Help With Turbo Tie Rods, Tie Rod Popped out of Rack Options

[rwjames]

Could have been serious safety issue, but I guess I got lucky.

Decided to drive the '75 914 Saturday morning. Fired it up, backed it out of the garage, turned the steering wheel to pull down the driveway. A popping noise came from the front of the car as I'm still backing in reverse and the steering turns to crap.

I get out of the car and one front tire is turning right while the other is turning left. I put the car up on jack stands and remove the steering rack cover. The tie rod came out of the steering rack and was just dangeling from the wheel side.

This car has the turbo tie rods that were on the car when I purchased it from AA about 2 years ago. I have probably driven the car about 1500 miles since I have owned it with no signs of trouble with the tie rods or front suspension.

Any ideas of how the tie rod could just pop out of the steering rack. The threads on the rod and inside the rack appear to be ok from what I can tell.

Should I just remove the pin and nut from the wheel side and screw the tie rod back into the rack?

Anything else I should look for? I assume I will also need to have the alignment checked?

I feel lucky as this could have happend going into a corner at speed and the results would have been ugly.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/WTF.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif)

[rwjames]

Here are some photo's of the driver's side rack and turbo tie rod that popped out.

[Aaron Cox]

use the MACRO function on your digital camera. looks like a 'flower' icon. that sets it up for closeups...


did the car have an alignment recently? maybe the aligner unscrewed it from the rack?

[bd1308]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

Oh My!

[John]

EDIT:
How did that quote get there.....





That is scary.

When I did my Turbo Tie rods, mine came with a large OD thick washer. The washer effectively acts as a rack stop.

I have a couple questions from your pics:

Didn't yours have boots?

Do you still have the washer?

My suggestion would be to reinstall it into the rack and make sure it actually tightens up. If the threads are no good, it won't tighten up.

You will need the thin spanner wrench to tighten the turbo tie-rod.

Good luck with that.

I would realign the car after tightening things back up.

In the future, you may want to check these for backing off.

just my $0.02

[Maltese Falcon]

What was the year/date that you purchased these, and from what source?
Reason is that the 3rd world knock-off tie rod kits , sold by most of the catalog folks are not to the DIN/ TUV spec of the real Porsche part.
Early demise of the rubber boot, no grease retention, and basically falling apart are the symptoms.
Just a thought.
Marty

[rwjames]

Rob quote: He'll do the minor body work, primer, base-coat, clear-coat.

Rob,
I just had some paint work done on my M471 car and according to the paint supply shop, the 914 colors only come in single stage paint. I couldn't get base coat, clear coat in Tangerine. What say you?
Steve

That is scary.

When I did my Turbo Tie rods, mine came with a large OD thick washer. The washer effectively acts as a rack stop.

I have a couple questions from your pics:

Didn't yours have boots?

Do you still have the washer?

My suggestion would be to reinstall it into the rack and make sure it actually tightens up. If the threads are no good, it won't tighten up.

You will need the thin spanner wrench to tighten the turbo tie-rod.

Good luck with that.

I would realign the car after tightening things back up.

In the future, you may want to check these for backing off.

just my $0.02

Sorry for the low technology. These pics should be a little better and show the boot.

They do have boots, but I slid them back to take some of the photos.

I didn't see a washer, but it could be long gone somewhere in the driveway.

I haven't had an alignment performed and can't think of any recent work performed that the front suspension would have been touched, at least to my knowledge.

Thanks for the help.

[rwjames]

What was the year/date that you purchased these, and from what source?
Reason is that the 3rd world knock-off tie rod kits , sold by most of the catalog folks are not to the DIN/ TUV spec of the real Porsche part.
Early demise of the rubber boot, no grease retention, and basically falling apart are the symptoms.
Just a thought.
Marty

The turbo tie rods were on the car when I purchased it a couple of years ago so I don't know anything about them.

Not sure who the manufacturer is or where they came from. It's really hard to tell, but they don't show any signs of wear from being on the car for a long period of time.

[Twystd1]

From your pics..... All the threads look good.

I B thinking it simply unscrewed. Where is the locking not and washer pics?

AND PLEASE CHECK THE OTHER SIDE BEFORE YOU GO ANY FARTHER....!!!!!!

Clayton

[blitZ]

From your pics..... All the threads look good.

I B thinking it simply unscrewed. Where is the locking not and washer pics?

AND PLEASE CHECK THE OTHER SIDE BEFORE YOU GO ANY FARTHER....!!!!!!

Clayton

I recently installed turbo tie rods I got from AA. It didn't come with lockwashers. Sounds like I need them.

[Joe Ricard]

Put some ass on it when you tighten the thing. Obviously the DAPO did not have any ass.
I use a pipe wrench to get a good torque on them. Some say use one of them fancy wrenches . I just use brute force.

[rwjames]

I haven't had the chance the pull the boot off the passenger side yet and inspect it, but I plan to do that tonight.

It sounds like I need to pick up a couple of lock washers to be on the safe side.

Does anyone know what size washers I need off hand? I didn't think to measure it before I left the house this morning and I may have some good sized metric washers here at work.

Thanks
Rich

[davep]

I cannot understand how you would not notice the rod becoming unscrewed. Your alignment should have been getting progressively worse. Unless for some even more strange reason the rod was only engaged a few threads to get the alignment! How loose are the threads when you assemble them?

[skline]

I have installed many pairs of those tie rods and I dont recall ever seeing a lock washer, the only thing about it I remember is that there is a big thick washer on the inside. It should not have come loose on you however, unless someone did an alignment and did not tighten up the lock bolt on the outside where you make the adjustments. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

[rhodyguy]

i've never seen a lock washer either. just the spacing disc. i can't figure out how the rack end could walk out. i agree with removing the rack end of the boot on the other side and taking a look. any ideas what the red stuff is? rack lube?

k

[Aaron Cox]

From your pics..... All the threads look good.

I B thinking it simply unscrewed. Where is the locking not and washer pics?

AND PLEASE CHECK THE OTHER SIDE BEFORE YOU GO ANY FARTHER....!!!!!!

Clayton

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

no lock washers or locking nuts on a TTR. they have large "rack stop" washers in the kits tho.

[Aaron Cox]

now here is a question. does the tie rod bottom out into the rack before it runs out of thread? if so... is that why the large washer "rack stops" are included?

[Lou W]

Here's a picture of the washers that you guys are talking about:

[PRS914-6]

Picture with washer installed.....

[Joe Ricard]

Threads do not bottom out.
Spacers limit the amount of travel lock to lock.
I just fixed a rack on a 83 Vanagon exact same thing happpend to him. Fortunatley he was also going slow. We screwed it back in and put a good ole fashioned UMPH on the thng and it's been fine.