Tie Rod End

Hello,
Changing the front wheel bearings on my 1.1 Golf and the tie rod end on the N/S will not disconnect from the wheel housing. Is there anyway to remove this easily?

Cheers
N3RD

perseverance, and a big hammer.  Try hitting the side of the swivel on the hub, rather than the rod end. This usually works.

What are you using to disconnect it? There's 2 types of ball joint splitter, one is a fork type and these are rubbish. The other is a lever which is clamped around the BJ and tightened with a bolt expanding the other side of the lever, and these are much better. Top tip: put the king nut back on, but about 1 turn, to have something expendible to press against and stop it flying off when it does release.

you dont need a fancy joint spliter, just wack it,(the bit it bolt's through)if you that worried use another hammer, place one against what you what to wack and with the other wack it, :dontknow:

Whacking with a hammer sometimes isn't enough, they should come easily on a Mk1 Golf but sometimes, due to age, they're somewhat seized. The fork type tends to damage the rubber boot. The proper tool can remove them and allow replacement (which for a wheel bearing, you'd want to do).

Then keep whacking it until you realise that you've damaged the thread of the end or the tie rod itself, most you can change just the tie rod end but some are 1 piece and you have to change the whole tie rod.

I speak from experience as i've knacked a couple before, then I got older and wiser and bought a proper lever type splitter.

EDIT: meant to say, the proper tool allows replacement of the same tie rod end.

as paul says, sometimes hitting it isnt enough. had same issue on my MK2 and no matter how hard I smaked it no joy. bought myself one o these from halfords and it popped off no bother at all:
http://www.charliesdirect.co.uk/products/draper-ball-joint-splitter

Using hammer come off in the end but next time will invest in one of them splitters so thank you all for comments back

I also in the past bought one of those splitters like rubjonny linked, and the bloody thing bent 8O

Recently bought one of these and it worked perfectly. Just make sure the nut is left on but unscrewed half way so the bolt sits inside it and cant slip off.

bar rested on drive shaft with upwards pressure and big hammer on hub never fails.

But if it did fail pour boiling water on it. Works on almost all stuck things

mk1_valver: funily enough, originally I had the type you liked to and it snapped in half
the scissor type was successfull where the other one failed. I guess there are varying quality tools out there, the scissor type one I got from Halfords and its done me proud for years.

funk: I tried that too, didnt work. well, not the water part but the hammer part, leverage etc. i hammered it on the sides, top, bottom frontm rear etc nothing worked it was proper stuck in there.

i must just be lucky then,coz in the last 15 years i have never needed one, :dontknow: