torsion bars

[paulh]

Finally climbed (or should that be scrambled) under the front of my new pride and joy to check out the very solid suspension and found that it is sitting on the bump stops.
As I said in a previous mail I think my surf has been deliberately lowered.
Question is, how do I crank up the torsion bars?, as I have read that this is what's required.
I've searched the forum and all I can find is a mail telling someone else to do a search for "torsion bars".
Are any special tools required and how far should I go?

[silvtr1000]

Try this link. I found it helpful - before I read it, I didn't really understand how torsion bars even worked...

http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/tech/torsion_bars/

Mark

[AndyLala]

Part numbers for this one...

Torsion Bar Adjuster Bolt, Seats and Nut. One each side.

90179-12074 Std Part £1.06 each plus vat
48173-35010 Seat, Anchor Arm Adjuster £3.26 each plus vat
48173-35020 Seat, Anchor Arm Adjuster £3.89 each plus vat
90101-12159 Bolt, Hexagon £3.72 each plus vat

White grease so its not as tight next time...

I replaced mine (just in case) when I investigated mine (same problem).
The dealer I bought my baby from decided (in his infinite wisdom) to wind down the front torsions instead of replacing the rear springs and all shocks...

You'll need a nice long handled spanner (think its 22 or 25mm, big one anyway)... Halfrauds do them, quite pricey for just this one job though.

And a plumb line centred on the hub. Measure the distance from the wheel rim to the arch rim, same point both sides.

Last piece of the puzzle, as they all recommend, if you haven't done it before... get a good alignment done on the front end. But try and find someone who really knows what they are doing... Don't end up getting dirty like I did, and tell them how to do their job... (can't stand people mistreating my baby, thats my job...)

Check out alternative instructions listed on the australian site and the amercan site...

andyL

[TonyN]

They may have got soft, if it feels 'choppy' after lifting it, they are propably knackered and over stessed trying to hold the car up and new ones are required. Not a big deal, or that expensive.

But try it first. (remember to jack it up first, you'll never move them with the front wheels on the floor )

[paulh]

Sorry if I'm being a bit dim but despite your welcome replys and reading the website supplied I still cannot figure out how the actual adjustment is done.
Do I slacken the adjusting bolt and then jack up the front to let the wheels drop and then retighten.
I was under the impression that there was some sort of splined shaft that had to be turned.

[TonyN]

Look under the middle or the car, just behind the gearbox crossmember, there is a big bolt head sticking downwards. This is the bolt, the nut is up on top. You need to jack the car up with the weight off the front, then with a spanner on the top nut, tighten the bolt to wind them up.

The bolt normally needs plenty of WD40 and greasing to do up. You may need to go backwards and forwards to get all the crud of the bolt threads.

[paulh]

Got It Thanks

[RobD]

What is a reasonable distance between rim and wheel arch on a 3rd gen?Does mine look lowered?

[TonyN]

Nah, looks the same as others. (apart from Matts!)

[paulh]

And mine

[da SLUG man]

What is a reasonable distance between rim and wheel arch on a 3rd gen?Does mine look lowered?

you got coil spring suspension anyway so it's all a bit different... except the same bits obviously!

[paulh]

Thanks to all who gave me info on the tosion bar adjustment, fitted my new springs this morning, no problems at all, also jacked up the front suspension and iv'e got a new car, floating on air instead of bone jarring thumps everytime I went over a bump.
Even the adjustment bolts were completely free although I took them all the way out and smothered them in copper grease just to make things easier.
Just got to get the tracking checked next.
Here's a poser for you experts. I found what I presume to be the load compensation valve fastened to the panhard rod. I think these things work by measuring the hieght of the vehicle to adjust the brakes according to how much wieght you are carrying. Now that my surf is about 5" higher, will that not affect the valve and make it think that I am carrying much less weight than before and therefore reduce the braking action.

[silvtr1000]

That 5" extra height may be relative to your old sagging springs - if you put new +2" springs in, the actual lift over standard may only be between 1" and 2". There are loads of articles on raising the LSPV bracket on the web.

Check out Delboy's lift. The first pic on post #20 shows the raised LSPV bracket.

http://www.yotasurf.co.uk/forums/sho...2&page=2&pp=10

[rich]

It all depends on whether they adjusted it before. On mine they hadn't bothered and it used to lock the rears up when you jumped on the brakes. If they had adjusted it before then it will need doing to compensate for the lift as you suspect.

Mine is now it is spot on, I had it checked at a friendly local MOT testing station with four wheel rollers.

Rich.

Thanks to all who gave me info on the tosion bar adjustment, fitted my new springs this morning, no problems at all, also jacked up the front suspension and iv'e got a new car, floating on air instead of bone jarring thumps everytime I went over a bump.
Even the adjustment bolts were completely free although I took them all the way out and smothered them in copper grease just to make things easier.
Just got to get the tracking checked next.
Here's a poser for you experts. I found what I presume to be the load compensation valve fastened to the panhard rod. I think these things work by measuring the hieght of the vehicle to adjust the brakes according to how much wieght you are carrying. Now that my surf is about 5" higher, will that not affect the valve and make it think that I am carrying much less weight than before and therefore reduce the braking action.