Need help with stuck steering stabilizer

[Roel Salazar]

Im changing the steering stabilizer and realize need some ball joints too, but I removed the nuts and cant get off the bar.

Am I doing something wrong? Or someone has been there?

Need help as soon as posible.

 

[Chris]

All you need to do to get that steering stabilizer off is give the end a good whack with a BFG (big fucking hammer) right on the threaded portion there.

Why did you remove the castle nut from the drag link where it attaches to the tie rod? That has nothing to do with the steering stabilizer. The other end of the steering stabilizer is attached to the same bracket as the track bar.

 

[Roel Salazar]

All you need to do to get that steering stabilizer off is give the end a good whack with a BFG (big fucking hammer) right on the threaded portion there.

Why did you remove the castle nut from the drag link where it attaches to the tie rod? That has nothing to do with the steering stabilizer. The other end of the steering stabilizer is attached to the same bracket as the track bar.

I removed the castle nut because the 4 ball joints have lots of play and I want to change them all, thats the issue, to remove that bar

 

[CodaMan]

Hit it right here with a BFH and it will pop out.

 

[tworley]

All you need to do to get that steering stabilizer off is give the end a good whack with a BFG (big fucking hammer) right on the threaded portion there.

Unless he wants it to mushroom

 

[KingCarGuyZ]

what Chris said, thread the castle nut on by hand a few turns (to protect the ball joint), get the BFH, and go to town, it'll come off after a few hits. or you could get. a pickle fork after it, but TBH that's more likely to cause a problem.

 

[KingCarGuyZ]

Unless he wants it to mushroom

it'll be finnnnne.









probably.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Hit it right here with a BFH and it will pop out.

View attachment 210724

X2 that right there!!! Do NOT start wailing on the stud with a BFH which will just make it swell and fit even tighter.

That's a tapered stud and the magic technique to release it is to use a BFH to smack it HARD on the SIDE of the drag link next to where the stud passes through.

One or two whacks on the SIDE of the drag link with your big boy pants on will pop it right out. This is the time honored technique used on tapered studs by the more experienced types. Seriously.

 

[Chris]

Unless he wants it to mushroom

I assumed (maybe wrongly) that he was installing a new steering stabilizer, at which point you could whack that old one out, ruin the threads, and it would't matter.

If he wants to reuse it, I'd use a punch or a piece of wood in front of a hammer.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

I assumed (maybe wrongly) that he was installing a new steering stabilizer, at which point you could whack that old one out, ruin the threads, and it would't matter.

If he wants to reuse it, I'd use a punch or a piece of wood in front of a hammer.

Won't happen.

 

[Roel Salazar]

BFH works just fine, and im going to replace that stabilizer too, so not worries, thanks dudes, awesome community

 

[LONGJP2]

X2 that right there!!! Do NOT start wailing on the stud with a BFH which will just make it swell and fit even tighter.

That's a tapered stud and the magic technique to release it is to use a BFH to smack it HARD on the SIDE of the drag link next to where the stud passes through.

One or two whacks on the SIDE of the drag link with your big boy pants on will pop it right out. This is the time honored technique used on tapered studs by the more experienced types. Seriously.

Same thing with tierod ends. Hit the side (of the hole), not the stud. Also, leave the nut on (loose) so it doesn't fall to the ground.

 

[KingCarGuyZ]

BFH works just fine, and im going to replace that stabilizer too, so not worries, thanks dudes, awesome community

View attachment 210726

NP, and where in TX? I need wheeling buddies when this COVID shit is good and over.

 

[Roel Salazar]

NP, and where in TX? I need wheeling buddies when this COVID shit is good and over.

Actually Im mexican, but the forum only includes US states :/

 

[KingCarGuyZ]

Actually Im mexican, but the forum only includes US states :/

really? @Chris, I seem to remember seeing obscure East Asia countries but no Mexico?

I’m in NT so I’m closer to the OK boys anyway, some good wheeling in Mexico.

 

[Chris]

really? @Chris, I seem to remember seeing obscure East Asia countries but no Mexico?

I’m in NT so I’m closer to the OK boys anyway, some good wheeling in Mexico.

I’ll be honest, Mexico makes more sense than obscure Asian countries. Guess I have to fix that.

 

[LONGJP2]

Actually Im mexican, but the forum only includes US states :/

Ever drive down the Baja peninsula? I'd like to do that someday.

 

[mxz800]

Since I have essential tremors, if I used a BFH I would hit everything under my Jeep except what I wanted too. So I used this to pop that tapered bolt out.

https://www.harborfreight.com/3-4-q...G3Srnkq3iaB1xi7P1TkNsGuDkUmaSNxAaAto3EALw_wcB

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Actually Im mexican, but the forum only includes US states :/

Fixed it!

 

[TrueTexas]

Sometimes the BFH works and sometimes it doesn't. This was by far the worst experience I have had working on one of my TJ's and ended up with me just doing the entire ZJ steering upgrade. Which is where I honestly should have started.

The tapered bolt didn't want to come out. Started by putting on my big boy pants like @Jerry Bransford said and hit it on the side with a 3lb hammer. Hundreds of times. No luck. Broke a pitman arm puller and even drilled it out using progressively larger bits until I got to a 3/8" bit (could even have been a 7/16" bit -can't remember). It still didn't budge. Finally pulled the whole tie rod with steering damper attached. Matter of fact, it is still attached to the tie rod sitting in my attic.

My suggestion is to just do the ZJ steering upgrade if you cant get the bolt out. $200 well spent IMO.

BTW - This is a Texas Jeep and has been here its entire life. No rust at all. Just a tapered bolt that seems to have welded itself to the tie rod over the past 21 years.