When do replace torsion bars?

[Rutherford]

I have recently dropped my ride height since removing the stock Porsche battery and installed a light weight gell cell. While lowering the car I noticed a huge difference between the thread count on the adjusting screws. The left bar is is about half way out of its boss, and the right one is a lot further out of its boss. Is it normal to have this a great difference between side? The front ride heigth is 26.5", stock U.S. ride height. Is it time for new torsion bars?

[Chuck Moreland]

That is not an indication of bad tbars. What you have is one of the adjuster caps indexed differently than the other. You can fix this by popping off one adjuster cap and reindexing it.

This is not a problem provided neither cap has bottomed out.

However, this is a red flag to me. One or both caps has been removed, then put back on. And whoever did the job was sloppy on the reassembly. And for that reason, I would check to make sure you corner balance is reasonable (because the last mechanic might not have).

[Rutherford]

Chuck by bottommed out do ,you mean that there is no preload on the t-bar from the adjustment screw? I will snap some pics. Scott

[johnsjmc]

I have also noticed this on a car in the past .It turned out to be a rear torsion bar set wrong and someone had leveled the car by adjusting the front.Corner balance was obviously way out.

[Rutherford]

This should help visualize why I think somethings wrong. Since lowering the car I haven't driven it, but I have half a tank of gas and have bounced the front end vigorously to simulate driving.

[johnsjmc]

A rough check of corner balance can be done by jacking the rear in the middle and measuring the front fender lip to floor If the front bars are balanced you will measure both heights about the same. If the front changes when the rear is lifted it indicates the rear needs adjustment and someone leveled the car by lightening the load on one side up front.

[Rutherford]

johnsjmc , should I get the rear wheels totaly off the ground for this check? Scott.

[johnsjmc]

I think a search for tripod method or something like that will find more than one previous thread on home style cornerbalancing. I use a piece of plywood between my floorjack and the bottom seam on the engine and have lifted the back there. Lift clear of the floor and note the front fender to floor measurement. You can repeat the tripod lift from the front at the centre of the crossmember and measure rear height. You are looking for a difference side to side.With the other end up on a single point you are measuring the support provided by the torsion bars still on the ground,they should be close to equal. If you find one corner low at the back that would put the diagonal opposite high and someone might have tried to fix it by lightening one side of the front as the front is easier to adjust.

[Nine9six]

They can be touching slightly...The object is to load the front and take the fender measurements for an approximate correct corner balance in the front end.
JohnW was simply stating that the preload on the T-bars could be correct, but upon reassembly both adjusters were not set to correspond with each other. If your concern is high, why not have piece of mind and have your car aligned and corner balanced?

[Chuck Moreland]

From the pics, your caps are not bottomed out. I would check the corner balance.

[Rutherford]

By caps do, you mean the adjustment hex on the screws for the t-bars? Or the tip of the adjustment screw?

[Chuck Moreland]

The cap is the thing the adjuster screw threads through. It fits over the end of the tbar, and has that finger sticking out to hold the screw. If the finger is contacting anything other than the screw, it has bottomed out.

[Rutherford]

Thank you for the proper nomenclature use.

[Wil Ferch]

The pics would indicate ( normally) that the left and right side have a different amount of preload. Best to set the fronts with the adjuster screws engaged so the "fingers" have about the same amount of thread engagement on both sides. I would say you have considerable weight jacking left to right.

- Wil

[Rutherford]

Wil, would you sugest backing out the adjustment screw on both sides and starting over from scatch, and try equalizing the fingers some what?

[Chuck Moreland]

There could be no weight jacking, or there could be lots. If the caps are 1 spline apart, they will look like this even with a proper corner balance.

But if they are not 1 spline off, you've got loads of weight jacking. Play it safe and check the corner weights.

[Rutherford]

I need to find some scales. When I bought the car it always sat high in the front even with the old monster Porsche battery. I always noticed to when I put the car on floor jacks the left side under the front of the torsion bar housing has no weight on it while the right side does. This is with car up in the air ,on jacks and all floor jacks at the same height. The weight of the car is only on three jack stands like a tripod. I think she is a side winder.