Stupid nut...

[UpNorth]

...or is it me...
The lock nut that sits on the DS tie rod is spinning and I can’t take it off. But the rod is not.
I’ve seen videos of guys putting pressure from under to stop the rod from turning with the nut but this is not my problem, as mentioned the rod stands still.
It’s the nut that is turning but not moving up or down...
Can someone chime in...please?
TIA

121338

[cv2065]

Put another nut on the stud, screw it down and tack weld it to the other nut. Then unscrew both of them. JB Weld if you don't have a welder. Or, you could get a thin putty knife and see if it can fit under the nut and pry up while unscrewing. Or, you could cut off with Dremel...but that would probably jack up the threads. Or you could just replace the tie rod. Not that expensive and sounds like the threads may unusable anyway.

[GWL]

Those threads must then be stripped. Cut it off and get a new tie rod end.

George

[NAZ]

Two ways that sometimes work on these stubborn nuts. Use an air impact wrench rather than a manual wrench. The impact wrench uses inertia rather than torque -- everytime the impact hammers hit there is a slight movement of the nut before the stud also moves. If that doesn't work or if you will be replacing the tie rod end, use a hammer to set the tapered stud in the tapered hole which will keep the stud from turning.

But if that still doesn't work, cut the nut off the stud and replace the tie rod end. I use an oxy-acetylene torch but I've done this enough I can cut a nut off without damaging the threads on the stud. There are nut breakers or you can use a cutoff wheel -- just be careful not to damage the part the tie rod end attaches to.

[UpNorth]

Thanks guys!
I’m not shure which way I’ll go now but at least I have options.
I’m going to let those ideas sink in before taking a dive on one of them.
Just wondering how this happened, I went gentle on it and torque it as specified by the manual *sigh*.
I really appreciate your comments and suggestions. Thanks again!

[rdcyclist]

One of these can be priceless in certain situations: Craftsman Nutcracker (https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-Automotive-Nut-Cracker/1000595029?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-tol-_-google-_-lia-_-218-_-mechanicstools-_-1000595029-_-0&store_code=2790&placeholder=null&gclid=CjwKCAiA1L_xBRA2EiwAgcLKA-qkow2ImdOtaQjg_ZP3aY2amZquPtifDuihfPRFPKGAf2G3iySk zRoCcDgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)

[UpNorth]

122239

Spot on rdcyclist,
Nutcracker did it this time.
Got to remember that easy does it with this.

[7tvette]

Maybe it just me, but I usually find its a problem with the loose nut using the ratchet!

Troy

[AC Bill]

Nutcracker did it this time. Got to remember that easy does it with this.

So were the threads stripped, and that's why the nut was spinning, but not unthreading?

I like the older style tie-rod ends, that used a castle nut and cotter pin. You weren't tempted to torque the heck out of it when tightening it.

[UpNorth]

So were the threads stripped, and that's why the nut was spinning, but not unthreading?

Hard to say when looking at the nut after going through the process of « cracking » it but I think so.
As for torquing I followed the recommandation of FFR in the build manual. And by the way the nut on the other side is doing what it has to do, so maybe I was just unlucky...or I over torque without noticing...

[AC Bill]

Hard to say when looking at the nut after going through the process of « cracking » it but I think so..

So the threads on the tie rod end were OK?
Was it a Nylok nut? If so, I'm thinking it maybe was the wrong thread size nut, for the shaft.
If it was a slightly oversize thread, the nylon part may have caught just enough thread, to thread on, but when torqued up, or when un-threading, it just stripped it. The metal threads wouldn't catch being over-sized, to un-thread it, so it just spun in place.