| Author |  Topic  | |
EdinburghJoe
V4 Fan
United Kingdom
188 Posts |  Posted - 12 Mar 2026 : 11:25:58  
| Hi all,
I was giving my 1972 96v4 it's annual 'inspection' and noticed that one of the rubber seals on the track rod end had a small split in it.
The car is relatively low mileage (about 36k) and the steering and handling is absolutely fine, no play at all, so I'm thinking a bit of preventative maintenance should pay off here and I should replace the seal.
I've had a look at Haynes and in theory this looks like an easy job: split pin, castellated nut and then the steering arm should drop free from the ball joint: no need to split anything.
However, on a 50+ year old car theoretically easy things can become almost impossible: does anyone have any experience of doing this?
I'm guessing new boot seals are generic items. Someone said here that MGB track rod ends fit, so I guess the boot will be the same? |
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Woody
V4 Guru
United Kingdom
2878 Posts | Posted - 12 Mar 2026 : 12:02:59
| Where is the split and how big?
A small split can be cleaned and sealed.
Has the TRE got a grease nipple? |  |
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EdinburghJoe
V4 Fan
United Kingdom
188 Posts | Posted - 12 Mar 2026 : 12:26:20
| | It was on the TRE boot seal, where it sort of bulges out. It was maybe a centimeter long (horizontally along the circumference of the seal): I'm not even sure if had gone all the way through the rubber yet. There was no clear sign of grease being squeezed out, but it's all a bit mucky there so it's hard to be sure. |
Edited by - EdinburghJoe on 12 Mar 2026 12:28:21 | |
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green96v4
V4 Mad
Canada
810 Posts | Posted - 12 Mar 2026 : 15:07:21
| If memory serves they are slightly conical (like those damn gearbox linkage pins) so 50 years of it being tight might prove wishful thinking the steering arm will just drop when the bolt's undone.
there are boot rescue kits available, but the track rod ends are MGB and cheap enough if you just got an entire new one
Make sure you keep the retaining nut in the same place on the steering rack track rod, otherwise you'll need an alignment
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EdinburghJoe
V4 Fan
United Kingdom
188 Posts | Posted - 12 Mar 2026 : 15:26:33
| That gets to the heart of my question: what would be the best way to get the steering arm to come off?
I expect it would be difficult after 50 years, which was why I was hoping for some tips here (do's and don'ts etc) Buying a new TRE doesn't help with that issue as I'd still have to get it free of the steering arm anyway, and I don't think it's necessary since what I'm doing is preventative. | |
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melle
V4 Guru
United Kingdom
4145 Posts | Posted - 12 Mar 2026 : 20:19:25
| Split boots are an MOT fail as far as I know. I wouldn't attempt to fix a torn one anyway as it's not worth the bother in my opinion, just replace it, you can get new ones on eBay.
There must be someone on YouTube explaining how to remove a TRE with two mallets (never hit the threaded rod!!). Since the boot is split anyway, you can also use a ball joint splitter (I can recommend the "fork" type, the ones with a screw clamp are pretty useless). If the current TRE is in otherwise good condition there is no reason whatsoever to replace it (original ones are also much better quality than what you can currently get), and if you do replace TRE, you'll have to have the tracking checked.
EDIT: here you go: https://youtu.be/8h5xUin0om4?t=155 I hold another mallet behind it as an "anvil". If it's really badly stuck, ask a helper and hit it from both sides at the same time. In any case, as I already said, never hit the threaded rod. It will make the problem worse and it ruins the TRE.
www.saabv4.com |
Edited by - melle on 12 Mar 2026 20:24:55 | |
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andydeans3
V4 Guru
United Kingdom
2233 Posts | Posted - 15 Mar 2026 : 14:50:35
| I'm with the gang here Joe. Don't waste you're time replacing a TRE seal.
Change the whole thing. They're cheap, and easily available. I recently replaced both mine with Quinton Hazel joints.
Other's have covered removing it. Just get yourself a TRE splitter. I've got one if you want me to come across to Edinburgh sometime.
If the threads need cleaned up I have the 9/16 UNF die for the job.
Andy
1978 LHD SAAB 96
1991 Nissan Figaro |
Edited by - andydeans3 on 15 Mar 2026 14:53:07 | |
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melle
V4 Guru
United Kingdom
4145 Posts | Posted - 15 Mar 2026 : 15:31:16
| I would just replace the boot if the TRE is otherwise serviceable.
www.saabv4.com | |
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EdinburghJoe
V4 Fan
United Kingdom
188 Posts | Posted - 21 Mar 2026 : 08:57:10
| Sorry for the late reply - been busy this week.
I'll stick with just replacing the boot, since everything else seems OK. Andy - I know you do loads of miles in your car, but I do much fewer, so something that might start to wear within a year or so on your car might take a decade on mine!
I watched Melle's YouTube link and it seems simple enough. A couple of questions though:
1 - Melle, you said 'never hit the threaded rod': do you mean the rod that comes from the steering rack?
2 - One of the YouTube videos showed the guy screwing the castellated nut back onto the TRE bolt and then hitting that - is that OK or do you risk deforming the bolt (and therefore ruining the TRE?)
3 - Melle - when you say mallet do you mean wooden mallet? Or metal hammer? I have a claw hammer and what I'd call a lump hammer (slightly softer metal) - which is best?
4 - What sort of grease should I use on the TRE joint? I'm guessing red rubber grease?
I've found boot seals for an MGB from Rimmer Bros: https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-17H3501
Andy - thanks very much for your offer of help (I don't forget that day you helped me get the engine out and back in!) - hopefully with advice here I ought to be OK this time.
Joe
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melle
V4 Guru
United Kingdom
4145 Posts | Posted - 21 Mar 2026 : 10:21:20
| I meant the threaded end the nut (either castellated or nyloc) screws onto, so the answer to 2 is don't hit that, it's ineffective and ruins the TRE. I meant a club hammer; an axe or something else that has a bit of mass and can act as an anvil works too. I use normal ball bearing grease.
www.saabv4.com | |
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| | Topic | |
Track Rod End Seal Split
