[dhanushs]

Dear bhp'ns, recently, I got stuck in a forest as my Spindle Casing cracked which resulted the front left wheel non-steerable and free to move in it own accord. ie, one cannot steer the Jeep.


Whats the damage? :






I was trying to maneuver the Jeep within a narrow track, with immovable rocks on both sides. Usually, we pass through this area without much fuss, but this time, I just couldn't steer, and on inspection, found that the Spindle Casing cracked and the Tie-Rod End was hanging freely on the left side.

Well, this part usually does not fail, but why did it fail now? On probing for reasons, I came to know that, most mechanics, take out the Tie-Rod by hammering it out of the casing. Such hammering, if not properly done, will slowly, but steadily develop cracks in the Spindle Casing, which will eventually fail whist some heavy duty steering. Mostly, while maneuvering through rocks. Most mechanics don't mind this much, as small cracks don't fail ON-ROAD, and also as they have no idea about the shear stresses involved OFF-ROAD.

So, please ask your mechanic to take care the next time.

Also, I have never taken my Jeep to an A.S.S, so, I'd like to know how this is done in Mahindra A.S.S (Without hammering??..)

[Sutripta]

You get tie rod pullers. Never seen anyone use one. Hammering (judicious) works just fine. Its a forged component.

Regards
Sutripta

[motocamp]

judging by the picture,it seems the mech has probably heated the casting up with a welding torch(the paint is all burned off)This and the hammering probably weakened the tie rod end.

[Sudarshan]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

You get tie rod pullers. Never seen anyone use one.

Here it is , along with a Nut cracker , I am trying to find these locally but still haven't found any . May be I will fabricate it some day at least #2

1 The rod end separator



2 Nut Cracker

Hammering (judicious) works just fine. Its a forged component.

Yes you are right Dada , I have done it numerous times , sometimes used two legged pullers where it could fit & sometimes I use a piece of pipe to support the knuckle eye before tapping on bolt ( bolt hammering only when the piece is to be thrown/ replaced )

Also I use some thin grease on the taper mating surfaces ,so they dont rust & dismantle easily next time

My observations
1) pure metal fatiuge

2) Non standard knuckle ( replaced by previous owner )

3) Wrong hammering (including in previous repairs )

4) Too much tightening of the tie rod end bolt ( its base is tapered shape )

Thinking on more reasons , but good food for thought , at your cost ( Unfortunately ) & a lesson to learn .

Sudarshan

Note : Source of the pics : I had posted it on bhp before -- so all credit to

[svsantosh]

Lol, I didnt check FB, so I was right. My mech uses brute force (read - 2-3 inch hammer with a foot long handle) for removing bolero, sumo, scorpio etc suspension parts. I strictly warn him not to do such crazy things on my vehicles. In case of TRE he uses a large (30's) size spanner instead of a hammer and knocks it out using its 1 end. Pity, he doesnt have proper tools for the job!

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

Was not your LHS having problems with KPI ? I hope you remember me telling that your knuckles must have been damaged / faulty.

They are NOT supposed to fail like this. This is brutal.

Spike

EDIT- I feel it is your ex-steering which did this trick.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by SPIKE ARRESTOR

Was not your LHS having problems with KPI ? I hope you remember me telling that your knuckles must have been damaged / faulty.

They are NOT supposed to fail like this. This is brutal.

Thanks for the confirmation Spike.

Yes, I guess my knuckles were damaged well before, and hence the KPI problems. As I mentioned before, my KPI on left was 22.4 degrees and right was 10.5 and I was having steering feedback/returnability issues.

Left knuckle is broken and right is 'off' by 3 degrees from OE. So, I'm changing both spindle casings. Right now, I've only managed to source OE ones on the left, and the steering feedback/effort/returnability has increased tons! Lets hope after replacing both, I'll get the 'real' MRCBT advantage! .

More on it later!

[carbookie]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

I came to know that, most mechanics, take out the Tie-Rod by hammering it out of the casing. Such hammering, if not properly done, will slowly, but steadily develop cracks in the Spindle Casing, which will eventually fail whist some heavy duty steering.

Also, I have never taken my Jeep to an A.S.S, so, I'd like to know how this is done in Mahindra A.S.S (Without hammering??..)

Tie rod end are removed by hammering the knuckle. I have never seen it being done any other way. This is true even at A.S.S