just a quick question. i noticed on my van that one side seems to be slightly lower than the other.
(front)
i did some looking and didn't come across any specific measures to adjust the bars. i've checked the autozone site as well and that led me no where. so my question is: how can i adjust my bar on the one side? do i just crank the bar, i'm assuming there's an adjustment bolt somewhere's under there. is it that easy?
If you follow the bars from the front a arm to the back, you will see a bolt sticking out on both sides of the crossmember about where the back of door is. You can screw in the lower side to raise it some...yes it just that easy, if you have enough bolt sticking out. I was going to adjust a buddy's 2002 Z71 and one of the bolts were almost maxed out, only about a 1/4" left to screw in. I would imagine out of the factory, they were adjusted by measuring each side at the fender. The torsion bars each may have a slightly different tension load so each bar may be adjusted slightly different than the next....just like my buddys truck. One is maxed out, while the other can go another inch or 2. May help to jack it up under frame or front crossmember to take some of weight off bar to make easier to turn bolt, not sure, never had to adjust one.
Assuming that it is AWD.
There is a cross member that goes from one side of the sub frame to the other. The back end of the torsion bar (or spring) seats in a key in the cross member. There is a bolt that turns the key when turned in that will lift the corresponding side.
If yours is a RWD then I would look into the coil spring replacement on the lowest side.
coolen wrote:nope, she's a awd. i'm assuming that this is a normal thing. bars having to be adjusted? thanks for the replies!!!
Ever really looked at the rear of some of the astros with steel springs and how they have sagged over the years, torsion bars can do the same. The metal can get slight fatiqued and lose some of the tensile strength causing the sag. Few turns on that bolt clockwise and she will raise up a bit for ya.
awesome, hopefully i'll be able to do that this evening. when i bought the van last year, buddy told me that he had torsion bars replaced. i dunno, i'm definitly gonna give er' a try to see what happens. should i measure from the fender down, or from the bar itself down?
I usually measure from top of the rim to top of fender opening.... make sure your tire pressure is equal aswell... and try to find a level surface... It is harder than it sounds, even the slightest unevenness can through your measurements way off... I usually measure it a few times in a few different parking spots.
i'll probably take a few different measurements in different spots. i'm sure i'll figure it out. i just wasn't sure if there was a specific spot to measure from.
I'll post this again in a new thread, and show my ignorance...lol...but do 2WD Astros have front torsion bars? And if so, where exactly IS the adjustment bolt?
to the 2wd.