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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - To change track rod end, remove raddiator and rack

My right hand side track rod end is knackered, hence I've ordered a pair of new ones.

Nice quick job. Yeah right. Not if it's seized on the track rod. No amount of heat and plus gas would shift it, and I would probably twisted the rod if I'd used any more force. So I pulled back the gaitor and tried to remove the rod from the rack. No joy there either. Way too tight.

Out came the radiator, followed by the rack. I figured that in a better position, more heat and plus gas would shift it, but I didn't want to overheat the rod and melt the nylon bush at the inner end of the track rod.

But even with the bloody thing stipped off and in a vice, in the end the only way to get the TRE off, was with a grinder. Judging by the crap on the rod threads, I think someone might have used thread lock on it.

Half the bloody day, just to change one track rod end.

PS. V is for victory. ;).







Lawrence Slater

Heat should have allowed the thread lock to break.
Trevor Jessie

To quote Jim Royle
"Simple job, my ar*e!"
Jeremy Tickle

Lucky you have a quick-release radiator!
Dave O'Neill 2

Lawerance

Tough job, no easy way around it

As I recall the 1st time I had to use an angle grinder to cut the heads off then cut perpendicular to the threads to peel the TRE off in 3 sections

I think what happens is water gets between.the threads and rust devolops

I hope you dont have to break open the acorn joint that holds the inner and outer rods togather... it wont be a pretty project

Hang in there

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

Hi Trevor.
Yup heat should have done that. But it didn't. I had it pretty much cherry at one point.

Very apt Jeremy. :).

Dave. Yup I thought so too. However, the bolts holding the rack onto it's brackets, were so bloody tight too, I had to take the rad cowl/frame out as well, in order to get a decent pull on the bolts with a socket. :(.

Prop, I thought I was going to have to go that far too. But I did a bit more grinding than in that pic, just enough to reveal the pattern of the threads, and it began to move. Rocked it back and forth, and it gradually came off in what was left of one piece.

But I did have to take the rod off the rack as I said. I assume by acorn joint you mean the ball joints at the inner end of the track rod end. Actually once the rack is easy to get at, and you bend back the lock tab, those joints are fairly easy to undo with a levers on the end of the T bar.

Whilst I was at it, I stripped both ends. I added a shim or two to remove the slight play that had crept in to the inner joints.

If I'd have known I was going to have to do this, I might have bought new nylon seats for the joints. Moss sell them.
SEAT, ball: From G-AN5-114643, G-AN6, 1275-1500cc. Part number 158732 £4.75

But in the event, just addding a couple of shims did the trick. So I'd have wasted my money.






Lawrence Slater

This thread was discussed between 08/07/2015 and 09/07/2015

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