Can tie rod ends fuse to the ball bracket
 

Hi guys, after doing some research on here I decided to tackle the steering rack on my 98 4Runner. Only problem is I cannot break the outer tie rod loose on the passenger side (haven't tried the driver side). At first I tried a pickle fork but couldn't get the right angle for the wedge to go all the way in. So I sprung for a $20.00 3 jaw puller from harbor which eventually broke after I put a breaker bar on it and torqued it. I have hit it with a propane torch for about 5 min and then taken a sludge to it. I have now cut the bolt off on top and am trying to drill it out but this thing is harder than any metal drillbit I have and I have gone through 3 of them to get about 1/4 of an inch into the bolt. It still wont budge. I am about at the end of my rope, any ideas? The rack has been wobbling back and forth for a while now which I suppose could have built up quite a bit of heat. Is it possible this thing is fused on? Should I just keep at it until my handdrill blows up? Thanks in advance for the input.

yes they do fuse together in place-you may end up replacing an inner and an outer tie rod simply to do one or the other. I watched Tires Plus shop at 46th at Chambers torch mine for quite some time and even then it would not break free.

Good luck and know when to walk away before getting frustrated completely. Set it aside have a beer and then come back to it the next day with a fresh set of eyes.

Thanks Ron, glad to hear im not the only one to struggle with these. Turns out beer just might be the best penetrating oil known to man. Had to give her a rest for a few days actually but finished the job today! The solution, half the can of pb blaster and a beefier front end kit. For anyone thinking of popping these loose don't skimp, find the most solid puller you can.

Smack the side, then the stud. By "side" I mean hit the part that holds the tie rod to the knuckle. The side hit is important. I just used a regular framing hammer. Three smacks, and one downward hit to the stud and it fell to the ground. It's all in the WRISTS!!! Then I took a monkey wrench to the inner one.