Steering failure -- Tie rod stripped and fell off!

[Gnarvan]

Originally Posted by Angel

My SMB is @ 55,000 miles. I needed to, and just did replace 2 tie rod ends, 2 drag links and the ball joints on the driver side.

Geoff, does that mean I got it fixed before something happens to me like what happened to you?

Angel

Let's hope so. That type of failure is pretty scary. Bad things happen real fast when you loose your steering.

[BIGVANS]

Originally Posted by Angel

My SMB is @ 55,000 miles. I needed to, and just did replace 2 tie rod ends, 2 drag links and the ball joints on the driver side.

Geoff, does that mean I got it fixed before something happens to me like what happened to you?

Angel

Yes, sounds like you replaced all the suspect parts. Did your mechanic tell you why he thought your front end needed to replaced so soon? (e.g.: tire balance, alignment, etc.)

[geoffff]

Originally Posted by Angel

Geoff, does that mean I got it fixed before something happens to me like what happened to you?

Everyone seems surprised that the threads stripped out. Even Heber @ Sportsmobile. I take it this is unusual. So, I don't know why this happened to me.

One slightly fishy aspect of my tie rod is that I noticed that the both tie rod ends were twisted-up. They were like this right out of the Sportsmobile factory. See photos below, when my van was a just week out of Fresno (a bit of rust from 2 nights of beach camping):





I didn't notice it until years later, but even my very early photos above showed this. I never thought it was a big deal. But I now wonder if having the ends twisted up (counterclockwise when looking into tie rod) like that eventually caused the threads to loosen (turn counterclockwise) as the van bounced around.

-- Geoff

[geoffff]

In any case I ended up having a shop (Les Schwab in Shoreline, WA) do the work for me. They contracted out the fabrication of a new custom tie rod to Olympic 4x4.

Everything is now replaced. New Moog tie rod ends. Custom-fabricated tie rod. Nothing twisted up:



Wow I have a lot of rust compared to the previous post That's what I get for camping on beaches and alkaline dry lake beds.

-- Geoff

[Angel]

I went to Craig Jackson of Whitefeather (used to manage Salem Kroger where I got my 4X4 done) for a 60,000 mile 4X4 check up. He does not do any repair. He is busy building sprinters into 4X4's. He showed me where the drag links and tie rods were worn. He did not say nor did I ask why. I will ask when I talk to him again.

I had the death wobble a year ago and some bushings were warn/broken (the info is at home). I got that fixed and an alignment and no problem ever since.

I went to Lance at Bob's Tire in Red Bluff, who has done work for my family and me and Craig over the years, to do the work. He found the worn ball joint. The tire was solid when you try to move it from side to side and seemed real solid when Craig jacked it up and tried to move it. But up on the rack the driver side tire had an up and down movement. I saw the worn upper ball joint after it was out compared to the new one they put in.

Lance could not give a reason for the worn upper ball joint only on one side other than maybe harder or bumpier left hand turns or part originally was not as good as it should be. All parts replaced were the original Ford parts. I replaced upper and lower ball joint because of no additional labor cost-just cost of lower ball. The passenger side was tight.

I talked to Craig before i authorized the addition ball joints. He said He trusts Lance who has always been honest. He said it was unusual for the looseness to be up and down.

I am sure I could have kept driving it some time before something bad happened. I only noticed a small vibration in the steering wheel that was not there originally. It is gone now.

Angel

[Gnarvan]

Angel

Kudos for being proactive. Noticing something that is a little odd and having it taken care of can save you a lot of grief down the road. Having a trusted mechanic who you have a history with is the best place to fix an issue. People who ignore minor issues often find themselves out in the middle of nowhere at the mercy of someone who may or may not be competent enough to do the job. Assuming they can even get a tow from BFE to this unknown wrench.

[BIGVANS]

Yes, and saying - How could this happen to me???

Good job Angel!