• Hello Guest, welcome to the initial stages of our new platform!
    You can find some additional information about where we are in the process of migrating the board and setting up our new software here

    Thank you for being a part of our community!

240 Lost a torque rod bolt and then lost a drive shaft

SLO240

Awesome Sauce
Joined
Nov 15, 2002
Location
Orangevale,CA
Are there any recommendations on how to straighten out the frame rail with the captive nut? Sorry about the image size still learning another site since photobucket sucks

jujjeTOl.jpg



https://imgur.com/gallery/IGYfI
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Yes. A large socket that will go around that raised boss and a longer bolt to pull the nut straight when you tighten the bolt. Basically, a puller.
 
I just verified the bolt will not thread through the plate and the captive nut. I am thinking take off the plate. Warm up the area with a small torch and a fire extinguisher since it is next to the fuel pump. Thread an extra bolt with some spacers. Torque it down and use a BFH to see if I can straighten it out a little. Sound reasonable?
 
No, that sounds like a good way to damage all kinds of things. Take the plate off and try what I said. I've been doing body and frame work for the past 34 years.

Most of those weld nuts are spot welded to the inside of the frame and break loose easily. Especially, if you put a bolt into it and start hitting it with a hammer. If you break that nut loose you're going to be cutting your frame open to fix it.
 
Last edited:
No, that sounds like a good way to damage all kinds of things. Take the plate off and try what I said. I've been doing body and frame work for the past 34 years.

Most of those weld nuts are spot welded to the inside of the frame and break loose easily. Especially, if you put a bolt into it and start hitting it with a hammer. If you break that nut loose you're going to be cutting your frame open to fix it.

Do this. The front subframe on my Evo 9 (same on 8) has a captive nut that is held in by a "cage" and thus... is not really captive. It's for an ancillary control arm bolt and they've all seized on every Evo it seems. Thus, you have to disassemble the front of the car, cut open subframe near small area, and weld the nut in place. That task became SO COMPLEX that I actually ordered a brand NEW subframe from Mitsubishi Japan so that I could take it to a real welder (not my hack ass) and have them weld them properly and then I stitched it all up myself. Anyway... I now have two complete front ends for Evo.

Moral of story... think long and hard before you go breaking that nut loose.
 
I will try the socket and bolt puller method because there is nothing lost to do so. It does not come across in the photo/s but at close inspection it looks like the frame rail is warped rather than the nut being askew from the rail.
 
How did this happen? Did the bracket on the axle let go? My upper (the one pictured) bolt came out at some point while I was driving the other week. I noticed a new and cool looking blue bushing hanging from my car that wasn't there before lol.

But it was nowhere near the road or the driveshaft. I merely got under there and bolted it back up.
 
You won't pull something that stiff with a stud gun.

When it's almost orange and buttery soft from the inductive heater it will move easily.

Maybe you missed that part?

I've seen thicker than that frame spars [on an Alfa] damaged by lift feet straightened perfectly...

Of course nobody on here can afford that tool so carry on cold setting.
 
Last edited:
When it's almost orange and buttery soft from the inductive heater it will move easily.

Maybe you missed that part?

I've seen thicker than that frame spars [on an Alfa] damaged by lift feet straightened perfectly...

Of course nobody on here can afford that tool so carry on cold setting.

Those studs just don't have much pulling power and leave large bumps where they attach. I was trying to give the OP something he can do with commonly available tools. I have used the same technique to straighten out chassis parts multiple times. The main concern was that the OP not use the weld nut to lever the body back into shape. Pulling the body/chassis back into place where the nut is compressed against the surface it is welded to is safe to do. That is how the parts were designed to work.
 
Driveline Services in West Sacramento on Gary's recommendation really came through. Highly recommend them. Driveshaft is fixed and I will try pulling the rail when I am home tomorrow morning from the inlaws.
uOO22Uyl.jpg
 
Back Together Sort Of

Everything is back together, but nothing can be simple when things explode. First off, Thank you 2manyturbos, the large socket and bolt worked like a charm.
iCuGYhvl.jpg

Torque rods with new bolts thank you to Redwoodchair are in, repaired drive shaft, thank you to Driveline Services of West Sac. and gsellstr for the recommendation. While doing the installation I noticed a problem with the differential. It had a few drops of differential fluid in it and this,

PCpqSBkl.jpg


DtRuOB5l.jpg


It looks like it is about 0.2" out of true.

u6vfJYdl.jpg


wAfi4PRl.jpg


When I took it for a test drive around the block it was fine at residential speeds, but starting at 40 you can feel the vibrations and at 50 it is almost un-drive-able. I am a little bit at a loss on what the best next step is. Do I need to take a few days off of work and go get a new axle, should I see if a shop can, and is willing to swap out the flange?

Thank you for all the help.
 
Last edited:
You can easily do the pinion flange and seal. I've not seen a flange bent like that, pretty impressive given what also happened to the yoke. Just be careful that you get the correct flange, there's apparently a difference on certain late diff's where the surface the nut tightens down on is cut further in.

That offset looks about like what mine looked like when the diff shop put the wrong slinger on, where the flange was cocked on the splines. Anything over 40mph it vibrated like mad. They couldn't find it, so I had to pull the flange, put in the correct slinger, tightened the nut to the correct spec and called it good.
 
Is the PnP the best place to get a replacement flange. I do not have a special tool to hold the flange to remove the nut let alone a torque wrench that goes to 250ft-lbs there abouts which is what I think the nut is supposed to be torqued down to. I do have a nice cordless impact which is supposed to be good for 750ft-lbs breaking torque. What size is the nut and will the impact be enough if I hold it down for a longgggg time?
 
Is the PnP the best place to get a replacement flange. I do not have a special tool to hold the flange to remove the nut let alone a torque wrench that goes to 250ft-lbs there abouts which is what I think the nut is supposed to be torqued down to. I do have a nice cordless impact which is supposed to be good for 750ft-lbs breaking torque. What size is the nut and will the impact be enough if I hold it down for a longgggg time?

That electric impact isn't going to tighten anything to 750ftlbs. I doubt it will tighten to 250. I think my electric impact has some rating like that, along with my pneumatic impact. I still need to bring the torque wrench out to get to spec.

Also... consider the irony of you just losing a torque rod bolt and almost flipping your car like a badass, and then asking if you can skimp on some torque spec.

That said. Who the hell am I?
 
I think the torque spec is more like 140 lb*ft. I'm glad my suggestion worked for you. If you have someone step on the brake pedal hard, or use a board against the seat back to hold the pedal down, you can easily tighten the flange nut without any special tool. I just did a flange seal on a 940 last month this way. No special tools needed. The nut is 30mm.

I have a couple of flanges off of 1041 940 rear axles. They may be the same as yours.
 
I have a couple of flanges off of 1041 940 rear axles. They may be the same as yours.
PMed, It is worth it to me to get one from you and find out.
I have a Bentley manual so I will verify the torque spec prior to winging it. And I think I have a 30mm socket although not 6point nor deep. Any idea if that will be adequate?

On a side note, 2manyturbos hooked me up with torque rod bolts the last time one broke, and now that the other one broke it is jogging some brain cells. I am 90% certain I torqued the rod to chassis bolts to 85ft-lbs, and lubricated with anti-seize. When I was double checking the torque spec this time I face palmed. 85 Nm 62ft-lbs. Doh. At least it is correct this time.
 
If you have a decent impact it should pull that nut off (my IR breaks them loose easily). I've used a 12pt but a 6pt would be advisable. You can get away with an SAE size as well, don't remember what the size is off-hand though. I'm semi-limited on big 6pt metrics but have a full set of SAE's. Or, step up your toolbox, spend $20 for the metric impact set over at your local harbor freight. lol
 
Back
Top