Potential steering issue

[benyeats]

For those of you who missed the other thread an owner had a problem with the following part



which is the outer rod end on the steering rack.  The problem he had was the inner section of the rod became detached from the outer such that the steering rod could just be lifted off clean over the bolt shown.

The suggested fix is to fit a larger washer under the bolt such that the outer section of the rod end can't simply slip over the bolt head.  Allegedly there is a batch of faulty rod ends that are prone to this mode of failure so worth having a check of your car.

Ben

[Monza]

It was on an US Brammo Atom.
Perhaps it can happen to on a UK Atom, even if system is a little bit different and never heard about this problem on UK Atoms.
Check Rod-Ends often...

[benyeats]

Check Rod-Ends often...

I think those words sum things up nicely

[Bruce Fielding]

Hear hear.

I have spoken to the factory who are confident that they have no problem with the rod ends. There was a faulty batch and Aurora have been very helpful in sorting out the issue.

[Trigger]

My car was involved in the faulty batch, but all was easily sorted.

But I have to disagree that just checking your rod ends will solve the issue. A manufacturing fault is not that simple to see especially if you have not clear idea what you are looking for.

Having said that it is a very isolated problem, now sorted so not something to worry about. Regular checking is of course a vital thing for any owner for more than just rod ends.

[Alec]

Saw this comment from Ben on the other thread but this new thread didn't appear until I saw it in the list after I'd posted the following photo on the original thread. 

The info from the thread has been recreated elsewhere for those that may not have seen it.

Ben

Here's a photo of my UK steering rod end for comparison.

[Monza]

Alec, this seems to be an "old" rod-end / screw ...

[Alec]

Alec, this seems to be an "old" rod-end / screw ...

It could very well be an original as receipts from the factory aren't detailed enough to tell you which ones they've replaced, just stating quantity and size.

The car has covered 20,713 miles and has been on the road for 27 months (although it was built in March/April 2006).

[Mr. Woolery]

Based on what I've seen in this thread (both before and after content deletion), I fail to see enough difference between the UK and US tie rod end attachment methods which would isolate this potential issue to US Atoms only, regardless of safety wire placement.

I'd like to make some observations of this thread and how they relate to the board in general:
-Regardless of origin, if anyone puts up some tech info that may be of benefit to the overall community, I can see no value in using that information to drum up useless retorts which bring up the tired old "UK vs US" debate (both technical and cultural), even if only through implication.  It can only hurt the board and the community.  We're too small a community to get this petty.

-It is also just as useless to remove information based on this behavior.  I would much rather keep the relevant information for the benefit of the community.  Cyberpouting and "taking the ball and going home" are not good tactics, especially when it comes to potential safety issues.

-Douchebaggery occurred on both sides here.  Let's learn from our mistakes, work to stop repeating them, and move on.

[whooops]

Hear hear.

I have spoken to the factory who are confident that they have no problem with the rod ends. There was a faulty batch and Aurora have been very helpful in sorting out the issue.

Any more information on the batch that was faulty?  This was on the #39 car (IIRC) that was formerly Jammer's.  Right in the middle Brammo's run and we dont have information on the owners of cars made right before or after.  Closest were Gage which went to Zen which then sold to Joecool and Kempo in Puerto Rico 

If this was a known issue, it would be great if we can inform the owners who may have received a faulty part so they can make a replacement or at least do the washer fix. 

[Trigger]

The batch in the Uk was from Aug/Sept this year - I assume a different issue.

[whooops]

Yes, this car was ordered in july 06 and finished in jan 07.  So build time would have probably been Nov 06 to jan 07

[Kempo]

My car was build during those dates    I will take a look at my car #32 from Brammo and 2 more cars owned by some friends.

[Nicholas]

Mine is #38.
I have checked the ends, and they do not appear to have any slack.

I seem to remember that some cars were built out of sequence.
eg. Guge's car maintained the build sequence, but the changed his chassis number (from 37 to 43?) as they forgot to paint his original chassis the correct color.

[maverick1]

Can someone please briefly explain the best way to check your rod ends...front and rear and to explain what you are looking for in a worn out rod end??? Does anything have to be taken apart to make this examination?
cheers