Wish id never lost my Xantia

[Synergietom]

Hi all
Its been a long time since ive been on and feels even longer since i lost Kelly ( My Xantia )
I have a question which is renault related but i found you guys to be more resorcefull.
I have an advisory for exessive play in the inner track rod ball joint
bassically its the balljoint underneayh the boot on the end of the steering rack before the trackrod end
Problem being because its like a mini version of a cv joint but with a threaded shaft instead of splines i cant find anything to grip it well enough to wind it off.
Any suggestions please
Oh and yes im looking for another Xantia but it has to be the right one and preforably for free because my missus is gong mad about the money im spending.

[Northern_Mike]

I have one for sale, it's mechanically perfect. Sadly it's not free!

[CitroJim]

Tom, I understand how you feel. There’s something about a Xantia... I'd never be without at least one.

Mike's Rattiva is a bit special. She has a long and good story to tell...

[citroenxm]

As for the overlooked question.. i use a pair of mole grips on the inner threaded section. pop the track rod end on the hub.. peel the inner boot back and put the moles on the metal and grip well.. once the thread has cracked it will undo easily enough... that's the xantia anyway..no doubt the Renaults are similar.

As for a car.. what's the "right" car? does it have to be perfect? mind you know they do say beggars cant be chooses...

I do have a 1994 Td Sx Xantia is black. But she's not perfect. . I just need to fit a waterpump and she be good to go.. but though everything has been done from heater matrix to waterpump to strut tops to a crude fitted air con system she has 240k but is fairly sweet. she's had the metal head gasket fitted in the past too so hasno issues there. she's just slightly scruffy

*stuffy.. bloody predictive text. change to scruffy now..... thanks Jim

[CitroJim]

she's just slightly stuffy..

Stuffy? Open the windows then...

Or do you mean stuffy in the other sense? A car with Victorian values perhaps?

[Synergietom]

Thanks for the sugestion CitreonXM but unfortuanately i cant get in with mole grips there is no room even with the steering on full lock and to fair i dont see as putting the track rod back on will help much as this will restrict movement even further.
Thanks for the offer on that xantia but to be honest i dont have any money at the moment as im out of work ( my own fault i walked out on a good payed job to try something else and it didnt work never take a job with Yodel they are as bad to work with as they at getting your delivery on time )

[citroenxm]

That's was meant to say pop it OFF the hub....sorry...

[Synergietom]

HEY HEY dont you just love the draw in the kitchen which is allways full of odd tools and junk i found rather large mole grips these and a bit of brute force i finally got it off now i just need to hope i can wind the track rod end on to around the correct amount cos i have no money to get tracking done till wedensday.
Im hoping now this will fix the shaking i got at 75 on the motorway.

[citroenxm]

Count the number of threads on show from the locking nut.. or count the number of turns when removing the rod end.. then apply when re fitting.you should be virtually spot on then....

[Synergietom]

Yeh thats what ive done but i think im still gonna have it checked because the steering wheel is slightly now allthough its not pulling to iether side and doesent seem to causing a problem i just like everything to be spot on
Thanks for your help its really apreciated

[Mandrake]

Yeh thats what ive done but i think im still gonna have it checked because the steering wheel is slightly now allthough its not pulling to iether side and doesent seem to causing a problem i just like everything to be spot on
Thanks for your help its really apreciated

Visually counting the number of threads is not accurate enough unfortunately, been there, done that. Thought I had it right, but it was way off. One turn on one track rod end is an error of about 4mm in the tracking adjustment.

The way to deal with a track rod joint replacement is this:

Assuming that the wheel tracking is correctly adjusted and steering wheel centring is correct before replacing the joint, replace the joint(s) on ONLY one side of the car at a time, then adjust the track rod end only on that side of the car until the steering wheel is once again centred when the car is driving exactly straight ahead on level ground. This will need to be correct down to about 1/8th of a turn on the track rod adjustment to be close enough.

Once one side is done then you can replace the joint(s) on the other side (if there are any to do) and repeat the process. Done carefully the adjustment should be the same as it was before within a millimetre or so. Of course if the tracking was wrong before it will still be wrong...

If you've only replaced joints on one side of the car you could still go back even now and adjust the track rod on only that one side to re-centre your steering wheel and be reasonably sure that your tracking is back to what it was before you did the joints.

I recently replaced both track rod ends using this method and as far as I know the tracking was back exactly to what it was before, and the steering felt good and was perfectly centred.

I then, assuming that it would still be out a bit, made the mistake of getting the tracking "adjusted" by a tyre/exhaust place when I got new tyres, and they stuffed the adjustment up completely so I'm now about to do a laser level adjustment of it myself to fix it.

See the following thread for an ingenious DIY tracking measurement system devised by thorter consisting just of two laser spirit levels and a few pieces of wood: (about half way down page 2)

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... =3&t=40740" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Northern_Mike]

HEY HEY dont you just love the draw in the kitchen .

I do, but my wife absolutely hates it.

[steelcityuk]

Strangely our kitchen drawers are full of kitchen stuff..... BUT my chest of drawers in the bedroom is full off all sorts, hard drives, mice (PC type!), scangauge, gallettos (correct spelling!), Lexia, SATA/1394/RCA/SCSI cables etc.

Steve.

[Napoleon]

You're lucky to have any drawer at all in the bedroom! I DO have one, but the amount of my stuff in it reduces each year. Don't ask me about the wardrobe.

[steelcityuk]

OK I won't ask about the wardrobe so how about a picture?

I've got 9 drawers however only 3 has clothes in them, I hang up most stuff.

Steve.