MAJOR STEERING SAFETY WARNING!

I currently own three Land Rovers but only have the 1996 Disco on the road at the moment.
Myself and three mates travelled down to Duxford the other day for the Flying Legends show.
After exiting the M11 I noticed the steering wheel was sitting around 30 degrees to the right. I was fairly sure it had been sitting straight ahead before. But you know how sometimes you suddenly 'notice' something that's been that way for a while...
Well driving the half a mile or so to the airfield entrance I decided the steering felt a bit odd.
We then turned left into the field, and then left again and drove 100m or so along the field then 90 right up towards the kiosks and then stopped. I opened the window and rocked the steering while looking at the front wheel. I could hear a loud clicking sound. We all baled out and I crawled under the car for a look.
What I saw was HORRIFYING!!!
The driver's side track rod was in the tube by about TWO THREADS!
The clamp was still fully tight and from the outside everything looked all fine and dandy, all except for the fact we were no more than two threads away from total loss of steering!!!
The track rod ends are two years old, fitted for the last but one MOT test.
We managed to borrow a couple of spanners from a plumber who was parked up a few yards away and loosened the clamp and pushed the track rod end back into the tube and then retightened the clamp.
I had some thick lawn mower pull chord in the back so I lashed between the track rod and the clamp from both sides and then around the tube to make it a bit more secure.

During the last MOT in November, my MOT man called me under the car to point out that he could hear a feint clicking sound when he checked for play in the track rod ends. They were both free of play but the tube itself clicked.
Not knowing what the cause was, and despite there being no sign of rust on the tube itself, I decided I'd get a new one. I'd been thinking about upgrading anyway. So, for a few months now I've had a pair of heavy duty track rod tube and the other steering box to wheel tube sat awaiting to be fitted to the car.
Two of my mates in the car are both Landy nutters and we reckoned that if it was going to pull out it would be within the first few turns of the wheel, so after the show, we drove around a bit and then checked it. It hadn't moved so we drove home. We checked it several times on the way and each time there was no sign of any movement. I reckon I spent more time staring at the steering wheel than I did out of the window!

I've since fitted the new tubes and it was SO nice to drive with unclenched buttocks again!

For those of you who own a Disco or Series Landy, and any other that uses the same track rod tube and drag link? set up as this, CHECK THE CONDITION OF YOUR TUBES!
Remove the track rod ends and look inside for any signs of rust.
It can look fine from the outside, but can clearly NOT BE on the inside!!!!!

Needless to say, when the other tow go back on the road they'll be doing so with new steering parts.....

Surely your tracking was way out as well.

Cheers

When? Before or afterwards?
It drove fine before. It was DEFINATELY out during! Afterwards we pushed it back into the tube up to the dirty threads then retightened the clamp...
I need to get it checked now the new tube is on. Both wheels look parallel, but I know that's not very scientific

yfo866 said:

They were both free of play but the tube itself clicked.

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So the tube "clicking " did not raise any questions?
at least you got it sorted and fixed before something really bad happened.

Cheers

I seem to recall someone died or was injured when the same thing happened quite a few years back?
Anyone else remember that??

yfo866 said:

When? Before or afterwards?
It drove fine before. It was DEFINATELY out during! Afterwards we pushed it back into the tube up to the dirty threads then retightened the clamp...
I need to get it checked now the new tube is on. Both wheels look parallel, but I know that's not very scientific

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Hang on there, the tie rod ends are supposed to screw into the rod right from the start of the thread, not just "push in", sounds to me like the wrong threaded ends were used. Couldn't see how if the correct thread and clamp were used how anything like this could occur.
Have heard of some amateur mechanics trying to force a LH thread rod end into a RH threaded tie rods/drag link, the clicking you heard would have been the threads jumping over each other presumably.
Outside of a massive impact to a wheel, (extreme 4x4 driving, head on collision etc ) I've never heard of this before.
Sounds like your new tie rods were well overdue to be fitted.

I've never trusted the little clamps and the steering tubes because the metal fatigues over time. Replace them with HD ones the locking nut is far better than clamps and the threads in the tubes distort and wear out as quickly.

TorsionBhudda said:

I've never trusted the little clamps and the steering tubes because the metal fatigues over time. Replace them with HD ones the locking nut is far better than clamps and the threads in the tubes distort and wear out as quickly.

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Never seen this happen before in my long old motoring life, it's certainly a new one on me. I've seen worn out tie rod end ball joints pop out, ball pin taper stems snap off in steering arms but only in an extreme shock situation.
If the thread is correctly entered and clamps done up tight can't see how there can be enough movement between the tie rod and rod end to wear out a thread without it being first noticeable at an inspection.
My Disco is used mostly on rough dirt roads and 4x4 tracks where we live and it's never had a loose tie rod end in 8 years.

Gazbo said:

Never seen this happen before in my long old motoring life, it's certainly a new one on me. I've seen worn out tie rod end ball joints pop out, ball pin taper stems snap off in steering arms but only in an extreme shock situation.
If the thread is correctly entered and clamps done up tight can't see how there can be enough movement between the tie rod and rod end to wear out a thread without it being first noticeable at an inspection.
My Disco is used mostly on rough dirt roads and 4x4 tracks where we live and it's never had a loose tie rod end in 8 years.

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Bearing in mind how difficult they can be to undo , when it comes to maintenance time. Having them come loose by themselves makes me wonder what the underlying issue was?

Cheers

Gazbo said:

Never seen this happen before in my long old motoring life, it's certainly a new one on me. I've seen worn out tie rod end ball joints pop out, ball pin taper stems snap off in steering arms but only in an extreme shock situation.
If the thread is correctly entered and clamps done up tight can't see how there can be enough movement between the tie rod and rod end to wear out a thread without it being first noticeable at an inspection.
My Disco is used mostly on rough dirt roads and 4x4 tracks where we live and it's never had a loose tie rod end in 8 years.

Click to expand...

The tubes are just thin metal they corrode and wear out over time. I have seen it happen on quite a few Steering rods sometimes it's the clamps that are streched other times its the threads in the tubes. Water and salt can get into the threads especially if there has been poor maintence lack off Anti-seize when replacing the track rods. Also if they have ever been siezed in this can damage/strip the threads when they are removed. The fact the OP was able just to push the Track rod end into the tube suggest the threads are knackerd and stripped.