TRACK ROD ADJUSTMENT :HELP !

[peter deer]

Hi

a bit of advice,please

my front tyres are worn on the outside and I have checked :too much "toe in "

Im need to adjust the trac rod

looks easy on the Haynes manual :lift front of car/take out the clamps on the track rod and ..adjust the length of the track rod

But problem :adjustment threaded tube does not want to move at all

It is not rusted ,i have put penetrating oil ,

heated it very gently with a blow torch and even ground it to try and turn it with a wrench

no movement what soever !!

Am i missing something?

your advice would be very much appreciated

Peter

[Ivan]

Have you freed it off at both ends ? Each track rod end (TRE) has an opposing thread so it needs to freed off at both ends.

HTH

Ivan

[freeagent]

if your disco has the steering damper attached to the trackrod, then the whole trackrod does NOT rotate.

instead a small section on the drivers side about 10" long rotates and adjusts the length of the rod.

you can ignor the TRE on the passenger side, and just undo the two clamps and the drivers side (about 10-12" appart) the small tube should then rotate.

if it doesn't (and most wont) then try warming both ends slightly (not too hot, just warm, you do not want to heat-treat the metal) and soak in WD40.

failing that, the rod will need to be removed, undo the steering damper first, and put in a decent sized vice.

before taking it off, i sourced a second hand rod assembly from a forum member (£10-£12 is the going rate) just in case....

when we tried to get my original rod appart we literally tore it in half with two pairs of stilsons (two big blokes and a huge vice) so bloody good job i bought the spare.

when you build it back up use loads of copper grease, and fill the rod with a little engine oil, in future the oil will always be trying to leak out, this will stop any water getting in and rusting the whole thing up solid.

hope this helps.

[grumpy2]

always a problem.

I've found it best to take the wole thing off the car - takes about 20 minutes. soak it in plus gas over night and wake up looking forward to a fight!

heat (gentle - not red), easing oil and a small chisel will open up the threads and a strong vice and large stilson will get the threads turning. open it all up and copper grease the lot.

fit it back together and then to the car. away you go with the adjustment.

well worth doing, kwik fit won't touch it until the linkage is free but by then you may as well do it yourself if you have the kit.

gary

[Andy]

hold a BFH next the the threaded section & then wack the other side of the same threaded section with your other BFH (you do have two BFHs dont you?) do that several times & work round the tube. it normally frees it off better than heat in my experience.

[ICKY]

My Disco failed mot on track rod ball joints Took off trackrod and removed them with big adjustable spanner and a vice Use heat, WD40, and a lot of effert turning first one way then other way gradually frees up Good Luck with yours

Rich

[peter deer]

My Disco failed mot on track rod ball joints Took off trackrod and removed them with big adjustable spanner and a vice Use heat, WD40, and a lot of effert turning first one way then other way gradually frees up Good Luck with yours

Rich

coming back to the forum abit late

I finally took the track rod bar out ,put it in avice ,heated ...

Given the force required ,i am not sure anything else would have worked

Thanks to you all

Peter