Kingpin stuck in spherical

[Keith Hollien]

The king pin is made out of 4140 crome-moly steel and will rust. If trucks are not taken care of the king pin WILL rust to the bearing. If king pins are changed once a year as we recommend this will not happen. If your king pin does rust to the bearing then carefully put some penetrating oil on the pin to break down the rust. Be careful to not get to much penetrating oil on the bearing. Let the penetrating oil work and then just tap the king pin out. There is no need to do anything to the bearing.

Keith - Radikal Trucks Since 1978.

[Stephen Lavin]

Im going to avoid using heat if at all possible. Ill continue to try a stronger solvent and tapping but so far no luck with that. You mentioned getting a new KP and spherical, how difficult is that process? I mean, i already have an extra KP so thats no problem but i wouldnt know the first thing about installing a new spherical into the hangar nor how to remove the existing one safely.

Thanks for all the help,

Dave

Send PM to Keith Hollien for a new bearing. I changed two out of my Talons this weekend - it's a pain the the ass but not hard to do if you have the right tools. If you don't then a hammer, socket set, and two bricks will work... good luck with this.

[Pat Chewning]

I'm guessing that the two parts have experienced "galling". This is where two metal pieces rub against each other and material is transferred from one part to the other.

Solvents won't help. Heat might help. Whacking with a hammer might help.

But when you finally get the pieces apart, I'll bet one of them has some material stuck to it that came from the other piece.

I'd suggest new parts -- they can't be that expensive...

[David Johnson]

Im going to avoid using heat if at all possible. Ill continue to try a stronger solvent and tapping but so far no luck with that. You mentioned getting a new KP and spherical, how difficult is that process? I mean, i already have an extra KP so thats no problem but i wouldnt know the first thing about installing a new spherical into the hangar nor how to remove the existing one safely.

Thanks for all the help,

Dave

[Wesley Tucker]

Yes, whole thing. Heat will help the metal parts to come apart. If Wes's suggestion (keep in mind you want to tap the KP so the bearing stays IN the hangar so make sure you are hitting the right end) doesn't work then get a torch then do what he said again after heating that bitch up.

If all fails then get urself another KP and bearing.

See, I thought about that. But what I deduced through a meticulous application of the scientific process is the metal will EXPAND and seal up even tighter. The bearing will expand OUT into the pin and the pin will expand OUT into the bearing. Great big seized up mess.

Mechanics who know the metals involved sometimes get away with heat because they know one metal expands at a different temperature than the other metal. So they can take an acetylene torch to a sleeve and they know the sleeve will expand but the shaft inside needs more heat to start swelling. I don't know that we know anything about the properties of the two metals involved.

I'm just sayin' . . .

[Stephen Lavin]

Yes, whole thing. Heat will help the metal parts to come apart. If Wes's suggestion (keep in mind you want to tap the KP so the bearing stays IN the hangar so make sure you are hitting the right end) doesn't work then get a torch then do what he said again after heating that bitch up.

If all fails then get urself another KP and bearing.

[Wesley Tucker]

David,

I don't think it's corrosion. That's stainless on stainless. Probably something (who knows what) got into the gap and is bonding the two surface.

What I would suggest is finding a solid surface with a gap where the kingpin can hang down. What I've always used for that kind of thing is a toolbench mounted jaw clamp. Open it a half inch, set the hangar on it with the kingpin between the jaws and tap it. Possibly wrap the hangar in a cotton cloth so as to avoid scratching the powder coat.

So, take a small hammer (yes a hammer) and TAP the six-sided hex side of the king pin. Don't wail on it but tap it sharp enough to maybe break whatever is in there. If you tap the hex side there's no chance accidentally damaging the threads.

The only other suggestion I can think of a a more stringent solvent and drip it into the gap. Naptha and Toluol in the paint section of Lowe's.

Oh, and don't forget that when you do remove the kingpin make sure you clean out the inside of the bearing of any remaining contaminant.

[David Johnson]

Im not 100 percent sure i understand your first question. I can use a socket wrench to remove the KP from the baseplate and change out the bottom bushing if thats what you mean. The KP is just stuck inside the spherical so when i remove the hangar (and can remove both bushings) the KP will not come out from the hangar. If i use the method you suggest, does it need to be the whole truck in the oven? I can remove the hangar from the baseplate and expose less of the truck to the heat if that would be better.

[Stephen Lavin]

Are you able to turn the pin counter clockwise in the hangar (while in baseplate) using a socket at the top? This is your best bet IMO. Heat the bastard up in the oven after a spray (let sit for 30 mins after spray and before oven) and try again right out of the oven. Oven does not have to be too hot - 200F is good, whole thing in the baseplate.

[David Johnson]

So i bought a used radikal dragons claw and the kingpin is frozen inside the spherical in the hangar. I tried spaying an entire can of tri-flow in there and whacking it a few good times with a hammer but i cant get it out. Its preventing me from snugging down the hangar properly on the bottom bushing. Any advice?