On Mon, 6 Apr 1998 jbonina@nectech.com wrote:
> My tie rod lost it's nut this weekend. Scary....
Yep. I had an upper wishbone nut/washer assembly fall of last year. I
discovered it after an autocross! That could have been expensive - for
sure. Not to mention dangerous.
> I believe the reason is because the 1/2" nylock nut couldn't tighten
> down (or more precisely, up) far enough for the nylon to thread onto
> the bolt. I replaced the missing nut but had to remove the THICK
> washer above the nut.
There are two types of AN nuts listed, thick and thin... I believe the
AN364 is the thin one, but I'd have to look in a catalog to make sure
that is correct.
At any rate, you _NEED_ the washer, so if your nut is too tall to engage
the nylock part... find out why and fix it. This is a safety thing.
> Is this washer necessary; or do I need to find a nut with a shorter
> profile?
Just for yucks, order two new tie rod ends from Moss or TRF and compare.
These are normal consumable items and the cost is relatively small (under
$30 for both sides. Then compare the old to the new. The TRF ones might
be a bit more expensive, I just got a couple from them that have grease
fittings, a real plus in my book. If you get the greasable style, it is
concievable that the parts could outlast your car (although I would not
count on that...)
The key here is that the tie rod end has a tapered seat... you need the
whole taper to contact to ensure that the tie rod does not flop around
in the hole... the result of a bad fit would be that the tie rod end
could shear. You don't want that to happen, believe me. And those tie rod
ends can take some pretty big forces from time to time.
FWIW, I believe the standard nut is a 3/8 fine thread...
Just don't leave out the washer.
Note: and don't re-use old nyloc nuts. If you do, you're asking for
trouble (unless you use locktite)... ask me, I know - I've had lock nuts
loosen up on my rear axles before... not nice. I have a pretty good stock
of spare nuts and washers now (thick and thin style).
> Thanks list,
> Jeff
> '73 TR6
>
rml
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