Torsion Bar replacement question

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gunbunny

gunbunny

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I had to replace the left torsion bar on my dart today. The original shattered.
Drove the car after the replacement and height adjustment.
Car is still feeling "squirrelly".
The question I have is, should I have the front end aligned?

Having asked this, I guess I should also note that it was raining like a madman when I drove the car. It's also been sitting over the winter. The broken T Bar was a surprise.
Any advice is appreciated.
 
Now that you have driven it, I would recheck the height. If you replaced the broken one with one of the same rate and the adjustment is good, you might have other problems.
 
sr71mopar said:
Now that you have driven it, I would recheck the height. If you replaced the broken one with one of the same rate and the adjustment is good, you might have other problems.
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Was the car on jack stands and was the torsion bar adjuster all the way loose.After the torsion bar was put back in all you have to do is readjust the height.The weight of the car must be off the ground.
 
Did you put the car on jack stands so that the weight of the car was off the ground.Was the torsion bar adjuster loosened all the way before the other torsion bar was installed ? I usually spray the the bolt with liquid wrench so it turns freely.After the torsion bar is back in;just tighten the bolt back up ,to get your proper height.
 
Put it on a lift. Measured the height off the other side. The car seems to set properly.
I'm thinking I have another issue. The more I drive it, the more I'm thinking I have a bad tire.
 
First thing; why did it break? Second thing, it has to be on the ground in order to set the height, usually 1 7/8" diff from lower ball to bottom of torsion bar. Third, alignment.
 
leroymoparrr said:
Did you put the car on jack stands so that the weight of the car was off the ground.Was the torsion bar adjuster loosened all the way before the other torsion bar was installed ? I usually spray the the bolt with liquid wrench so it turns freely.After the torsion bar is back in;just tighten the bolt back up ,to get your proper height.
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Don't come in here and give bad advice; what factory manual did you get that from?
 
Check it for slop before you get it aligned. You can visually inspect the LCA bushings as well as the strut rod bushings.
After that, jack from the LCA one side at a time just barely off the ground. Grab the wheel at 9 and 3 then 12 and 6 o'clock and see what gives.
 
gunbunny said:
I had to replace the left torsion bar on my dart today. The original shattered.
Drove the car after the replacement and height adjustment.
Car is still feeling "squirrelly".
The question I have is, should I have the front end aligned?

Having asked this, I guess I should also note that it was raining like a madman when I drove the car. It's also been sitting over the winter. The broken T Bar was a surprise.
Any advice is appreciated.
Click to expand...
I,ve had this problem before.One of the belts on the radial tire may be bad.
 
green1 said:
First thing; why did it break? Second thing, it has to be on the ground in order to set the height, usually 1 7/8" diff from lower ball to bottom of torsion bar. Third, alignment.
Click to expand...
This is the correct way and should be adjusted like this and taken to an alignment shop. Most important make sure yo have the matching bar for the one that came out , and its the correct bar to go with the opposite side. Check the lower bushing , a visual check should be sufficient to see that there is no cracks in the rubber and the pin looks straight in the bushing.If all looks well it was probably a bad bar. They make a tool to remove these bars this is important to use as to not mar the bar , any little mark could cause premature falure. Alot of guy's use a vise grips this is not a good practice unless your thowing them out. If everything is fine the instalation should be able to be done with your hands or a soft mallet and brass. Do not use a hammer on the bar . If you have to force it in there is a problem. I have seen alot of failures caused by bad lower bushings. This causes the bar to flex more to one end usually the front. These bars need to be twisted evenly any misalignment causes premature failure from it trying to arc while twisting. A sign of this, is breaking toward the front but not always the case. Hope this helps all
 
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