Drag Link, Can't remove

Hook

Hook

Senior Member
I'm trying to get my steering in order, and have removed the drag link from the pitman arm, but I can't get the drag link end plug removed from the front end of it. I've been working on it for a week with various penetrating oils, letting it sit overnight. I just received the special tool some of the vendors sell to use in the slot of the plug, so I can really crank on it now.
I don't have a torch, so what do you suggest. I can put a pipe on the end of my breaker bar and see what breaks first, but that might not be prudent. Any suggestions would really be appreciated.
Thanks,
Larry
 
Why can't you get the plug out ?? Can you get it to start to turn at all ?? If you can, then just keep working it in and out.. Is the end the link damaged at all?? If the very end is damaged at all then the threads are ' smushed up' [technical term].. If thats the case then you could file or grind away the damaged portion.. If you can't get it to even start to turn,, then a cheater bar and some serious heat will be your friend..
 
Is the cotter pin out?

Has the end been beat over to prevent the plug from coming out?

Have you tried to tighten it---this can expose damaged threads at the end so they can be cleaned, and give the plug the idea that it can move and come out

Have you tried heat?

another way to loosen it can be to lay it on something like an anvil, tap (not beat it with a heavy hammer) around the outside so it gets the idea that you are serious.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I can't get it to move at all. It looks like a combination of rust and then paint. I guess the next step if the cheater bar won't do anything is to take it to a friends place who has a torch and try that next. Can't do that until I get it back on the road, though. Does the torch/heat really make a world of difference on stuff like this? I don't have any experience with the torch!
 
A stuck bolt or part that refuses to move like it is welded together will usually come right apart with the heat of a torch. Its best to go ahead and really put the heat to it first before trying to move it. I will heat a nut up cherry red, let it cool a little and then it usually comes right off. If not try it again with a little more heat. Just be carefull not to burn down your garage (open gas cans ect..) and remember that all the parts will be extreamly hot to the touch for quite a while. A torch is a good friend when working on old cars!:)
 
The bolt you are using every ounce of your strength to move can become --wow that wasn't even tight, but used wrong can destroy the part, front axles are heat treated, heating the spring perch area red makes it soft and weak----heating so the penetrating oil smokes good is ok, and as it cools the oil gets sucked in

the idea is to use the temperature differential, heat the outside fast expanding it ,then moving the part before the other part gets to the same temp, sometimes just the heating and cooling is enough to break the bond.
 
i have good luck with a good propane torch . cheap , and with patience they work for me .
 
Just like Kurt in NJ says that having a backup (usually an anvil or a heavy hammer) on one side of the work and tapping the other side with a hammer and doing this all the way around will break the bond between the rust and the threads...works for me on rusted pipe unions...
 
Have you tried back and forth with an air impact wrench? The high speed hammering is good at breaking loose threads that don't respond well to static torque. Sometimes you just need to stay on it with the tool hammering away but not moving (rotating) for a minute or so.
 
the idea is to use the temperature differential, heat the outside fast expanding it ,then moving the part before the other part gets to the same temp, sometimes just the heating and cooling is enough to break the bond.

Follow Kurt's advice above and the odds are you will get things a moving. For something like this a standard propane torch form the hardware will work fine. Just get the area around the plug heated quick to expand it while the plug stays cool. Quit trying for a while if every thing gets heated up evenly.
Dave
 
Thanks guys for the technique on heating. I have a propane torch, so I'll give that a try. I would have heated the wrong part (the plug and not the drag link). The old grease and rubber part with the fire had me concerned. Guess I'll keep a bucket of water handy and a fire extinguisher close by when I try this.
Pete, I'm near Cable on Lake Namekagon.
 
kurt has given the very best advise
a little heat and tapping with a small hammer
i have gotten dozens of shock absorber covers off BY HAND just tapping the cover with a small tack hammer maybe 100 times,(and i never use heat on them)
not hard enough to deform or mark the cover
brute strength is not what is needed
 
A fire extinguisher on hand is a good idea,, but,, a shop rag is pretty good at snuffing out such fires..
 
I can't get the tie rod ends off of the tie rod. I was planning on buying a propane torch, now I'm convinced!
 
I gave up on removing the plug on my 31. When you said you'd get a cheater bar and see what gives first, I'll tell ya now the tool will break ., mine did on the first try. I'm going to borrow my sons acetylene torch. My little propane just ain't getting it hot enough.
 
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