Castle nut stuck on tie rod

Soooo while trying to detach my passenger tie rod from the spindle I may have just broken it, the the threads and castle nut are spinning together... Help!

Do I need to replace the tie rod?
Any tips of how to DC the tie rod?

 

Cut it off and replace the tie rod end if necessary.

Also, why are you trying to remove it?

 

Get a pair of vice grips on the threads if possible. Needle nose is best. Paper towel or something can help to reduce damage to the threads but you may have to replace it at the end of the day

 

It's not broken, the threaded part is just spinning in the joint socket. Sometimes you can get the socket to bind enough to loosen the nut with creative application of a floor jack.

 

What are you turning the nut with? If a wrench/ratchet try an impact. It may break it loose without spinning the rod.

 

Install new suspension... Ya that's what I figured but was hoping some tacomaworld guru might have magical trick... Thank you... Any brand recommendations for tie rods?

 

Ok I'll try all of these recommendations, once I get it apart how would I know if it is broken?

 

Put pressure under the joint with a floor jack and then hit it with an impact gun. Don't pull the trigger and hold though. Pull the trigger for a second, release, pull the trigger for a second and release, do your best to not let the stud spin. This will wreck the ball joint. Also wire brush the threads to clean them before attempting and spray some penetrating oil on it.

Unless you are replacing the tie rod end don't grab the threads with anything, you will just make it worse.

 

Sounds like you gooched it, I would plan on putting a new one on when you reassemble it. Outer tie rods aren't that expensive and not something you want to have fail on you while driving.

 

Are you install new spindles? You don't need to remove the tie rods ends to install new shocks.

 

Well now you tell me lol ... Should I replace the one I fucked up with OEM or is there a good aftermarket option you guys suggest

 

There's gotta be some online vids of installing shocks on 3rd gens....maybe pull one of those up lol. Definitely don't need to remove the tie rod. If it's anything like 1st gens, you literally just unbolt the 3 top hat bolts and the bottom big bolt that goes through the bottom mount of the shock/coil. Pull it out and put the new one in. Reattach bottom bolt and top 3 bolts and you're done.

 

Here is the Toyota guide for the installation of the Pro suspension. You can follow this method and unbolt the lower knuckle, or you can skip that and unbolt the UCA from the spindle. 6 to 1 and half a dozen to the other.

 

Videos say to DC all that stuff... Either way harms already done just need to fix my current problem

 

hmm weird...maybe there's something different about your guys' setups. Anyway about it I'd get a new tie rod end for that side just to be safe

 

I'd just plan to replace it.

You have to pop the upper ball joint, remove the lower shock mount, and the 3 bolts up top.

Unless you're installing a drop bracket lift which is a whole different pile of problems.

 

Curious as to what method you used to pop the tie rod.

After mistakes previously in my life, I always remove the nut all the way before I break the tie rod loose. You can also put it back on by a few threads before separating the joint so it doesn't fall and hit the concrete. Probably doesn't matter. Ball joint is a different story depending on suspension setup.

I vote for using a floor jack under the tie rod end to press it back in and hope the tension is enough to hold it to loosen the nut. Same method I use to tighten them back up as well.

 

This is totally normal, don't listen to half these goons telling you to replace it lol. There is not enough tension on the ball joint part of the tie rod so as you spin the nut it spins the ball joint instead of unthreading down the bolt end. Do what some people said put some tension onto that ball joint on that tie rod, by letting the suspension drop out all the way down perhaps. You can then use impact (with a impact drive or hitting the wrench end with a hammer) to loosen the nut.

If you vice grip the threads and prevent them from spinning you will destroy the threads and the nut cant thread past that point. ... and then you will be forced to buy a new tie rod.