Torsion bar?

[hookedup50]

I keep going through ball joints and I think the PO has the torsion bar cranked up. What is the starting point for factory settings. Do I need that key tool to loosen bolts? This is last set of ball joints before I switch to solid axle front end, I replaced everything related to steering and ball joint last year.

 

[Will L.]

Solid front axle- no, say it aint so. What ya do is an engine swap. Your engine and trans in place of a 6.2/th400 in your new to you hmmwv. And 6.2 into your red truck for sale.
No torsion bar nonsense here. Couple a arms and a oil spring, fornt and rear. Those nice tires- 37" is stock on a hmmwv, still 4 door short bed... Well you get the idea.

 

[ak diesel driver]

I had some ball joints that didn't last 20 k bought problem solvers and seemed to fix it

 

[hookedup50]

I'm off to get problem solvers now. I'd like to get rid of those torsion bars, but keep my red truck and get a HMMV. Nobody got rid of torsion bar for coils? It would free up a lot of space under the truck. I hate the torsion bars under my Colorado also, it just hasn't given me trouble yet. I'm in a bad mood and wouldn't actually go solid axle.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

Coil springs on a 4x4 gmt-400 would be DIFFICULT to say the least. As to adjustments to ride height, they must be made with the front tires off the ground. Any weight on the front tires, and you can snap the adjusting bolts. I'll try and go on my laptop later, and post the directions for how to adjust ride height. It's not a preset number of turns or anything like that. You have to jave it on level ground, take a level, and you have to measure the difference between 2 defined reference points. As a starting point though, you want it adjusted so that your cv axles are not level, but so that the outer axle is about 1-1.5 inches lower than the inner. Or adjust it so that the ball joints are centered in there sockets at ride height.

Which ball joints are you having trouble with?

 

[hookedup50]

The set on there now was NAPA severe duty. I bet they have maybe 10k on them, probably less as I killed the tranny awhile ago. I felt it on the way home and the drivers side moves freely just pulling on the tire in the driveway. The inspection before that a shop did it and I don't know who supplied the part. Both Napa ans that shop are gone. I replaces the entire front steering parts when ball joints got done.

 

[NVW]

The set on there now was NAPA severe duty. I bet they have maybe 10k on them, probably less as I killed the tranny awhile ago. I felt it on the way home and the drivers side moves freely just pulling on the tire in the driveway. The inspection before that a shop did it and I don't know who supplied the part. Both Napa ans that shop are gone. I replaces the entire front steering parts when ball joints got done.

Did you inspect to see if parts were actually replaced. There is a shop here that was caught billing for work work that was not done.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

Uppers or lowers? Uppers wear out from cranked torsion bars, but lowers normally don't.

 

[hookedup50]

It's upper and why I asked. I think a couple of turns back is in order. The shop put new ones in also. I replaced everything including bushings in a year and a half ago. But the truck sat since February when the the torque converter took out the transmission.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

Cranking the torsion bars DESTROYS upper ball joints. What happens is the bolt heads actually hit the knuckle when the suspension goes up, and it essentially pulls the joint apart from them binding. You can do an upper ball joint flip to help with it. It's where you install the ball joint on the bottom side of the uca, but I believe some grinding is involved to do it.

 

[hookedup50]

I'll just turn back the turn bolts some. I never touched them before, but as they're causing an issue its a no brainier.