What is this and should it be replaced?

( snipped-for-privacy@ayawyo.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Heh. I suspect one of those track rod ends has been replaced fairly recently...

Possibly, probably not.

What sort of a knock is it? If it's the TRE, it's more likely to be play in the steering than a knock. If you mean that when you have the steering on lock, and the car moves fore/aft, you're getting a speed-dependant knock- knock-knock from one wheel, then it's the CV joint on the end of the driveshaft. It'll get worse until it lets go, stranding you with no transmission of power at all - the diff will divert all power to the side of least resistance, which won't be the one with a connection left to the road.

It's a track-rod end balljoint, by the looks of it. It's part of the steering.

Does the noise go clunk-clunk-clunk while the road wheels are turning on full lock (ie the car is moving), or does turning the wheel with the car stationary cause it to happen?

If it's the former the problem is more likely to be the CV joints than the track-rod end or other steering components.

CV joints are fairly easy to change. Even taking them off, cleaning them out and giving them a good greasing might be enough. You'll need a big, deep socket, a long bar (or a short bar and a scaffalding tube!), a torque wrench (possibly an angular one as well), and a few other tools. While you're at it, change the gators at the same time.

If you change the track-rod ends the steering will need tracked professionally so it might be easier to give it to a garage to do. It won't cost the earth...

Hope this helps,

Iain

These are the trackrod ends. You can shake them and they shouldn't rattle, but they wear and if there's any freedom there they should be replaced. Sometimes they can be difficult to get out of the track rod. You can get a splitter to do this but I suggest you remove the nuts, stick a jack under the end of the stem where the nut was and lift it an inch, then hit the trackrod itself down with a lump hammer, close to the end. This will loosen the stem which is a taper fit into the trackrod. The trackrod end can be then unscrewed from the trackrod after you have undone the locknut. Only slacken the locknut a little and you should be able to screw the new end up to it and the tracking will not have altered. But ideally you should have the tracking checked at a garage.

But then again, your noise may not be these ends. It may be the CV joints. Jack the wheel and turn it on full lock and see if it makes a noise. From what you say this sounds more likely.

Rob Graham

I'd be a bit careful how you do that - they have a castellated nut on, and holes in the top of the thread that a split pin goes through to engage with the castellations on the nut. If you just wallop it a good 'un with the hammer, it's possible to knacker the top of the shaft where its 'weakened' by having the holes through it - it can bend, and then you won't get the nut back on again. Try loosening, but not completely removing, the nut first.

Brian.

Oh, my mistake - I hadn't read that properly first! Yeah, if you hit the track rod, rather than the threaded stem, it'll be OK. I still reckon I'd go for one of those universal splitters, though, for preference, except in cases where there just isn't enough space to get one in, in which case you'd have to use the fork type. I must remember to engage brain before starting mouth next time...!

Brian.

Sorry. The third sentence should read

Sometimes they can be difficult to get out of the steering arm.

Rob Graham

No problem, but in any case, I'd assumed he was going to replace the t/r end in which case knackering the stem, should it happen, was immaterial. However, if I separate these items with a view to reusing the parts I do loosen rather than remove the nut, for just the reason you said.

Rob

Go to a car park or large open space, turn the steering wheel full lock and drive round in circles at about 10mph. After a few circles, turn the wheel the opposite direction and repeat. Any knocking noises in either rotation would usually mean a knackered CV joint - mine is doing the same and has for the last four months, but I've at least got a spare car ready to nick one from if I need to.

As for your photos, it looks like your track-rod ends are shot and will need replacing (split boot on one as far as I can make out). Another poster had already described how to do this, though it is important to get the tracking checked by a garage afterwards as if it is out you can scrub the side off a new tyre within 6mths!

Both track-rod ends and CV joints are MOT failure items so you will need to fix them.

Darren

My last MOT failure certificate says 'excess play o/s track rod end', so I guess that'll be it! :)

Thanks to everyone for their responses! It certainly does sound like the CV joint(s) has/have gone -- as it's a repetitive clunk on full lock. My last MOT sheet listed 'both outer CV boots split', so presumably that would have had to have been fixed for the car to pass the retest -- so is that a different part altogether, or did the garage just take my money and not bother to fix it? I'd be surprised if it was the latter as I've used them quite often and they're quite friendly, etc., but I've been surprised before :).

I'd like to fix it myself but I've got lots of things stacked against me -- I live on a hill so I can't jack the car up, and it's not really the sort of place where I'd want to anyway; I don't have a garage, and I don't really want to just do it in another street or a car-park as if it all goes wrong I'll be completely stuck then. Plus if I had to go around looking for tubing and weird tools, I'd probably mess it all up and buy a mop instead by mistake. And the Haynes manual isn't very helpful either! Okay, I'll stop whining now.

So, I guess I'll have to take it to the garage again -- what sort of price should i expect to pay?

Thankyou if you are able to help :).

( snipped-for-privacy@ayawyo.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

What's happened is that the rubber boot split, letting all the grease out, and letting grit and water in.

The rubber boot has been replaced, and presumably the joint cleaned out and new grease introduced - but the damage had probably already been done.

What car?

Ah, okay :). Thanks for the explanation! I take it checking the boots regularly is probably something which is worth doing, then? Silly question probably :P.

Vauhall Astra Mk II, from 1992 (J-reg).

Thankyou for being patient with me :).

( snipped-for-privacy@ayawyo.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

They're fairly new on there now, so they're unlikely to go again in the near future, assuming they've been fitted properly - but they're very easy to check if you've got the front wheel off for some reason.

It's not going to be hugely expensive, then - I'd have guessed (and it is a guess) at about £50 for an exchange shaft, and mebbe two hours labour.

Hehe, it's the labour I'm worried about :P. If it didn't need to be done so quickly I'd maybe look for a private garage I can hire out for a day or two and attempt it myself, but never mind. It's probably for the best.

It's booked to the garage for Friday and I'll find-out then. Thanks for your help, it was... well, extremely helpful! :)