Torsion rod

[eightofthem (Andy)]

Hi there chaps looking up on workshop manual tonight and this puzzled me a bit (section K2 page 6) torsion rod removal. Where is the torsion rod?. Then next (section K4 page 7) torsion bar adjustment. Now i know where that is. My question is this, are they (rod-- bar) the same thing or am i that tired to think straight

[Phil Nottingham]

Actually I think there is confusion between the 2 in the manual. The torsion rod is the round lateral "anti-roll" bar that goes from one side to the other at the front. It has the rbber cushioned links from its ends to subframe

The torsion bar is the square laminated spring steel bar that goes from the bottom link of the front suspension on each side. This is adjustable to raise or lower the front suspension - it also has the opposite effect at the back

Do not confuse any of these with radius rod which is adjacent to the torsion bar on each side! This keeps the bottom suspension arm in its rightful place.

BTW - the warnings given are not to be ignored - there is a fatal amount of stored energy in both torsion bar and bottom link. Undoing the wrong bit in the wrong order can cause serious damage to car and person

[eightofthem (Andy)]

Its odd that they call the anti roll bar by its true name in some sections, and then call it a torsion rod in others. I have read up on removing the torsion bar seems straight forward enough, but it does not mention undoing the udjuster at the rear before undoing and lowering the bottom link, is it nessesary to slacken the adjuster to remove some of the tension?, or is it how i have read it in the book?

[Phil Nottingham]

Its absolutely crucial to unwind all of the tension before even thinking about removing the bottom link or any of its fixing bolt - its actually quite straight forward although some have struggled removing the big ball joint nuts and breaking the taper on the joint. Both are easy if you know the knack