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My hand hurts [tie rod/gaiter related]

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J

JoshP

Jedi Trainee
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Owwww...owwww...my hand hurts like el diablo...read on.

Today was a nice day, so I decided to go ahead with replacing my rack gaiters. A job that would ordinarily take about an hour ended up taking all day, and I'm still at a stand still.

After doing my prep work (measuring, marking), I went to loosen the locknut. I used a wrench to hold the tie rod end and proceeded to try to turn the locknut clockwise. No dice; tried turning it back the other way. No dice either...so, I soaked the whole bit in PB Blaster and tried again after a couple hours.

Still no dice...this cycle repeated throughout the day with no joy. Even tried to do the other side with the same result. The thing's stuck like glue...I may have to take it to the shop so they can break out the heat wrench, as I don't have one.

Anyone have any other suggestions?

As to why my hand hurts...when I was trying to loosen the locknut, I tried smacking the wrench with my BFH. Only...I didn't smack the wrench...owww...
 
How's that BFB coming along?
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devilgrin.gif
 
It's red as a beet right now where the hammer struck, but turning purple more and more every time I look at it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif. It's a wonder I didn't break my hand entirely, as heavy as that hammer was and as hard as I swung.
 
Get some volunteer help and let HIM (her?) smack their hand with the hammer. They say laughter is good for you!

Guinn
 
Hehe...if they saw the shiner on my hand, they wouldn't get anywhere near the job /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif.

I'm going to soak the whole bit in PB Blaster then try a couple of wrenches, one on the nut and the other on the rod end. Line up their handles and squeeze 'em together, see if that helps knock it loose.

I'd say that it's been 10 years or more since those things were even touched; rust's probably set in real good.
 
Josh, might not hurt to get a bit of ice on that hand, although it's probably too late. You could have broken a small bone (or few) in there, there's like a gazillion little bones in the hand.
 
I don't think anything's broken in there; the pain's pretty much worn off now. I have been keeping ice on it intermittently and moving my fingers around. It doesn't seem that anything's broken; lady luck must be smiling down on me. First the OD relief valve, now this...
 
True, and you could have whacked something much more crucial with that BFH...
 
Use a piece of pipe large enough to fit over the handle of a wrench or ratchet...leverage takes the "grunting" out of the work, not to mention the bruises.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Very true Birdie...very true. Tomorrow's a brand new day, we'll give it another go then.
 
Know where you're coming from, Josh...my hands are cut, bruised, sliced, & just plain sore from disassembling 10 MGB front suspension beams today to get the stub axles...kinda makes you wish you had "carpel tunnel syndrome" or whatever it is, doesn't it?
 
I do have a mild case of carpal tunnel syndrome /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif. From years of keyboarding, college bowling and turning the occasional wrench. It flares up now and again, and when it does, there's not much I can do.
 
Pipe wrench onna ball joint, open-end onna nut, set 'em so's you can "push me, pull you" as leverage. Allow the Blaster to do it's job for a day or two first. Watch yer digits with this method... trappin' them between wrenches hurts ALMOST as much!
 
yeah.... I know your pain! Only I didn't wack myself with a hammer. The wrench slipped off the tie-rod end the last time I attempted this job, and the sudden quick movement caused my right hand to rise up and catch a nice jagged part of the front valence (mines all bent and wavey thanks to POs). Ended up with a nice deep gouged on my right wrist just below the thumb bone. Not the first time I've injured this area. So now it's double scared. Took a bout 6 weeks before the scab was gone, but the area still has a nice patch of purplish skin ... The kind of funny part was when it happened I recall thinking "wow that kind of hurt... a lot!". Then when I looked at what I scraped against and saw the hunk of skin hanging from it the pain *really* began to set it... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

But I was still determined to try ang get something done. So I wrapped a clean "shop rag" around my wrist and kept wrenchin'! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
 
Worked with my share of shop towel bandaids...lol. I usually know I'm going to hurt myself way before it actually happens and yet I seem powerless to stop it. Next time I tell myself, I'm pushing too hard or I'll probably hit my hand instead of the drift... I'll probably still keep going till it happens.
JC
 
As I heard in a movie once..."We ain't never not done it before!" I'll get it, one way or another. I tried again this morning; the nut seems like it's trying to move a little. It's super tight. Bubba must've torqued that sucker down real good...
 
How's the BFB?
 
It still hurts, nice little purple spot where the hammer struck. The pain's pretty well worn off though. I've learned my lesson on wrenches and hammers.

Wrench + hammer = loosened fastener.

Wrench + hammer + hand = fit of cursing, trip to ER, ice pack.
 
hmmm...my tir rod end predicament seems a bit different. I was able to break the nut free relatively easily, but the tie rod end was still frozen in place after I did so. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif
 
yep, mine also, and I am going to get a tie rod end remover tomorrow, wanted one for years.
 
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