Track Rod Ball Joints

[David Morris]

Hi everyone,

Our Javelin ( DCB 246 ) has just been through the annual MoT test and thankfully passed, after some attention to the front brakes.

However, doing the routine servicing beforehand, I noticed the off-side track rod end ( part no. 54013 ) was ‘sloppy’. Being the Jowett adjustable type, I could take up the wear by tightening down the adjuster as per the book, but as I had done this only a few months ago, I was concerned that it was wearing too rapidly, despite being greased regularly.

I contacted JCS, who had no stock, but did manage to find spares through the kind assistance of Bill Lock. Oddly enough, JCS have just asked in the Jowetteer for folks to send in any old ones they might have for reconditioning and they mentioned that they are not often asked for them.

This set me thinking about the state of the internals in the original joints, which must be at least 50 years old by now.

Looking through my spares on the shelf, I have stripped down three track rod ends, all of the Jowett adjustable type. One must be nearly new, but the other two look completely U/S. The balls are heavily worn and the female seats are also in a really rough shape. These are vital safety components and I wonder how many are on vehicles in that state? They are usually smothered in grease and it is very difficult to see the wear without stripping the ball joint down and carefully cleaning them out. This involves risking losing the ball height setting as well as the tracking and I am sure folks, if they find perceptible wear in the joint, just take advantage of Jowett's adjuster feature and 'screw them down' until the wear goes away, which it will quite easily. The snag is, they may be unaware of the very real risk that the balls might eventually jump out of the housing, if badly worn.

However, looking at the phosphor bronze plungers from all three, the condition of these seems to be a positive clue as to the condition of the respective balls and seats below. Looking at the plunger from the reasonable joint set, the plunger shows no sign of significant wear and the internal spring has no side 'polishing'. On the other two, the respective plungers are badly worn and mashed at the business end and the springs have polish marks, where presumably they have been forced sideways inside the plungers, as the worn seats likewise struggle with the balls and the whole assembly is forced sideways.

I mention this as it is easy to unscrew the tops of the ball joints and examine the plungers and springs, without disturbing the settings of the ball heights and tracking. Replacement of the plungers and springs to restore things to how they were is just as easy. I reckon a good look at the condition of the plungers and springs when servicing the rest of the front suspension would provide a rough but reasonably accurate guide as to the condition of the balls and seats below.

Have any of you had joints that fail by coming apart ( or look so bad that this becomes a distinct possibility ) and do you think having a good look at the state of the plungers and springs would give a reasonable clue as to the state of the balls and seats below?

All the best,

David

[Leo Bolter]

Hi David.

Now I may be quite wrong, but I think I remember seeing, when Stephen Wickens was the holder of the NZ stock of Jowett spare parts, a wooden crate which would have contained hundreds of the ball ended and threaded part of the adjustable steering joints (part number 25668 in the brown parts book - May 1952). They would have been obtained when most of Jowett Engineering stocks were bought by Goldings of Auckland and shipped to NZ. The stock eventually came into Stephen's care. That entire stock is now the basis of Jowett Parts of NZ . . . . they would have large stocks of some rather obscure bits and pieces and are well worth a try for almost anything!

Anyway, send an e-mail to the spares guys (and gals) and ask them . . . they may still have loads of the afore mentioned parts (if I have remembered correctly) and will probably almost give them away to a good cause

See the JCC of NZ site for the Auckland address of "the Spares Department" (I'm not allowed to quote it here! . . for security reasons )

http://www.jowettnz.sytes.net/

[David Morris]

Hi Leo,

Thanks very much for the suggestion that the Club in NZ may have stocks of the ball joints - good to know this for the future.

Do you think my idea of using the wear on the plungers has any merit? It is otherwise difficult to see the wear without stripping the joint.

Many thanks,

David