Torque arm to rear end bolts cant stay tight!
08-13-2005, 05:24 AM
#1
Torque arm to rear end bolts cant stay tight! I have been driving for about two weeks my new setup with the th400 trans
and Spohn Torque arm. I have had to retighten the bolts that bolt up the torque arm to the rear end two times alredy, in about 500 miles of driving. The first time they came loose I thought they just weren't tightened down, so I tightened them without using much effort. Then yesterday I realized they had come loose again. This morning I tightend them down as tight as I could with the wrench, then put a breaker bar on the wrench and turned until I couldn't turn it anymore. The bolts feel loose again after about 125 miles.. I can tell because you can feel a vibration, the torque arm ends up touching the driveshaft, and when I shift from neutral to 1st you can hear/feel a loud bang. Any ideas of what is causing this? thanks
and Spohn Torque arm. I have had to retighten the bolts that bolt up the torque arm to the rear end two times alredy, in about 500 miles of driving. The first time they came loose I thought they just weren't tightened down, so I tightened them without using much effort. Then yesterday I realized they had come loose again. This morning I tightend them down as tight as I could with the wrench, then put a breaker bar on the wrench and turned until I couldn't turn it anymore. The bolts feel loose again after about 125 miles.. I can tell because you can feel a vibration, the torque arm ends up touching the driveshaft, and when I shift from neutral to 1st you can hear/feel a loud bang. Any ideas of what is causing this? thanks
08-13-2005, 11:37 AM
#2
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You MUST use a torque wrench when tightening these bolts. You have to make sure they are torqued or you can break the torque arm over time. Put a wrench on the top bolt and torque the nut to 96 lb/ft. It is best to use a LONG click type torque wrench. You don't get enough leverage with a short or med length torque wrench. I'm talking breaker bar length torque wrenches are best. This is not one of those items you want to use a calibrated elbow on. If the threads look funky, replace both bolts/washers/nuts.
08-13-2005, 03:21 PM
#3
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The 12-bolts have blind holes and use short bolts,
not the nice through-bolt with jut. Seems like there
may not be enough threads engaged (especially since
people who run these pieces, are high abuse). You
probably want to use Loctite (the kind that you can
get the bolt out again, not the kind that needs a
torch).
I've seen this problem reported before (I think in the
Handling & Braking section). And the consequences
of backed out bolts ain't pretty. Plus if it backs out
halfway then pulls, you just lost the upper half of the
threads and then you're pretty hosed.
not the nice through-bolt with jut. Seems like there
may not be enough threads engaged (especially since
people who run these pieces, are high abuse). You
probably want to use Loctite (the kind that you can
get the bolt out again, not the kind that needs a
torch).
I've seen this problem reported before (I think in the
Handling & Braking section). And the consequences
of backed out bolts ain't pretty. Plus if it backs out
halfway then pulls, you just lost the upper half of the
threads and then you're pretty hosed.
08-15-2005, 07:29 PM
#5
Loctite them the first time.... and have no problem. I do know someone that didn;t, and had the loosening problem.. which did end up resulting in damaged threads. He ended up having to redrilll the holes in the rear, went a little deeper too,a nd retapped them with a biger bolt, and drilled the tq arm brace for the larger bolts, and then tq'ed them all to 110 ft/lbs.. and hasn't ahd a problem since. I wouldn't reccommend all that, but if it has damaged the threads, it's not the end of the world.
