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Sway Bar/ 12 Bolt

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Old 10-22-2005, 08:31 PM
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Default Sway Bar/ 12 Bolt

Well, I still have a bad clunk coming from the rear of the car on bumps. I tightened down the torque arm which had managed to get itself loose again but the problem still persists. I'm guessing that since the sway bar has only about 1/2" of travel before smacking the rear end...that it might be the cause.

I'm using the BMR installation kit to bolt this up to my 12 bolt Moser.


So, now I suppose my question would be, is there a sway bar that will go low enough to clear the diff all together? Also, has anyone found an answer to the bolts wiggling loose on the torque arm? I have tried loctite and a lot of muscle to get these things to stop backing out to no avail.
Old 10-22-2005, 08:48 PM
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I don't know is making the noise. But to fix the bolts coming loose. I have a moser also, I ran a tap in the holes and sprayed alot of brake parts cleaner in them to make sure that the threads are super clean, then found out how long deep the holes were. Then I went to the hardware store and got new bolts that would go all the way down in the hole with a lock washer on the bolt without bottoming out before getting tight. After that add some red lock-tite to the bolts and tighten then up to about 90 ft of torque. Make sure that let the lock-tite cures before you go out and drive it. That fixed mine hope it fixes yours.
Old 10-22-2005, 09:34 PM
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I used lock tight on mine and broke down and bought all the sphon stuff, Bushings sway bar and clamps no problems on 120 mile round trip a day commute.
Old 10-24-2005, 06:45 PM
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Originally Posted by smokeum99ta
I don't know is making the noise. But to fix the bolts coming loose. I have a moser also, I ran a tap in the holes and sprayed alot of brake parts cleaner in them to make sure that the threads are super clean, then found out how long deep the holes were. Then I went to the hardware store and got new bolts that would go all the way down in the hole with a lock washer on the bolt without bottoming out before getting tight. After that add some red lock-tite to the bolts and tighten then up to about 90 ft of torque. Make sure that let the lock-tite cures before you go out and drive it. That fixed mine hope it fixes yours.
Thanks man, I'll give that a shot. My buddy tells me "creaks, squeaks and rattles are part of having a fast car". I disagree. I want a car that's fast as hell, but doesn't sound like a 15 year old dump truck driving down the street
Old 10-24-2005, 07:59 PM
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I was just wondering. Have looked under the car at the rear to see what might be hitting? It might not be your sway bar or torque arm. Maybe your exhaust ? Whatever is hitting will leave some sort of rub mark. Also did you change something recently in the area where the clunk is coming from like the shocks, sway bar, torque arm, exhaust and so on. I would start looking there for your noise. Good luck.
Old 10-25-2005, 12:57 AM
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OK...a brief history:

When I first put my 12 bolt in...I had a bad creak and slight knocking. This was due to my ignorance (I litterly used muffler clamps to hold the sway bar and not muffler clamps to hold the BMR brackets). The diff cover had all sorts of bruises from the sway bar smacking the bejesus out of it. And the axle had all sorts of scrapes from the rocking back and forth of the clamps.

Then, again...due to my ignorance...I noticed a loud bang. Went underneath to find the torque arm had allowed 1 bolt to completly back out...2 were loose and the 4th one had sheared through the top/back hole of the torque arm. I replaced it with a factory unit and at this point...only the creaking remained.

When I installed the BMR, the creak went away, but the knock stayed. Checked all the bolts on the torque arm. One was loose, so I cranked it back in...but no help.
Old 11-19-2005, 08:23 AM
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I installed my Moser and I have to clunk too. All bolts are tight, I have a BMR sway bar mount kit coming. Cannot seem to find the source of the clunk as of yet. Annoying.
Old 11-19-2005, 12:51 PM
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Clunk found and eliminated. It turns out the control arm brackets on the Moser 12 bolt are a bit too wide. The control arm was twisting at the axle. I had to cut down the e-brkae bracket so it would sit flush then tighten the hell out of the control arm bolt. It squished the bracket together enought to make a tight fit. No more clunking. Happieness.
Old 11-21-2005, 10:19 PM
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The Spohn anti-roll sway bar will clear the Moser 12 bolt nicely. My Spohn torque arm was backing out bolts, until I simply used a large washer, and some locktite.

The bolts that will properly work are 1" long.(Atleast for my 12 bolt with the Spohn TA) I bought grade 8 bolts, that were 1.0", 1.25", and 1.5" long. I was going to try all three and see how long the threads were. First I tryed the 1.25, and those were bottoming out with a lot of space left between the top of the bolt and the torque arm. So I tryed the 1", and it was just right. I let the locktite set in for about 2 hours, then took the car and did my business. I forget to check them until 3 weeks later and they were still on.
Old 03-20-2006, 01:29 AM
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UPDATE...

We got bored one night and jacked his car up and noticed the driverside brake assembly literally twisted back and forth a good inch. Turns out the 4 bolts holding the axle in were all loose! Actually 1 had fallen out. We drove all over chicago and suburbs looking for this bolt for about 4 hours. Ended up going over to strange (10-15 minute drive from where we started) and they gave us a free T bolt even though we mentioned it was a moser rearend (very cool on their part). Tightened it all up and voila no more creaks rattles thumps or clunks.

Im glad to say rob no longer feels like he is driving a 15 year old dump truck down the alley. But i still feel a fast car will creak thump crack and rattle, but my idea of fast and robs may be a little different.

Last but not least all you people with the moser torque arm bolts backing out, has anyone thought about getting bolts with the holes drilled in their head for safety wire? I think that would be a great simply removable method to hold the bolts in place and you dont gotta go crazy fighting a gallon of loctite to get the bolts out again later....
Old 03-20-2006, 05:08 AM
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Safety wire would not be a bad idea, provided you know which way to wrap it to keep the bolts tight. It sounds stupid, but I have seen it done incorrectly... Bob
Old 03-20-2006, 06:54 PM
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my moser has eaten 4 torque arms,loctite seems to help but not fix the problem...i ground off some of the powdercoat and put a tack on the bottom bolts for some reason theyre the ones that always back out....as for the clunking and banging with the stock panhard the tq arm hit the floor....i'm gonna have to check out the control arms now that i think of it that probably is my unsolvable mysterious bang




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