Another Torsion Bar Question

[Kamaaina]

Was under my '96 XLT and looking at the front suspension (2WD) and began to wonder.....if the lower control arm is suppose to move a little fore-and-aft (due to rubber bushings on lower control arm) to soak up road bumps wouldn't this tend to move the torsion bar fore-and-aft also? Is the torsion bar suppose to slide in the control arm socket? If not then maybe this is why the key pad on the rear gets so busted up. Just trying to figure out where this "give" is being taken up. Going to add some delrin strips over the keys on the rear and grease the front torsion socket in the LCA to see if that helps make the pads last longer. I'm open to opinions, suggestions, theories, 2-cents, whatever you got! Oh yeah, one more thing, what actually holds the torsion bar in place if it slips in the LCA socket and adjuster key?

 

[deweyville65]

Was under my '96 XLT and looking at the front suspension (2WD) and began to wonder.....if the lower control arm is suppose to move a little fore-and-aft (due to rubber bushings on lower control arm) to soak up road bumps wouldn't this tend to move the torsion bar fore-and-aft also? Is the torsion bar suppose to slide in the control arm socket? If not then maybe this is why the key pad on the rear gets so busted up. Just trying to figure out where this "give" is being taken up. Going to add some delrin strips over the keys on the rear and grease the front torsion socket in the LCA to see if that helps make the pads last longer. I'm open to opinions, suggestions, theories, 2-cents, whatever you got! Oh yeah, one more thing, what actually holds the torsion bar in place if it slips in the LCA socket and adjuster key?

I have a 96 XLT Control Trac and the torsion bars show NO signs of fore/aft movement. I am sure there is SOME movement of the LCA due to being mounted in rubber (bushings). However if there is enough movement to show, there has got to be something loose somewhere. I would be looking for what is loose. The movement would have to cause steering problems. Dont forget the weight of the front end is sitting on the torsion bars, so it would have to take a bunch of force to move them fore/ aft. I dont know what "pads" you are refering to.

 

[2000StreetRod]

adjuster seat/pad

I suspect the torsion bar adjuster seat/pad shown below is what's being referred to.

I cleaned mine and then lubricated them with wheel bearing grease. While my bars flex I doubt that they move fore and aft. If your lower control arm moves fore and aft then your bushings may be excessively worn.

 

[corkey]

I am pretty certain that the arms do move a "bit" fore and aft, but i would say that amount is pretty minimal, as there really isn't much flex in the rubber bushings till they get real old,,

they are really there so that the mount is not solid,, and to resist vibration transfer to the frame , and your seat ,

the pads that the back of the bars sit in and on are there to wear, that is their job, and why they are replaceable, allowing that fore and aft movement as well,

 

[Kamaaina]

Thanks for the great responses and pictures. I will be taking a look at my torsion bar key pads soon.....I noticed that my left adjuster is screwed-in about a half-inch more than my right just to make the front end level. Will probably change out the LCA bushings at the same time (ball joints are new). I guess fore-aft movement must be minimal ( if at all) as I can't see anything that "mechanically" holds the bar in place besides just tension. Theoretically it looks like the bar could "walk" its way forward out of position and disconnect from the adjuster key but never heard of that happening. One more observation...when the LCA moves up and down the torsion bar swings with it and wouldn't that cause the adjuster key to pivot slightly? Just trying to figure out why the pad wears out when the key just sits there under tension.