now what have i done wrong !

[white akita]

hi all, i have adjusted the torsion bar on the drivers side today, when i started the height from the top of my 15" wheels to my wheel arch was 12.75" after i adjusted it it is now 13.5".
i tried to keep on adjusting it to get a 2" lift but the bolt wont adjust anymore, it has gone very very tight and i beleive it wont go much further, the top nut is hardly visable.
does anyone know why it has only raised 1.25" ?
i was told by tlss from here that there was no need to jack the vehicle up so i didnt bother, is this the possible cause ?

[RodLeach]

the truck should ALWAYS be jacked up when adjusting the torsion bars mate.

Im not sure if any damage could be incurred - but i'd jack it up now an re adjust/take a look!

i'll keep my fingers crossed its nothing majour!

[grabeck]

always the chance of stripping the thread on the aduster bolt

[white akita]

great !
can anyone show me a photo of where i can put the bottle jack to lift both front wheels of the ground ?

[RodLeach]

great !
can anyone show me a photo of where i can put the bottle jack to lift both front wheels of the ground ?

Just anywhere on the chassis rails around that area mate - do one side at a time if need be. i wouldn't want to jack the whole front off on one jack - would be unstable.

[nero279]

get yourself a proper jack and a pair of axle stands if you plan on working on any car yourself, factory jacks are ok for changing wheels and that's about it.

Jack the centre of the front lower crossmember, between the wishbones, then you should get an axle stand in either side of the jack still.

[yoshie]

[QUOTE=white akita;403836]hi all, i have adjusted the torsion bar on the drivers side today, when i started the height from the top of my 15" wheels to my wheel arch was 12.75" aQUOTE]


Mine is standard bar never adjusted and sits level with the back on original springs and measures 14" from wheel lip to arch and your nuts going near a car on a jack get stands

[chrisinflight]

You can place the jack just inside of the lower wish-bone on the axle-beam.
The whole idea is to have no tension on the suspension components so dont place the jack under the wish-bone. One side at a time is fine. Also make sure the ground is level when measuring! I`d be happy with 1" to 1.5" inch though as anymore and you can feel the frontend go a bit spongy and will be more prone to wear and tear.

[Slugsie]

You definately want to do one side at a time, and you definately want to jack the truck up. Place the jack under where the lower wishbone bolt to the chassis, so that when you jack the wheel off the ground the suspension has had the most tension taken off it. When adjusting the bolt, put a spanner/monkey wrench onto the top bolt to stop that spinning. Then adjust roughly 10 full turns at a time, checking the height of the truck after each time (drop down, bounce the front end a few times, measure). When you have one side done, repeat on the other, but measure both sides as the first side can move slightly too. When done, go for a drive, and then remeasure.

It's a bit long to do, and it definately hepls if you have a nice quick hydralic scissor jack.

[white akita]

i have jacked the truck up to release any tension that i might of caused, after lowering it back down both front wheels measure 14" from the top of the wheel to the wheel arch and both the back wheels have a 14.5" gap so im leaving it alone now.
the problem is the drivers side torsion bar is fully wound and the passenger side is untouched !

[white akita]

if the drivers side torsion bar is fully wound and the passenger side is untouched do you think this could cause problems ?

[grabeck]

is the drivers side actually fully adjusted or has the thread stripped and jammed? can you adjust the drivers side back to where it was?

[white akita]

I dont think it has stripped it is just as far as it can go i think.

[TonyN]

One side will lift the whole front of the truck, as the unadjusted side will be under less pressure, so while the truck is level, the unadjusted side will be under very little tension, and it may handle oddly on the road

Do the other side the same number of turns, level it up by backing of the higher side.

There should be about 60-70mm of thread sticking out of the nut on the adjuster by the time you've finished.

The top nut shouldn't spin when you turn the bottom one, if it does and you need to put a spanner on it, the thread is worn/corroded and the bolt and nut should be replaced. But you can normally get away with leaving as long as the bolt dosn't break. But it will be under extreme pressure, which is why the manuals say replace it. Your call though.

[white akita]

i will give it a go, the nut on the top wasnt spinning.