33–03 Tie-Rod End Inspecting
IMPORTANT: DOT roadside tie-rod assembly
replacement criteria specifies that if tie-rod end-
play is 1/8 inch (3 mm) or greater, measured on
the road, the vehicle must be taken out of ser-
vice immediately. If less than 1/8 inch (3 mm),
the vehicle does not have to be taken out of
service but a major out-of-service inspection
and maintenance must be scheduled as soon
as possible.
1.
Check the tie-rod ends for looseness.
1.1
Park the vehicle so that the front wheels
are in the "straight ahead" position.
1.2
Chock the front and rear tires.
1.3
Remove dirt and grease from the seals or
boots on the tie-rod ends. Visually inspect
the tie-rod ends. Replace the tie-rod ends
if the seals or boots are cracked, worn, or
damaged.
CAUTION
Check the tie-rod endplay by hand. Do not use a
pry bar. If a pry bar is used, the dial indicator will
not read correctly.
NOTE: for accurate readings, use a dial indi-
cator with a "contour-type" base.
1.4
Position the dial indicator so that the base
of the indicator is on the bottom of the
tie-rod arm. Place the tip of the indicator
on the bottom of the tie-rod end at the
center of the ball stud on the surface that
is most flat, as shown in
1.5
Set the dial indicator to zero.
1.6
By hand, move the tie-rod end and the
cross tube assembly up and down. If the
dial indicator reads more than 0.060 inch
(1.52 mm), replace the tie-rod end.
1.7
Install the dial indicator as described
above, and repeat this procedure on the
opposite tie-rod end.
2.
Inspect the tie-rod ends.
2.1
The threaded portion of the tie-rod end
assembly must be inserted all the way
into the cross-tube split for adequate
clamping. See
. Replace the parts if
this cannot be done. For instructions, see
the axle manufacturer’s service manual.
2.2
Check the tie-rod end nut and clamp nut
torques. For Meritor axles, tighten the tie-
rod end nut 100 lbf·ft (136 N·m), and
tighten the clamp nut 40 to 55 lbf·ft (54 to
75 N·m). For ABP axles, see
for
tie-rod end nut torque specifications and
for tie-rod end clamp nut torque
specifications.
ABP Axle Tie-Rod End Nut
Thread
Torque: lbf·ft (N·m)
5/8–16
60 to 115 (81 to 156)
5/8–18
60 to 115 (81 to 156)
3/4–16
90 to 170 (122 to 230)
7/8–14
160 to 300 (217 to 407)
Table 1, ABP Axle Tie-Rod End Nut
ABP Axle Tie-Rod End Clamp Nut
Thread
Torque: lbf·ft (N·m)
1/2–13
35 to 45 (47 to 61)
5/8–11
40 to 60 (54 to 81)
5/8–18
50 to 64 (73 to 87)
3/4–10
155 to 175 (210 to 237)
Table 2, ABP Axle Tie-Rod End Clamp Nut
33–04 All-Axle Alignment
Checking
Drive Axle Alignment Checking
Check the axle alignment, parallelism, and thrust
angle measurements for the rear drive axles. Use the
applicable procedure and specifications in Group 35
of the
School Bus Chassis Workshop Manual
.
Wheel Alignment Checking, Front
Axle
See Group 33 of the
School Bus Chassis Workshop
Manual
for wheel alignment procedures.
Front Axle
33
School Bus Chassis Maintenance Manual, July 2003
33/2
