Torsion Bar & Glow Plug Questions

[silvtr1000]

Hi All,

Just trying to improve my knowledge of how stuff works...


TORSION BARS

Is a torsion bar a tube with a coil spring inside, or is it something else?

If it is a spring in a tube, is it the twisting force on the spring that forces the wheel back?


GLOW PLUGS

I understand that there's still an explosion to drive the pistons down (as with a petrol engine), but without a sparkplug/ignition, how is the mixture ignited to cause the explosion?


I know that these things don't really matter and maybe I should just enjoy my Surf, but I just want to know!


Mark

[Alun]

In a diesel the fuel is burned purely by the compression force of the cylinder.

When it squishes the fuel/air mix, it eventually gets hot enough to burn.

The glow plugs are only used to pre-heat the combustion surface prior to you cranking the starter.


Not so sure about torsion bars.

[TonyN]

A Torsion bar is literally just a bar of springy steel. Its anchored at one end (by the gearbox crossmember), and the other end is fixed to the suspension A arm where it pivots on the chassis, so as the A arm rotates with suspension movement, its twists the bar, then the bar resists the flexing so holding the truck up.

Thicker bar= stiffer springing.