Tie rod nut stripped after tightening
 

On my ex W124 300D when i put a tie rod end on , one of the nuts at the center link wouldn't get any tighter after a while. I was holding the the end with an allen and it just kept spinning and spinning. I didn't overtorque it. Looking at it its about the same place on the shaft as the other tight nuts on the tie rods . But i'm a little worried about it since they don't have cotter pins in these.

Do you think that nut could come off and the tie rod pop out?

I thought there was a slight chance it could so i took some precautions. It was late sunday and cold and i was ready to be done and take it to the alignment and didn't want to get a new tierod end just for this. So i boogered up the remaining threads under the nut so it couldn't back off. I drove car for a couple weeks like that and checked and nut hadn't backed off any.

This weekend when i sold the car i told the owner about it and said we may need to do more to keep it from coming off. I also put silicone RTV all over it to hopefully hold it.

So how would you ensure that thing doesn't come off? A little weld? Would JB Weld do it? Or do you think its fine?

Thanks

Answer
 

Replace it.
This is a safety issue.




.

The tie rod is subjected to all sorts of shock loads. It will come out in time, probably cause the car to veer to one side in an uncontrollable manner, maybe roll. Steering components are as important to the cars safety as the brakes.

This is totally irresponsible & should never be done.

The silicone is nothing but concealment.
Unless you have the proper authority you should never weld steering components.
This bit of DIY is easily the worst case of dangerous inappropriate repair I have read about on this forum. Should there have been a failure as a result of this, I would expect the perpetrator to at least be dealt with by the courts for this negligent action. I would recommend any one considering purchasing a car from some one who would contemplate such a repair should seriously reconsider their purchase.

This sort of thing is just down right DUMB & DANGEROUS.
For the sake of a 20c lock nut, some one would risk a serious accident. :eek:

:twak: Some of the stuff diy'rs will do...

Remove the nut if you can.
Go to tool supply shop and show them the nut. You need to purchase a thread chaser and a tap of the correct size to repair the threads of both the shaft and nut. Just get jobber tools to save bucks.
Once assembled use green Lock-Tite.

Understand that purchasing and installing a new rod end will be cheaper and easier unless you like to own tools. I have that sickness.

If the nut will not spin off you must cut the taper shaft off right below the nut. Use a hack saw or cutting wheel on a grinder. Unless you have a nut splitter in which case this is your easiest bet: cut the nut and replace the rod end.

This could be one of the more irrisposible things I've heard of. Selling a car to somone with a tie rod that will innevidable come loose. I couldn't sleep at night knowing this. Phone them, tell them to stop driving it and replace the part. Pure and simple. Not only is the car a danger to the driver but to whoever they will eventually hit..

*** PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION HERE!!!! ***
 

Assume for a second that YOU do nothing or the new owner does nothing.

The tie-rod comes loose, car loses control and in the process, someone is killed, or maimed for life.

The "sure to follow" investigation will reveal the fault. Someone WILL get a knock on the door. Dire consequences will follow. Lives that got ruined will get only worse, not better and others will get dragged into the mess. HELL will seem a quieter and restful place in comparison.

BEST COURSE OF ACTION: Call the new owner IMMEDIATELY. Offer up a "rent-a-wreck" while YOU get the vehicle to a licensed MB-Certified repair location and get the tie-rod replaced at your expense. Then, you follow up the repair of the tie-rod and related components with the front end completely inspected and the front end re-aligned. Keep in mind...a front end alignment on an MB IS NOT LIKE A STANDARD F.E.A. ON A NORMAL US-TYPE VEHICLE. If not done to spec., you will be guaranteed a few repeat visits from the new owner. There will be tire-purchases staring you in the face 'til the F.E.A. is done by an MB-trained mechanic who knows EXACTLY what needs to be done.

Then, when you return the vehicle to the owner and return the "rent-a-wreck" to its proper location, you go home and you throw out any tools you used to attempt this repair...and you certify to the rest of us that you'll never attempt a steering-related front end repair again.

And finally...you'll get down on your knees and thank anything that portends to be your God that no one has been bent, spindled, mutilated, injured or killed by the time you complete the steps above.

E.O.D.

If you ever again intend to sleep soundly (along with anyone that will still admit that they know you), you will do this before the sun sets on the day you read these missives from all of us.

Sorry biopete...nickle/dime repairs like this are why more and more legislators find more and more reasons to regulate P&P and junkyards out of existence everyday. If we SEEM harsh on you...it's for your own good. The "good" has been pointed out...please take what has been written here to heart and follow it TO THE LETTER. This may be one mistake you made that you MIGHT BE ABLE TO WALK AWAY FROM with only a small financial hit to your wallet and ego.

Consider this, from us, as a gift. :sad:

Thanks guys. That's why I asked. Very extreme difference of opinion from guys at auto zone and firstone. When i had it aligned at firestone i said checknthe front end and make sure i tightened everything. A little test for them. They said "front end is tight" .

The owner was to have a pro look at it and I told him I'd have it fixed for him. I'll give him a call and we will take care of it. I never hid anything.

Thanks again.

/thread

Answer
 

No need for a thread.
Ask any lawyer, judge or automotive engineer. :)

Put another nut on it. Next time use OE parts and FSM torque specs.

If there has been other front end work done on the car, a possibility exists that nuts could have been accidently mixed up. Here is what I ran across. The Upper Control Arm ball joint takes a different thread count than the rest of the similar joints on the front end. Consequently, if it is used on the wrong threaded end, you end up with stripped threads. Believe me, almost nobody carries the correct nut except the dealer. (Yes, I tried Fastenal, who has about the biggest selection around.)

The best approach is to get a thread pitch guage and measure the threaded end. Also, check other areas of the suspension to see if something is amiss.

Uh that nut is pretty standard.

Well I lucked out. It was just the nut that was stripped. I must have put it on with tie rod at too much of an angle. Anyway, much ado about nothing. I disccovered why they don't use castle nuts and cotter pins -- because the whole tie rod will shift will spin with the nut unless you hold the shaft with the allen. So there was no way that nut could have backed off that i could tell. I tried loosening it without holding allen and it just spun the shaft.

Anyway , i backed the nut off, put a new one on with red locktite and it tightened right down. Hooray. I can't believe I'm a better mechanic that Firestone techs :) I'm never going there again. Plus on my wagon which has the lifetime alignment , the front tires are balding on outer edges. Is that normal if you don't rotatate tires?

/thread=end thread