924Board.org

[Llamaguy]

I was fiddling with the tie rod end to get the car to track straight and when I put it together the tie rod bolt to the spindle "broke loose." I.E.: The Nut is on about half way and it won't go any farther. Then I look and the bolt is turning with the nut, both ways so I can't really even get it off, I don't think. I take it I need a new end?
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1987 924S Guards Red
1997 Suzuki Tl1000 Supersport

[leadfoot]

You may have cross threaded the nut putting it back on... but the "bolt" in which keeps turning I believe is actually meant to do this....
So you might have to get something like some vicegrips or pliers onto the bolt below the nut above the steering knuckle, try to grab it below the thread as to not damage it and then work the nut off.
Use some grease and a new nut when reinstalling, make sure it has provisions for a split pin too.
Leadfoot
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1981 ROW 924 Turbo -
carbon fiber GT mish mash
LS1 conversion in progress...

[augidog]

This happened to me once. Turn the wheel so that there is a differen't angle on the tie rod. It should grab again and tighten to spec's.
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1978 924 95 mile daily driver.
Audi TB/POR174M/High Flow Cat/2.25" exhaust
I knew that positive thinking thing wouldn't work.

[Lizard]

there is a part on the tie rod that has been squeezed so that you can hold it from spinning with an appropriate sized wrench.
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3 928s,

[gohim]

Is the tie rod end nut a locknut? That could explain why the nut stopped running down the threads, and the ball is now spinning.

The tie rod end fits onto the steering knuckle as a "taper joint" meaning that as you tighten it up, it jams itself tightly into it's connection/joint. This is the force that held the tie rod end onto the steering knuckle when you removed the nut to begin with.

To get the ball to stop moving, you need to get the ball tightly fitted into it's socket on the steering knuckle. To do that, you can use a tie rod end flipped over backwards (or maybe visegrips) to press on the backside (flat side opposite the the ball shaft) of the tie rod end, hard enough to lock it in place on the steering knuckle, so you can screw the tie rod end nut back on and torque it.

In the future, for your information, you don't need to remove the outer tie rod end to turn it farter onto or off of the shaft to change the toe. The ball end at the inner tie rod end allows you to loosen the locknut at the outer tie rod end, and simply twist the shaft to screw the shaft farther onto or off of the outer tie rod end.

[leadfoot]