Front lower arms tightening

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Alastair
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Front lower arms tightening

Post by Alastair »

Am just replacing my front subframe on my 1991 j reg turbo diesel..... While it's off I decided to replace the front lower suspension arms.... Do I seem to recall that there is a particular method of tightening the two bolts securing each arm to the subframe?
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Tinkley
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Re: Front lower arms tightening

Post by Tinkley »

I changed mine, sub frame and bushes, a few years back. It was straight forward, two 24mm across flats (M16) nuts from each end of the spindle. Had one come fractionally loose after a month, a dull clunk on take off, just retightened, no problems since. I think I simply did not get it quite tight enough or the bush settled, it was only a fraction of a turn needed to nip it. As long as the bush is running on mostly plain shank part of the spindle it should be OK. The bushes are not expensive and worth doing if your not changing the whole arm....

The design intent is to remove the nut at the cabin end first, when removing so you can pull the spindle out forward and down. Be warned this is not always possible as the spindles seize to the inner bush steel liner so you may have to cut the spindle off. I'd make sure you can source some new spindles should this be necessary. These were available in France a few years (3?) ago but not the UK, at least from dealers. A lot of the pros cut the spindle as it is quicker and cheaper to replace the spindle rather than fiddle about....
KevR
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Re: Front lower arms tightening

Post by KevR »

Don't cut the shaft! If you can get the nuts off, then you can draw the shaft out using a series of spacers under the nut on the front end of the shaft, and repeatedly tightening the front nut, then removing and adding an extra spacer. When you refit the new or refurbed arm, don't tighten the nuts fully until the car's back on the floor with the suspension in normal height.
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Re: Front lower arms tightening

Post by Kitch »

KevR wrote:Don't cut the shaft! If you can get the nuts off, then you can draw the shaft out using a series of spacers under the nut on the front end of the shaft, and repeatedly tightening the front nut, then removing and adding an extra spacer. When you refit the new or refurbed arm, don't tighten the nuts fully until the car's back on the floor with the suspension in normal height.
Everything he said.






Unless you have the far superior early mk1 bearing-type subframe. Then you can tighten the nuts whenever you like :lol:
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Re: Front lower arms tightening

Post by Tinkley »

Kitch wrote: Unless you have the far superior early mk1 bearing-type subframe. Then you can tighten the nuts whenever you like :lol:
Better engineered until the needles rust in situ and the wear is in one plane....oh and smaller area as 14mm pivot. Which is why the later solution, which works OK, using the rubber in torsion just not as directly smooth., and yes I did tighten the nuts when loaded... :wink:
Not forgetting the spheres wer also on slightly softer valving orifices....
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