antiroll bar

[stokey]

hi . i would like some advice on fitting a anti rollbar connecting link as mine was broke .i have new one ready to fit but do not know if the rubber bush goes on first or fit bush in link then try to fit it , cheers stokey,

[CovKid]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oXY68F8Uwo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[slowcoach]

oh coincidence... Ive just discovered today that my nearside drop link is snapped too :/ i hope thisll explain the clunk clonk sound im getting on slow cornering where im guessing the left over link (snapped right at the bottom by the bushing) is getting pushed about and 'stood on' by the lower wishbone. after watching that video, i think ill take the whole roll bar off and do it on the bench. ive not looked to source parts yet for it.

is it worth fitting a used one, or are they all corroded and destined to break? seems like they're a fairly common failure.

(MOT failure if its present and broken right, but a pass if its missing completely? )

[CovKid]

Depends on tester. If you had a pre-MOT then took it back for a retest with it removed, they can fail it. Had one garage do that for a z-bar on a bug even though its only used for stability if towing and wasn't fitted to all models. He saw it with it fitted and would NO way pass it now it was removed, despite my explanations. Difficult. They can fail it if they're knowledgable and know they came fitted as standard, the thinking being that if it was fitted from factory, it should be there. On the other hand, they may pass it without a word.

As for droplink, best to fit new I'd say. Got mine from B&B .

[HarryMann]

Fairly common failure so inspect a used part first for corrosion at junction then clean and grease whole area where thread joins rod well with grease for rubber (red)
... and if you know your onions can drill and tap old one straight up't middle and fit studding or a bolt. Of course then saw head off
Think M10 / 17mm spanner

[slowcoach]

Cheers guys! Going to investigate further tonight with the head torch

[slowcoach]

well that was more fun than id expected!
never removed so much metal quite so fast from the van took about 10-15 minutes to get it all free from the van, without any jacking or even decent daylight (love the head torch!). All the nuts n bolts were dead easy, and a hammer shocked the drop links out of the radius arms.

We need to use it this weekend to get to a wedding, so at least its drive-able, if not perhaps as stiff as it should be. Thisll buy me some time to rub it down and give it a coat of hammerite and source all the new bushes. Ill go with new drop links to be realistic (for me). Ive not got the time to go and hunt down a shop to do it as my work is v busy right now, and my 'cellar workshop' is not ready i suspect the given advise should be to replace *all* the bushes in this assembly? the D bushes look pretty good to me.. but then theyre not very expensive either.

Thanks chaps, ill keep it updated. sorry to highjack the thread too, but its obviously relevant and on the same lines

[CovKid]

T'would be possible to drill and tap that if you wanted to save a few quid though perhaps by the time you've got it off it might be just as easy (if not easier) to fit a new one.

[HarryMann]

Just take it a bit easier on bends and expect it to tighten up more (oversteer) half way around.

[slowcoach]

New links fitted and ready to go rubbed down and painted the bar too. I drove though the peak district at the weekend without it fitted. Wasn't too bad considering, bit I'm sure it'll stiffen up nicely once back together. Holme moss... Damn that's a climb! Urghh

[jrt]

New links fitted and ready to go rubbed down and painted the bar too. I drove though the peak district at the weekend without it fitted. Wasn't too bad considering, bit I'm sure it'll stiffen up nicely once back together. Holme moss... Damn that's a climb! Urghh

Reading this last bit reminded me about when we first got our van and had a week away in the Lakes. Decided to take the scenic route home via Haworth where our new puppy jumped out of the window and buggered off into the distance-had to abandon the van in the middle of the road[ wife in tears]and leg it after it. Then came through Hebden Bridge and snapped a drop linkgoing round a bend.
Fish and chips in Holmfirth and then up through Holme Moss heading home- a slow crawl to the summit and the dash blower burnt out with smoke coming out of the vents/dash. We still visit the campsite in Holmfirth but take the slightly longer detour around instead of going over the top- it brings back too many bad memories
David

[slowcoach]

Just following up on my end of this thread, the bar's been back on now for a few weeks, and can say that after some spirited driving through the peaks, I'm glad its back. Much less lean on the bends!

Bugger to get the nuts on the bottom of the drop links though...

[CovKid]

Now and again I hear of someone who claims the anti-roll bar makes no difference, but it does. In a straight line and on gentle curves it barely comes into play but on a sharp corner or when having to make a sudden deviation due to a clueless driver in front of you, steering control is poor and it makes the occupants feel sick. If you're braking heavily at the same time, everything becomes unpredictable.

[scottbott]

funnily enough I was talking to Billy739 this morning and he was telling me that ARB's come in three sizes,19mm,21mm,and 23mm,the 23 mm is quite hard to find,may be an upgrade to go from 19 to 21mm will be an improvement