I read that in a robotic voice after watching this video. This is the correct method as most vehicles these days you have no chance of getting under them with a torque wrench while car is on the ground. A lot of people don’t have ramps or alignment lifts, etc. Hell, I’m doing these jobs in the carpark of my flat. Edit: ‘Flat’ is a British term for apartment.
I just installed a suspension on one of my cars, and redid the bushings on my daily. Didn’t load the suspension. Drove it and heard this clunk. Going home after work to take it apart and inspect the bushings. The bushings will have maybe 20 miles on them, I’ll see if they’re destroyed and report back.
so let me ask the computer generated voice this question - - does that mean every time you put your car on a lift using the frame you are damaging your suspension / I ask because on a lift you have all four tires hanging by their various suspension connecting points at maximum drop - - same goes for changing a tire if your jacking point is on the frame rather than under an a-arm. So a suspension is never at a constant ride height while the car is moving over an uneven surface and the bushing is made to allow suspension movement and to be clear there is no way to properly torque the attaching bolt with the tire on and on the ground. You can leave the tire off and put a jack under the arm and jack it to the point where the arm is carrying the load from that quadrant of the car but barely lifting off of the jack stands or lift because other than that you're excessively loading that one side. I don't torque the nut at first when assembling for the first time I merely get it tight enough to hold then put every thing back together - - drive the car around a bit so that everything settles under driving/road conditions then bring the car back in remove the tire, do the preload I mentioned earlier then torque everything to spec. The reason for a bushing in the first place rather than a metal to metal pivot point is to allow smooth movement of the components and minimize vibration/shock of - - say a wheel dropping in a pot hole with the weight of the car being carried by a spring or a strut. Remember the old push on the fender trick to make the car bounce then let go and if it keeps on bouncing then your shocks are shot - - the suspension should move freely with the shocks absorbing excessive bounce. Any way what they are saying in a round about way is the bushing has give built into it in both directions but by putting a final torque setting at the bottomed out end you have a preload from the bottom not its normal ride height which creates excessive pressure in one direction only rather than in the middle where it can flex both ways which can cause premature bushing failure
*In best computer generated voice I can mimic* I believe it could cause some strain on the bushing with the car jacked up or suspension hanging while on a frame lift. However, the strain wouldn't be too harmful because it isn't a continuous movement applying to the bushing repeatedly. Even though the car is never really staying at ride height while driving on normal roads, it probably maintains a decent percentage within that spec for the most part. Any extra stress put on the car or bushings would cause or could cause its life to decrease. But this is all in the design of the part itself, this is why generally a part will have a 36 month or 36,000 mile life or a something of the sort. I am not an expert this is just my opinion.
how do u tighten the bolts on the ground ? u just jack up the rotor right ,? and use measurements to see normal ride hide. sounds like a lot of work. me personally I just torque them as hard as they came off . if not a bit looser. never had issues. try some tire spray on your bushings like one time to condition the rubber.. makes em last longer
before starting to work on suspension, measure distance from wheel center to fender, when you replace what you wanted to replace, tighten bolts loosely, jack up the wheel hub to measured distance and finish to torque the bolts.
Yes but not all hushings eill pry with the bolt to were it wont flex!!! Some do some dont , if u see gap between the bushing ends and its conection points then there enuff slack to be ok , but if u dont see any space between bushing nd conecting point then u will need to tighten bolt on a wherl alignment ramp that has the jack in center of ramp bc otherwise , u wint be able to get under car to turk them rite bc u wont have room to do so !! So it feeds the purpose
@@rushxxx12 i did this prior to knowing about torquing while at ride height and didn't know but subconsciously i jacked up the hub to simulate where it would be when the car is lowered ROUGHLY. I didn't measure before hand but should i be alright if its one or two centimeters off higher or lower? surely close enough is good enough right? I can't go lowering the car on its wheel when there's no damn space unfortunately
Had been figuring out why it only took a couple of months for the new bushings to get busted. Now I know. Thank you!
Measure the height from axle to fender, then Jack the hub up to drive height before tightening your control arm
This comment right here saved me, no room to work underneath while the car is down but I want to do it right.
I read that in a robotic voice after watching this video. This is the correct method as most vehicles these days you have no chance of getting under them with a torque wrench while car is on the ground. A lot of people don’t have ramps or alignment lifts, etc. Hell, I’m doing these jobs in the carpark of my flat.
Edit: ‘Flat’ is a British term for apartment.
beautiful, have done many but never knew before, will take care next time, thanks
interesting -- good knowledge thx for sharing
Excellent information.
I just installed a suspension on one of my cars, and redid the bushings on my daily. Didn’t load the suspension. Drove it and heard this clunk. Going home after work to take it apart and inspect the bushings. The bushings will have maybe 20 miles on them, I’ll see if they’re destroyed and report back.
so let me ask the computer generated voice this question - - does that mean every time you put your car on a lift using the frame you are damaging your suspension / I ask because on a lift you have all four tires hanging by their various suspension connecting points at maximum drop - - same goes for changing a tire if your jacking point is on the frame rather than under an a-arm. So a suspension is never at a constant ride height while the car is moving over an uneven surface and the bushing is made to allow suspension movement and to be clear there is no way to properly torque the attaching bolt with the tire on and on the ground. You can leave the tire off and put a jack under the arm and jack it to the point where the arm is carrying the load from that quadrant of the car but barely lifting off of the jack stands or lift because other than that you're excessively loading that one side. I don't torque the nut at first when assembling for the first time I merely get it tight enough to hold then put every thing back together - - drive the car around a bit so that everything settles under driving/road conditions then bring the car back in remove the tire, do the preload I mentioned earlier then torque everything to spec. The reason for a bushing in the first place rather than a metal to metal pivot point is to allow smooth movement of the components and minimize vibration/shock of - - say a wheel dropping in a pot hole with the weight of the car being carried by a spring or a strut. Remember the old push on the fender trick to make the car bounce then let go and if it keeps on bouncing then your shocks are shot - - the suspension should move freely with the shocks absorbing excessive bounce. Any way what they are saying in a round about way is the bushing has give built into it in both directions but by putting a final torque setting at the bottomed out end you have a preload from the bottom not its normal ride height which creates excessive pressure in one direction only rather than in the middle where it can flex both ways which can cause premature bushing failure
*In best computer generated voice I can mimic* I believe it could cause some strain on the bushing with the car jacked up or suspension hanging while on a frame lift. However, the strain wouldn't be too harmful because it isn't a continuous movement applying to the bushing repeatedly. Even though the car is never really staying at ride height while driving on normal roads, it probably maintains a decent percentage within that spec for the most part. Any extra stress put on the car or bushings would cause or could cause its life to decrease. But this is all in the design of the part itself, this is why generally a part will have a 36 month or 36,000 mile life or a something of the sort. I am not an expert this is just my opinion.
How do i get torque specs for my 2018 prado? For all kind of services like lower and upper arms, inner outer tie rods
Great explanation
how do u tighten the bolts on the ground ? u just jack up the rotor right ,? and use measurements to see normal ride hide. sounds like a lot of work. me personally I just torque them as hard as they came off . if not a bit looser. never had issues. try some tire spray on your bushings like one time to condition the rubber.. makes em last longer
before starting to work on suspension, measure distance from wheel center to fender, when you replace what you wanted to replace, tighten bolts loosely, jack up the wheel hub to measured distance and finish to torque the bolts.
you just jack up the lower control arm not the rotor, you want it at the same height as when the car is normally on the ground
Can you just measure the opposite side if no work is being done to that side?
@@jataviusmills5622 hard to say cuz even if other side is not jacked up it still is slightly lower because of the other side being lifted :/
@@redpill2634 thanks for the answer .
Do you have to do this with the top control arms too? Or just the bottoms? Im working on a c5 Audi.
Both
Yes but not all hushings eill pry with the bolt to were it wont flex!!! Some do some dont , if u see gap between the bushing ends and its conection points then there enuff slack to be ok , but if u dont see any space between bushing nd conecting point then u will need to tighten bolt on a wherl alignment ramp that has the jack in center of ramp bc otherwise , u wint be able to get under car to turk them rite bc u wont have room to do so !! So it feeds the purpose
To bad u can't get to it in most cars when the car in on the ground
Jack it up couple inches and you should good
You jack up the suspension works too
@@rushxxx12 i did this prior to knowing about torquing while at ride height and didn't know but subconsciously i jacked up the hub to simulate where it would be when the car is lowered ROUGHLY. I didn't measure before hand but should i be alright if its one or two centimeters off higher or lower? surely close enough is good enough right? I can't go lowering the car on its wheel when there's no damn space unfortunately
just jack it up. this video is hilarious.