Care required using gas axe

[Jonas302]

I have seen it happen to ball joints on a pickup also maybe the melted plastic forms a new very tight seal as its expanding ?

 

[Truck Shop]

My guess is the joint was heated up real good the innards melted causing pressure no-doubt, not the first time I've seen that. Stopped a young fellow some years
ago from cutting a sodium filled exhaust valve in two. Makes you wonder how many people injured heating stuck u-joints/using a bottle jack as a press.

Truck Shop

 

[Truck Shop]

What I don't understand is why a torch is used to remove tie-rod ends and drag links.

Truck Shop

 

[Nige]

What I don't understand is why a torch is used to remove tie-rod ends and drag links.

I think 92U 3046 in post #5 on Page 1 touched on something ........... JLG's horniness for half a bottle of Loctite on those specific threads......

I haven't checked but apparently the Service Manual instructs to heat the rods attaching to both ends of the knuckle to break the threads loose. I'll have to read the procedure in detail

 

[Vetech63]

I think 92U 3046 in post #5 on Page 1 touched on something ........... JLG's horniness for half a bottle of Loctite on those specific threads......

I haven't checked but apparently the Service Manual instructs to heat the rods attaching to both ends of the knuckle to break the threads loose. I'll have to read the procedure in detail

EXACTLY! I haven't done one yet that wasn't a total bitch. LOL

 

[Truck Shop]

Actually I was referring to steering components as in large tie rod ends and drag links stated in some of the posts above.

Truck Shop

 

[petepilot]

if locktite is involved 4 to 600 degrees does the trick

 

[repowerguy]

Concrete slurry works it's way into everything, that and the acidic cleaners lock threaded fasteners up tight. Most guys went for the heat to loosen drag links and tie rod ends from the tube they were screwed in to. I used ATF and acetone with a 12oz hammer to loosen them however.

Actually I was referring to steering components as in large tie rod ends and drag links stated in some of the posts above.

Truck Shop

 

[Nige]

Here's the Dana axle Service Manual procedure. Personally I don't think heating to 100 DegC would be enough to break a Loctite bond on the threads.
And that procedure looks all fine and dandy with the axle out of the machine and in a holding fixture, I'd like to see them do it like that with the axle still in place ...........

 

[DMiller]

Typical service manual where it is OUT of the machine and in the open. Have always used heat on similar stubborn threaded bustards but not to blacksmith levels of heat just enough to break down the Loctite or bonding materials, would never have considered a explosive effort as shown.

 

[Hobbytime]

Cut one apart. I don't think the wearing surface in the female end of the joint is Viton judging by the colour. However whether or not the combination of fumes from hot plastic and grease can make a more explosive combination than just grease alone is I think still a valid one.

View attachment 187421

I wonder if someone( dumbass) pumped some substance ( an epoxy or similar)inside of the worn joint trying to get some more time out of it before replacing it??? and that hardened and made a seal that kept in heated gases to cause what the pictures show....I have replaced ball joints like that on the front of a john deere tractor, but wrenches got them off and no heat needed, but this brings new cautions to heating a grease filled ball joint..

 

[Nige]

Well no real concrete conclusions, but it sounds like far too much heat was used, plus the heat was applied mainly to the ball joint not the cylinder rod. Sometimes I wonder if certain people should have a "not permitted to work without adult supervision" tag hung round their necks.

 

[DMiller]

Some need that tattooed to their forehead!

 

[Nige]

Kinda "Here's your sign" deal, right..?

 

[old-iron-habit]

Thanks for posting this Nige. You prompted my memory. A number of years ago we had this very topic featured in a safety seminar after a company mechanic narrowly escaped serious injury. He was using a cutting torch heating/cutting a frozen u-joint next to a carrier bearing on a loader. It had enough force to severely damage a nearby hydraulic hose when it exploded. He was lucky that he was reaching in and the machine shielded his body. His arm got some bounced shrapnel and a finger got smoked thru a leather glove. They then showed us a dozen examples where people were injured or killed on everything from mine trucks, to exploded PTO drive links, to a exploded propeller on a outboard motor. All from using to much heat on them. May not happen often but if the conditions are right it does happen.

 

[kshansen]

Wish I could find the actual report but a couple years before I retired some guys at a different part of the company had a incident related to heating to remove an impeller on a water pump.

As I recall this water pump had an impeller that screwed on to the shaft and the threaded hole was a blind hole! After not having any luck breaking the impeller free they decided to grab the gas-axe. Not sure if there was water, oil or something else inside the threaded hole but while heating the center of the impeller exploded out. I can imagine that it is possible someone had installed the impeller with grease or ani-sieze and that is what caused the explosion. Do not recall if there were any injuries or worse.

 

[old-iron-habit]

Wish I could find the actual report but a couple years before I retired some guys at a different part of the company had a incident related to heating to remove an impeller on a water pump.

As I recall this water pump had an impeller that screwed on to the shaft and the threaded hole was a blind hole! After not having any luck breaking the impeller free they decided to grab the gas-axe. Not sure if there was water, oil or something else inside the threaded hole but while heating the center of the impeller exploded out. I can imagine that it is possible someone had installed the impeller with grease or ani-sieze and that is what caused the explosion. Do not recall if there were any injuries or worse.

How that you mention it, I believe there is a post here somewhere that details that incident.

 

[Nige]

Not post #15 on Page 1 that you're referring to is it..?

 

[kshansen]

Not post #15 on Page 1 that you're referring to is it..?

Don't think that was the same accident as I'm pretty sure the one I was referring to was a water pump that one refers to a propeller, I'm thinking that means a boat, not an impeller on a pump. But still same idea.

 

[kshansen]

Well the search function for this forum is a great tool. Just did a search for my name and searched for "impeller" and there it was:

Learned this morning of a fatal accident at one of our sister quarries in the South East US.

Guy was doing repairs on a water pump. Impeller screwed on the shaft with a blind hole in the impeller and the back side of impeller is sealed with an oring. Apparently guy was having problem breaking the impeller loose so he tried heating the center with a torch. Problem was when impeller was installed the cavity in the impeller had been filled with grease to keep it from rusting. When heated with torch the grease expaned and blew the center out of the impeller. In the picture I saw it looke to be about a 2 to 3 inch disk maybe a 1/4 inch thick. No details on where it hit the guy who was killed or if it was the guy running the torch.

I know we all have used heat to loosen something rusted or just palin tight but need to think about what else could happen. It was suggested that a hole could have been drilled in the center of the impeller to relieve pressure. Guess if impeller was to be reused a simple 1/4 inch pipe plug could be installed to seal it back up. One other idea would be if the hole was taped and a grease fitting installed one could possibly use a grease gun to hydralically pop the impeller off.

Be careful out there, and think of what could happen if something goes wrong.