Need tie rod help ASAP!!!

[lukecp]

One of the tie rod ends on the front of my truck has stripped threads. I installed a new adjustment sleve about a month ago and so i could drive the truck until i had time to put on the new tie rod.

Well, today i tried again to take out the old tie rod from the bar that connects the two spindles together (it is the passenger side inner rod). The rod will not come out. I don't have any air tools, so a air powered pickle fork is out of the question. I do have a manual pickle fork (the kind you bang on with a hammer), but it hasn't helped any yet. I have tried heating up the area around the tie rod, but not the threaded end, and it still won't come out. I heated it with a little propane torch for about 5 minutes, and still no luck.

Is there a secret to getting it out???? I really need to get this done today, i have to go back to college tomorrow morning, and i am on a pretty megar budget, so i really don't want to take it to somewhere to get it done.

[ddsmith]

I don't know if this will help in your situation but here are a couple of thing I have done. I have jacked a vehicle up and put the manual pickle fork under the tie rod end if it is the one that the opening allows the pickle fork to use the ground as a driver. Then I lowered the vehicle onto the pickle fork and allowed the weight of the vehicle to separate the joint. Another thing I've done was used a gear puller hooking the jaws around the flange and tighten the gear puller shaft down on the tie rod shaft until it is real tight. Then I spanked the joint with a hammer from the side. The force of the gear puller combined with the vibrations from the hammer blow has worked for me. If using the manual pickle fork I would suggest a big sledge hammer. A regular size hammer doesn't have the force to separate stubborn joints. Good luck.

[lukecp]

I just went and screwed with it a little more.....the idea of letting gravity do the work by setting the truck down on the pickle fork won't work, the ground isn't a straight shot from the tie rod. Great idea though!

I don't have a gear puller so, that idea won't work. I think i will just give up and take it somewhere to get it done....i need a front end allignment anyway, lol. I doubt it will take very long with a air powered pickle fork.

Thanks for the help!!

[JimKshortstep4x4]

The end that goes into the draglink is tapered and if you hold a large hammer on one side of the drag link where the taper
goes through and smack it on the other side it will jump out.

Jim