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Topic: Front Torsion Bar Bushings (Read 1312 times) previous topic - next topic
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Front Torsion Bar Bushings

Yahoo Message Number: 78751
I had a nut come off one of the links to the front torsion bar. I lost the lower rubber bushing and the cupped washer that holds it in place. Found the problem when I began to hear an occasional loud bang in the front suspension.
Not sure where you find parts like this since truck and supply houses only seems to be able to find replacements if you have a part number or a more common chassis they can look up. The washer is not flat, but has a shape so that it forms around the head of the bushing to contain it under compression. I would call CC parts but my past experience is that when pricing, they start at outragious and go up from there.

Anyone have an alternative idea?

Re: Front Torsion Bar Bushings

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 78755
We had a bracket break in the front and Tampa Spring and Axle (Tampa FL) fabricated one. They are a heavy duty suspension, frame and axle shop and do great work for reasonable prices. 813-933-2805 http://www.tampaspringco.com/
Lonny & Diane
'04 Allure 33'
#31065

(from Tampa FL)

Re: Front Torsion Bar Bushings

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 78756
Stuart,

I had the same thing happen on my Inspire about 3 years ago. Hard parts to find. You might check with Doug at Country Coach or Kevin Waite in Junction City. They seem to be able accessss all kinds of hard to find parts.
I was able to get mine through a Prevost rep. who could access parts through Federal Mogul

Jock Vargo
2005 Inspire
51428

Re: Front Torsion Bar Bushings

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 78769
I can't believe I failed once again to note the coach information. Sometimes the brain just quits working.
Kevin did email me and said he can get what I need so my problem is probably solved. Thanks guys.

Stuart, 2005 Allure, #31217
 

Re: Front Torsion Bar Bushings

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 78778
The same thing happened to my Inspire a couple of years ago. If you are going to repair it yourself, be sure that the coach is lowered completely before getting under the coach (yours may be different but my ride height valve is controlled via a connection to the torsion bar). If the torsion bar end is still located on the bolt, then it is a simple matter of putting on a new lower bushing, washer and nut. If it is like mine the end had moved off the bolt. You may can strong-arm the bar end back onto the bolt but I found it easier and quicker to remove the nut and lower bushing from the other end of the bar - thus allowing easy movement of the bar to get both ends over their respective bolts. Upon examining the nut that I removed from the 'good' end, I discovered that the nut was just a standard nut with no locking features - a condition just asking for the nut to vibrate off as the load on the torsion bar varies considerably while driving. After putting my torsion bar back together, I added a locking nut (the kind with the nylon locking insert in the nut) on the lower end of each torsion bar bolt and snugged it up against the existing lower nut. I know this is overkill (you could just use the locking nut alone or you could use normal nuts without the locking feature simply snugged up against the other nuts as stop nuts) but the nuts are cheap and I just felt better really putting the issue to bed.
In my opinion, every coach has the potential for this to happen without locking nuts on the bottom of the torsion bar bolts. If it hasn't gotten loose yet, it is a 10-minute job to add stop nuts to the torsion bar bolts as a cheap and easy preventive measure.

John

'06 Inspire DaVinci #51905