Track rod end
At the last MOT for my 1998 Mercedes-benz C180, the front sway bar bushes and tie rod ends were deemed to be excessively worn, so I thought I’d change them myself. The bushes went in without a problem, but the tie rod ends were problematic. After fitting them, I began to tighten the pin locking nut and it felt like it stripped as soon as it began to tighten. I was very delicate tightening the second one, but it too began to slip. I took them off to inspect the damage and they were in fact stripped.
I replaced them with the old nuts because that was all I had at the time; they were still stronger than the new ones. When I purchased some new nylon lock nuts, the thread was different and they would not screw on. Can you tell me if they require a special locking nut? Carter Hilton The thread used on various steering components can vary and this is normally why new nuts are supplied to ensure compatibility. As the supplied nuts both failed, it suggests a fault in their manufacturing and I would return them to the supplier, who should replace the faulty components, especially given that these are steering components and safety-related items. From your description, the replacement nuts you have purchased appear to have a different thread, and unless you purchased genuine parts, it is not possible to know the pitch of the thread used by the manufacturer – very often, a fine pitch is used. To summarise, the nut is not special, but it does need to have the right thread.