Driving with bent track rod

[SPROVER]

After heading out last weekend to the Otways i have noticed that my track rod is bent.Finally changed the wheels and saw it.My steering wheel was slightly off centre but i didnt notice any change in the steering.My question is am i going to do any damage to the front tyres? Will it wear out unevenly? I am going to get another next week but im not sure whether i should keep driving it or not:( Any info would be great.

Cheers
Chris

[Blknight.aus]

yep you'll xrcub them out but on the plus side you'll have great return to center while its still bent

One of my threads has a quick howto on how to straighten it using a chain, dog and mattoch handle

[alien]

G'day,
A bent track rod will close the gap between the wheels, ie shortining the distance.
This rod is rotated to adjust your toe in/out so yes it's altered your front end alignment.
If left you will feather or scrub tyres long term, repair asap to maximise tyre life and drivability.
Can you use it? depends on distance travelled.

[SPROVER]

Thanks for the quick reply guys. Ive got to take it out tonight.Im hoping i still have some tyre tread left by the time i get back.Do i have to take it off to try and bend it back? I will try and look for that thread later.
Cheers
Chris

[**Discovery300Tdi**]

Mines been bent for donkeys and I don't have any tire wear happening and goes ok.

[SPROVER]

Mines been bent for donkeys and I don't have any tire wear happening and goes ok.

Is it visibly bent? Mine has bent a good couple of cm.Damn Otways:o:o:D

[**Discovery300Tdi**]

oH yeah mines bent alright alot more and from the otways as well. Only thing wrong is the steering wheel is not straight but handles fine. Might take it off and give it a bash when I got some time.

[alien]

Is it visibly bent? Mine has bent a good couple of cm.Damn Otways:o:o:D

Had a look at Jokers the other day, around 20mm bend;)
It looks like the toe in was done with it bent, not ideal but workable if tie rods are ok.

[87County]

Had a look at Jokers the other day, around 20mm bend;)
It looks like the toe in was done with it bent, not ideal but workable if tie rods are ok.

....that sounds like real bush mechanicking (shouldn't it be toe -out anyway?)

...

[JDNSW]

To answer the original question - can you drive with a bent tie rod?

Yes, but the downsides will depend on how badly bent it is. The tyres will wear unevenly, but again, how rapidly, depends on how bad it is. For small bends, the handling will not be noticeably different. The toeout can be adjusted so that it is correct with the bent rod.

However, the drawback of having a bent tierod with correct toeout is that the bent rod is a lot weaker in compression than is the unbent one. It is possible to envisage how hitting a bad pothole with the right wheel could cause the rod to bend much further, to the extent that it led to an immediate serious degradation in the steering. It is probably for this reason that a bent tie rod will mean the car is legally unroadworthy. Since it is almost impossible to get them perfectly straight, the only real fix is replacement. (But I would still drive with a slightly bent rod until convenient to replace, just take care on bad bumps)

John

[Blknight.aus]

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/projects-tutorials/55325-debending-tie-rod-track-rod-whateveresle-you-want-call.html#post730220

[PhilipA]

Geez, why hasn't anyone asked which rod????

If its the front one it will have NO EFFECT on alignment. All it does is change the steering wheel position. But it should be fixed as it can fold at any time.

If it is the back one then YES fix it quickly.

Regard s Philip A

[LRO]

Hi
Badly bent mine at landcruiser mountain park, to point that the drivers side wheel was at the 2 o'clock position. Had to use a winch to pull it straight and then strap it, as it bent again 100m down the track. have since fitted a maxi drive one now

[JDNSW]

Geez, why hasn't anyone asked which rod????
..........
Regard s Philip A

Because only one is a track rod - as you correctly point out, the front one does not affect the track, nor is it called a track rod - it is a drag link in Rover terminology.

John

[PhilipA]

Because only one is a track rod - as you correctly point out, the front one does not affect the track, nor is it called a track rod - it is a drag link in Rover terminology.

Ah, but does the poster know that??

Seeing a Disco is not like a Defender and has the damper on the rear track rod 90% of damage to the track rod entails destroying the damper first. He doesn't mention damper damage so I think there is a fair possibility that it is the drag link he is referring to. And of course on a Disco there is a containment bracket on the diff to reduce/prevent bending.

Lets ask the poster FRONT OR REAR???

Regards Philip A

[JDNSW]

Ah, but does the poster know that??
........
Regards Philip A

Good point! It had not occurred to me that he could be using the wrong terminology.

John

[Slunnie]

I agree, he could be talking about the rear lower link.

Track rod - joins the 2 front wheels. The bit that always worrys me about track rods when they get bent, is that the rod become weakened even if you restraighten it. While its bent its in an even weaker state and if you need to slam on the brakes to avoid running over grannys pet poodle and that link folds up, then you will probably end up somewhere off the road, probably to the drivers side which is also where oncoming cars come from.

[cewilson]

Get yourself an upgraded one when you replace it - helps with reducing the chance of bending another one.

[dobbo]

I agree, he could be talking about the rear lower link.

Track rod - joins the 2 front wheels. The bit that always worrys me about track rods when they get bent, is that the rod become weakened even if you restraighten it. While its bent its in an even weaker state and if you need to slam on the brakes to avoid running over grannys pet poodle and that link folds up, then you will probably end up somewhere off the road, probably to the drivers side which is also where oncoming cars come from.


Each time I have bent one the wheels face toe out, extremely rendering the vehicle useless. When it bends it becomes shorter so Toe in is not an option. If anyone has achieved toe in from a bent rod please show me how. We have straightened them with snatch straps and another vehicle, sleeved them with a highlift handle or piece of Galved pipe I have as part of my recovery equipment. The last time I did it I bit the bullet and got Lokka to build me one up using 32OD 16ID pipe, considering I can jack the car from it if required (but not recommended due to wear on the tie rods). They are considered to be a sacrificial part to protect the rest of the steering components especially the box but I was bending them left, right and centre due to my lack of ground clearance and love of ruts.

[SPROVER]

For the other person who wanted to know,it is the track rod with the steering dampener on it.Sits just behind the front diff.I will be getting another one this week but just wanted to know if it would be ok to drive for awhile with this one bent.Thanks for all the replies:)

Cheers
Chris

[Slunnie]

Absolutely with the toe out!

I think I've just about seen everything break on Rovers, even the HD stuff. Here is one we did earlier in the year on MT Canobolas, it was a HD track rod. We tried winching it on the car, we tried winching it in the tree, we tried driving over it, and in the end it was getting late so we decided to use it as a bow and arrow to go hunting for food and bugger me... the thing went straight! :D

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/12/913.jpg