Uneven Ride Height

[j-16 1]

Hi,

 

Can someone confirm if this sounds like my beam bearings need replacing.

 

Beam is not seized, shocks are new, there is no horizontal free play if I try and move the wheel when jacked, the wheels sit | | and on stripping the beam all looks well with no corrosion and little wear........

 

......BUT, after 3 weekends of trying, the only way I can get an even rear ride height is having completely different shock centre measurements ie 315mm on passenger side and 330 on drivers side. The drivers side trailing arm seems to move a lot more than the passengers when the weight of the car is applied.

 

Surely the torsion bars can't wear so does this mean my inner or outer bearings are shot?

 

Thanks,

[zilog 0]

Hi,

 

Can someone confirm if this sounds like my beam bearings need replacing.

 

Beam is not seized, shocks are new, there is no horizontal free play if I try and move the wheel when jacked, the wheels sit | | and on stripping the beam all looks well with no corrosion and little wear........

 

......BUT, after 3 weekends of trying, the only way I can get an even rear ride height is having completely different shock centre measurements ie 315mm on passenger side and 330 on drivers side. The drivers side trailing arm seems to move a lot more than the passengers when the weight of the car is applied.

 

Surely the torsion bars can't wear so does this mean my inner or outer bearings are shot?

 

Thanks,

 

I am having the same problem on a rebuilt rear beam, b ut my offset is much smaller - 9mm height difference between left and right jacking points. I suspect my frame being bent or the front suspension being uneven.

[j-16 1]

I am having the same problem on a rebuilt rear beam, b ut my offset is much smaller - 9mm height difference between left and right jacking points. I suspect my frame being bent or the front suspension being uneven.

 

 

I have coilovers on the front so i don't have the problem of front height being different.

 

Don't think my shell is twisted as this didn't used to be a problem 2 years ago- one trailing arm simply has far more travel than the other when the weight of the car is applied.

 

Cheers,

[jonnie205 1]

I have had this loads of times, its always the drivers side that sits lower too and sometimes i have never got to the bottom of the problem. If torsion bars are out of beam and you have a dummy shock on there then you need to make sure that you keep spinning over the torsion bar until it slids into splines easily. If the bars are knocked home with a hammer then often the splines can be under load with the dummy shock on, as soon as shock is taken off then the height on that side may be higher or lower than the other. The splines oare offset either end so it can take some time to get the rideheight perfect side to side Hope that helps

Edited March 5, 2007 by jonnie205

[j-16 1]

Cheers Jonnie, might have another try before I rebuilt the beam but I must have litterally reset the tosion bar about 40 times over the last 3 weekends using dummy shocks! Every time I take the shocks off, the trailing arms will drop and settle by different amounts, always with the drivers side lower. It's driving me to insanity!

 

Thanks

Edited March 5, 2007 by j-16

[welshpug 1,627]

If torsion bars are out of beam and you have a dummy shock on there then you need to make sure that you keep spinning over the torsion bar until it slids into splines easily. If the bars are knocked home with a hammer then often the splines can be under load with the dummy shock on, as soon as shock is taken off then the height on that side may be higher or lower than the other. The splines oare offset either end so it can take some time to get the rideheight perfect side to side Hope that helps

 

 

thats just what I would have said, but not only are the splines offset but the number of splines are different, so one spline at one end is a different adjustment to the other end, so you may have to turn the torsion bar quite a way to get it to slide in freely.

 

try setting that side a little lower with the dummy shock (a MM if that) and see what happens, took me quite a while to get the trailing arms to the same height on my 309.

[j-16 1]

Hmmm...I can easily get the trailing arms to the same height but one trailing arm has for more play than the other when the car is back on its wheels i.e to achieve the same final height of say -30mm the trailing arms have to be set at completely different heights.

[welshpug 1,627]

ah, so one end of the torsion bar moves quite freely in its splines? I think thats relatively common, the scrap beam I took off the goody was like this, but the one from the scrapyard was fine.

[j-16 1]

Actually there seems to be not too much play in the torsion bar splines - this is why i was thinking it was down to worn bearings causing one side to sag a little?

[pug_ham 242 3 Cars]

You need to get the distance between the shock bolt centres the same or as close as you can, measuring the height of the radiius arm isn't the ideal way to set teh ride height, the floor or axle stand resting point can differ by a few mm which would explain the difference in ride height.

 

There is no way setting the distances 15mm different should give an even ride height imo, thats about 40mm difference in the ride height from one side to the other.

 

Are the torsion bars the same size or has someone previously replaced one with a bar off a lower spec 205?

 

Like Jonnie says, when the dummy shock is fitted & the bars rotated to fit properly, finger pressure is all thats needed to seat the bars fully home.

 

Graham.

[j-16 1]

I am setting the ride height by using the dummy shock method but by using the same measurment between bolt centres on each side, even with torsion bars under little pressure, results in a cmpletelety different ride height, side to side.

 

If I set bolt centres with a 15mm difference, side to side, the ride height is even.

 

This is because the drivers side trailing arm travels much further when the weight of the car is applied - which, I think, is wrong.

 

The torsion bars are matched and this has only recently become a noticeable problem.

[pug_ham 242 3 Cars]

I am setting the ride height by using the dummy shock method but by using the same measurment between bolt centres on each side, even with torsion bars under little pressure, results in a cmpletelety different ride height, side to side.

IMO this should be physicaly impossible unless there are further issues with your beam mounts that you are unaware of.

This is because the drivers side trailing arm travels much further when the weight of the car is applied - which, I think, is wrong.

Just a thought, the passenger side isn't sat on the bump stop when lowered to the ground & the drivers side hasn't got one is it?

 

Graham.

[taylorspug 7]

Are you lowering the car onto level ground when it comes off the jack. You really dont need much undulation to throw one side right in the air. Had my MI out on the yard the other day and noticed that even with the smallest mound of mud under one wheel, it threw the rear ride heights completely off by about an inch. Yet when on flat ground they are the same to the mm.

[de Noir 0]

Have you tried switching the shocks side to side, to rule them completely out?

[j-16 1]

No, I haven't but they are litterally brand new and the problem remains when the car is simply lowered on the torsion bars with shocks removed completely.

 

Weekend 4 begins tomorrow!

[boldy205 74]

is it the 'front' beam mounts? if these are worn on one side then as you put a load on the suspension the worn side will sit lowwer.

[j-16 1]

New beam mounts all round from bakers bushes!

 

Its the trailing arm on one side that actually has far move movement, than the other, under the weight of the car.

 

Just removed the old bearings today and they all look pretty good so not sure if this is causing the problems but a refurb can't hurt i guess.

[j-16 1]

I've now just finished rebuilding my beam with all new bearings and seals.

 

I've set the shock centre distance to 315mm with the torsions bars sliding home easily.

 

With the car now back on it's wheels I have a 10mm diffence side to side.

 

I'M TEMTED TO DRIVE THE CAR INTO THE STREAM NEXT TO MY HOUSE

 

[Jrod 7]

I'm having EXACTLY the same problem atm.

 

Always the drivers side to low.

 

I'm using dummy shocks and the Tb's slide in with my fingers no problem but you put it on the floor and theres about 10mm diff.

[Jrod 7]

Right I've done it.

 

 

Turns out when I thought I was pushing one of the Tb's in it must of been the wrong place, I could get it partway in but just assumed it to be dirty so knocked it a little further in with a small hammer.

 

After trying AGAIN they both just slid in with no effort and now it's within 1-2mm each side.

[V8Pete 0]

Same problem (306 S16) - driver's side too low when loaded, but looks fine when the rear's jacked. Should've read this thread first. We kept trying to lower the driver's side arm, even past the point of maximum extension of the shock, and had to jack the trailing arm up to get the shock bolt through...and it was still too bloody low

 

Oh well, project for next weekend.