Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[addy]

With my wishbones needing doing,I thought I would read through the maintenance section, on how to do the wishbones.  I am sure I read somewhere on the forum that the bolts should be tightened up with the full weight of the car on the floor.  Is this right as it is not mentioned in the write up in the maintenance section. Neither is it mentioned in the Haynes Manual.

[MickAP]

Yes I have read that, you are correct. Final torque up with weight of car on a flat surface.

Mick

[ians]

Yes that's correct.  Otherwise you will quickly knacker your new bushes.

[Jamieo]

Yes I have read that, you are correct. Final torque up with weight of car on a flat surface.

Mick

But don't torque them up straight after lowering wheels to the floor, you need to bounce the suspension up and down to settle the ride hight.

What I do is tighten all the bolts to the correct torque except for the front ones which I do up finger tight.
I then take the car for a drive up and down the street to settle the suspension then park it up, hand brake on and wheels still on the ground, then I bounce the front suspension up and down a couple of times just to make sure it has settled then I torque the front bolts with the wheels still on the ground.

Have fun. 

[feeutfo]

yes, very important or they will fail early, when the bolts are done up the sub frame bracket clamps the centre spacer of the front larger bush, imagine the strain if clamped with wheels are hanging and centre spacer set in that position, then you drop the car and the arm rises twisting the bush outer with the arm and the spacer stays put twisting the rubber, then you go round a bend, the car sways, the arm rises further, then you hit a bump the suspension arm is fully compressed and the rubber in the bush is stretched far further than it should and it rips.

If tightened with wheels loaded, spacers are set in the middle of their travel rather than stretched all the travel in one direction, hope that makes sense?

[feeutfo]

Yes I have read that, you are correct. Final torque up with weight of car on a flat surface.

Mick

But don't torque them up straight after lowering wheels to the floor, you need to bounce the suspension up and down to settle the ride hight.

What I do is tighten all the bolts to the correct torque except for the front ones which I do up finger tight.
I then take the car for a drive up and down the street to settle the suspension then park it up, hand brake on and wheels still on the ground, then I bounce the front suspension up and down a couple of times just to make sure it has settled then I torque the front bolts with the wheels still on the ground.

Have fun. 

indeed, its only the front bush thats important, the smaller rear is set anyway. I did exactly as you describe.