Suspension not level!

[63sven]

Hi,
I heard a loud clonk when we drove into a pothole on a rally and now one front corner of the car is clearly hanging low.
Strangely there is no spring on the front but torsion bars on the back.
I changed the front strut on the corner that was low and sure enough the old one was somewhat weak.
However it has done nothing to resolve the issue.

I’m left thinking that the back is broken and pushing it over. Any ideas or knowledge of these problems that might help me fix it??

[knapmann]

the front torsion bar?

[Gary71]

I had similar on bumpy track in Scotland a good few years back. Thought I’d parked on a funny slope when I first looked at it, but no. Snapped front bar.
You can see from the pic the bar had rusted around where it goes through the seal in the front of the wishbone. It’s supposed to be covered in grease but I guess it wasn’t!

[hot66]

as knapmann says, front suspension is also torsion bar. Not uncommon for torsion bars to snap. When you fitted the new strutt did you move the a-arm up and down to see if there was any resistance ?

[Gary71]

This diagram might be useful to understand how it all goes together



Mine snapped just behind the No.13 seal

[911hillclimber]

Got to be a front bar snapped or even the A arm at the front (that has the female spline for the bar). A good pot hole will have twisted the bar more han daily driving, so off the crack went to failure.

Best change both, good coat of paint and good greasing too just by the transition of bar splines to shaft dia. right where Gary's broke.

There should be a thick felt gasket there to stop water etc getting to that spot, if so it needs to be well whetted with engine oil or grease before assembly.

[Gary71]

Because if you don’t drown the seal in grease it actively holds water

[911hillclimber]

I meant seal 21.
Didn’t know about the front seal…

[Gary71]

My mistake, the No. 21 seal!
I shouldn’t do this on a little screen

[63sven]

Many thanks for those replies. I had the strut off and never realised there was a torsion bar inside there. I’m away this week but will let you know what happened when I get back.

[911hillclimber]

I do not mean to be pedantic, and mean no offence:
The upright strut does not have a torsion bar in it. It does have the damper unit which attaches to the top mount in the body and the bottom of the strut.

The torsion bar (#18 above) is in the tube of the lower A frame or lower wishbone, #12 above.
Either end of the torsion bar could be broken. The bar can be reluctant to drop out of the lower arm unless broken where Gary's failed.

iirc, the bars are marked Left and Right, stamped on one end, important to respect the side of the car when replacing the bar(s).