I FUBARED A Fabtech tie rod

[Alan06SUT]

Mt driver side tie rod did not break, got me home, but it has about 1/4" of play in it and is bent. I barely notice it unless I'm tried to climb a real steep hill. I have a new set ordered. If the truck is on a lift, you can move the wheel back and forth and hear it and see the bend, but when driving, it just wonders slightly more ( I figured it was just the tires).

[NJ H2]

That must have been some heavy wheelin to do that damage!

[tomp]

Alan, did you have the Cognito Pitman and Idler support kit on there? Just curious, because I can see how the kit could ease the pain on the tie rods as it prevents them from getting into extreme angles.

[Alan06SUT]

Originally Posted by tomp

Alan, did you have the Cognito Pitman and Idler support kit on there? Just curious, because I can see how the kit could ease the pain on the tie rods as it prevents them from getting into extreme angles.

Yes, I do have them on there. I'm sure if I didn't have the fab techs or maybe the cognito kit, I'd have popped the tie rod completely and been screwed. I carry the stock tie rods as spares just in case.

[Alan06SUT]

Originally Posted by NJ H2

That must have been some heavy wheelin to do that damage!

I may...stay tuned...

[DRTYFN]

WTF did you do? You'd really have to screw the pooch to break a Fabtech tie rod.

[Alan06SUT]

Originally Posted by PhilD

You can wear the inner ball joint on Fabtech tie rods (and stock tie rods for that matter) just by having a bad Pitman or idler arm. If you drive around with bad Pitman/idler arms you will first wear the ball joints on the tie rods, then you'll mess up the steering box. So get your Pitman/idler checked also.

Good call. I replaced them once, after my second trip to Tellico, but I believe some of you guys have replaced them multiple times!!! I'll get them checkd out again when I install the new fabtech TRE.

[Alan06SUT]

Originally Posted by DRTYFN

WTF did you do? You'd really have to screw the pooch to break a Fabtech tie rod.

I did it on my own hill out on the farm...I think??? It started making funny noises when climbing and bouncing. I beleve it was the ball joint in the Fabtech tie rod sice it has about 1/4" of play right now. And the tie rod shows evidence that the sway bar was hitting it a little.

CV shafts are fine, centerlink is straight, no bolts are loose, so I dont know what else would cause that type of noise. And the boot on the tie rod is busted.

[Alan06SUT]

Originally Posted by PhilD

Nevre had any noise out of a TR even when the ball joint is blown.

It's very unusual to blow a ball joint quickly, it usually fails from premature wear, usually from other steering component premature wear.

If your passenger side of the center link is sitting higher than the drivers side, this can cause the PS TR to push up on the CL, causing the TR inner ball joint to bind, which will lead to failure of it.

They can wear from abuse on the trail, but it is usually not quickly.

I better inspect the centerlink closely, it seems like that could also cause the swaybar to hit the Tie rod if its bent.

[ROX]

I wasn't going to say anything before Moab, but I have the same issue.

I had new idler/pitman/steering gear put in my rig in Febuary. In March, I installed the Cognito Steering kit, and Fabtech tie rods. (From Trailduty!)

I drove to Arizona, hit one trail on Saturday, and I can hear the whole front end POPPING LOUDLY! It started about the 3rd ledge I went up, and they weren't even that steep.

I have noticed that a lot of the grease is out of the passenger side inner tie rod seal, so I need to put more in. There's only a small amount out of the drivers side. I have to get under there and look closely to see if the gear is worn out and jack it up to check for play in the steering gear.

I have spare tie rods too, just in case.
I'm really bummed.

It sounds like we've got the same issues, Alan.
You're not alone.

Are you talking about the swaybar link and the tie rod banging together? That will happen when a tie rod bends. (trust me I know) I've not had the swaybar itself hit the tie rod. (I haven't ever broken a tie rod either, just bent them) What happens is that when the truck is climbing, the front wheels have traction, and the CL starts to rotate up and back causing the tie rod joints to take all the force of the wheels pulling the truck up the incline. If this motion happens too fast it causes the tie rods at the end of the CL to whip back, causing them to bend or break joints. This usually takes out the swaybar link that sits just behind the tie rod. (ps never get cheap swaybar links from Napa, the bushings suck, they'll work in a pinch but wear out in no time.) If your swaybar link is bent at all, or the bushings are out, they will pop and make noise too. Can you wiggle it or see any rubber missing?

Supposedly, the Cognito kit is supposed to take the rotation out of the centerlink. After this weekend, I'm not convinced that's the case.
I've never run the fabtech tie rods before, so I'm unfamiliar with them. I'm headed to Moab this weekend, and I'm sure I'll have all the bugs worked out while I'm there.

Anyway, those are a couple of my experiences, I hope it helps.

[ROX]

Originally Posted by Alan06SUT

I better inspect the centerlink closely, it seems like that could also cause the swaybar to hit the Tie rod if its bent.

Yes. I saw KenP's bent CL. It was bent on one of the curves at the end, just barely. The Fabtech tie rod was straight.

[KenP]

Originally Posted by H2 Rocks

Yes. I saw KenP's bent CL. It was bent on one of the curves at the end, just barely. The Fabtech tie rod was straight.

The rod was straight, but the joint is where we bent ours... a couple of times.

When you adjust the rod by turning it, the rod would rotate in an elliptical pattern, not just a straight circle.

[DRTYFN]

Originally Posted by H2 Rocks

In March, I installed the Cognito Steering kit, and Fabtech tie rods. (From Trailduty!)

OH, THANK YOU, LORD!!!!!! SHE FINALLY UPGRADED!!!!!!

[ROX]

Originally Posted by PhilD

Two issues there. The bending of the CL, but more importantly why it bent. If the passenger side of the CL is sitting higher than the drivers side, then the TR may push it up into the frame, when turned all the way driver, the TR will bend the CL up. As the angle increases the TR will bind, any impact or sudden jolt will result in either a bent TR or blown ball joint.

Strapping the control arms may help prevent the angle from becoming bad enough to cause damage, of course you will lose some suspension droop travel, but an unloaded (no weight on it) wheel is not doing much anyway.

A solid center link helps eliminate the issue, I used one after my CL had flexed so many times it was just way to flexy, but at the cost of a slightly larger turning radius and excessive tire scrub.

The GM IFS front end just sucks in my view. I speak to a lot of people with 2500's that bend tie rods by driving down the street. They get exactly the same front end toe in/out oscillation just by standing on the gas (or more usually, the diesel).

I agree. A solid axel upgrade might have helped some of those problems, but still.....The kind of wheeling you do, you need something really specialized.

I crawled under my H2 today and the steering gear still looks really good! YAY! I also jacked it up on one side at a time, and the front end is still very solid!
I do have one fabtech TR on the passenger side with two little tiny holes in the boot on the inside that is squirting grease out of it, but other than that it's all good. I can't imagine where all the noise is coming from. My inner axel seal is leaking a little bit, but those are brand new, so I expect to get one Moab trip out of them before they blow all the way. Everything on the front of this hummer is new, so I don't know what's popping and clicking. I'll check the Rancho shocks next. (no oil coming out, but that doesn't mean there isn't trouble with one).

Phil, my bro-in-law pulls a 35ft triple axel 5th wheel all over Id, Mt, Wy with his duramax. (cattle, backhoes, and tractors, He builds roads for a living.) He loves it, and hasn't ever had any trouble with it. He has got to be the only person on earth.

Trent keeps threatening to pull me home from Moab with his Excursion.
Over my dead body!

[ROX]

Originally Posted by DRTYFN

OH, THANK YOU, LORD!!!!!! SHE FINALLY UPGRADED!!!!!!

So?