-tie-rodball-joint-splitter-set
and will axle stands and a hi lift do the job?

[V8MoneyPit]

You should really invest in a decent trolley jack, although the high lift will suffice. I trust you recognise the safety issues with using this jack!

Splitters - Personally, I prefer the scissor action type. The wedge type damage the rubber boots. More like this:
http://www.sealey.co.uk/PLPageBuilder.asp?gotonode=ViewProduct&method=mViewProduct&productid=5191

But you need to make sure the throat width is suitable for the large joints on the Land Rover.

[clbarclay]

For splitting ball joints, my prefered method is to apply a prying force to the track road and then hit the side of the casing next to the taper with a hammer. On a LR track rod ball joint I find the standard bottle jack is just right for pushing up on the track rod next to the ball joint and I consider a good hammer as an essential tool to live in the land rover so it doesn't require any extra tools.

The wedge type splitters not only damage the rubber boots, but the only time I've seen one used, the ball joint split the splitter before the splitter split the ball joint.

[V8MoneyPit]

The wedge type splitters not only damage the rubber boots, but the only time I've seen one used, the ball joint split the splitter before the splitter split the ball joint.

Say that after a few pints  :lol:

[muck_truck]

You wont need to jack the truck up to change the steering rods, i changed mine on the deck last week.

You also shouldnt need a splitter to get the ball joints off.  Just give the hub a clonk a few times with a hammer next to the ball joint and they should come out.  If your re-using the ball joints in your new track rods, have fun removing them from the old rods if they havent moved for a while  :lol:

[Mark_Solesbury]

In my experience, id get 2 new ends aswell...

You will get half way putting the castle nut back on the old end, with the new rod and the bloody thing will just spin where its tapered into the axle casing.

You then end up putting weight on the top to try to stop it spining. The next time you take it apart you will curse doing it!

[clbarclay]

It depends how long the ball joints have been on their. I've had mine appart a few times for working on other parts so.

If you are removing the ball joints from the steering rods and the threads are tight then one trick that works  is to lay the end section of the track/drag rod with the threads in it on a hard surface and then hit it repeatadly with a hammer to break the corrosion bond between the 2 threads. This is one situation where several medium hits with the hammer are more effective than one vicious blow. Keep rotating the rod whilst hitting it to work overthe whole of the threaded area.