Hey so i did my bushings for my front control arms the problem im having with the tie rod is i can not get the nut to tighten because the tie rod just keeps spinning around.
Is there some way to hold the bolt from spinning so that i can tighten down the nut. Heres a picture so you can better under stand what i mean.






So whenever i turn that nut ontop to try and tighten it down it just spins the whole bolt. I tried seeing if theres something below it to hold onto but i couldnt really see anything.
or does the wheel need to be turned a certain way to make it go back in. The left side went in perfectly but this side is a pain in the *** to take off and put back on. Lmk if im doing this wrong.

 

Castle nut doesn't look the best from what's visible of the thread - newie wouldn't go amiss. Running a thread file on the ball joint might be worth a go too, if that crook looking nut is representative of the other side. Maybe a G clamp on the upright and LCA might force the tapers together enough to stop it spinning as well....1/16th of a turn each time with available space using an open ender??

 

iirc you should be able to thread them on with your fingers... then you place the cotter pin through them............

or try an impact gun...

 

yea i think if i clamp it like you said billy it will cause enough pressure to stop the bolt from spinning if not i think im going to try and wrap the bolt with some cloth and hold it with some plyers and tighten it that way ima try it this weekend thanks for advice

 

Actually, you can forget the G clamp nonsense, on another crappy Mazda, used a floor jack under the arm, with the other 3 wheels on the ground. Corner weight and the spring should cause the tapers to have enough friction to let it be nipped up - something non breakable under the arm to protect it and a stand under that corner to prevent becoming a diy statistic might be an idea as well.

 

i tired that at the time lol it just jacked up the whole car and didnt cause enough pressure to stop the bolt from spinning fyi this picture was before i took them off as of right now theres about a 5-10 mm gap from the bolt to the rubber i think if i just press it down it will be good. it was a bitch to get them off and its a bitch to get back on

 

I don't remember but I think you might need a new tie rod end. I don't remember the tie rod end being able to spin.

Maybe apply some grease to the end of the tie rod so the castle nut has an easier time going through.

 

Use a dremel wheel to create two flat sides on the tip of the bolt.

Then use a small wrench to hold the bolt in place while you tighten the nut with another wrench.

 

+1

A few minutes with a thread file will work wonders.
I had similar issues on one of mine.

Order new nuts as well, they are cheap, and the old one will just tear the threads up again.

 

No, you don't recall correctly.

Those need to be torqued down to 58-79 ft lbs.