The clunk

['cudapaul]

Jasen, if it is at all like my 99 AWD, I think it is the torsion bar moving in its retainer.

I have had other vehicles with torsion bar suspension and heard similar noises when backing up and turning, and sometimes going slowly through driveway dips.

I have never heard that sound in my 2WD vans.

[redfury]

Looks like we are both going to be doing ball joints soon. I picked up a set of lowers the other day because I had greased one side and had ran out of grease, and interestingly enough, the van pulled the opposite direction it normally had ( to the side that I hadn't greased ).

[Jasen]

Jasen, if it is at all like my 99 AWD, I think it is the torsion bar moving in its retainer.

I have had other vehicles with torsion bar suspension and heard similar noises when backing up and turning, and sometimes going slowly through driveway dips.

I have never heard that sound in my 2WD vans.

When it does it really bad, it feels like the van shifts sideways. When trapper said the shifting might be due to worn control arm bushing, that made a lot sense.
The ball joints are riveted, so everything up there has over 185k on it, so it's a job that, if not now, soon will need to be done. If it were to be T bars, it won't be wasted time/money rebuilding the front end.

I'll find out for sure what it is this weekend.

[Jasen]

Crap,I measured my sway bar with dial calipers, but with it still in the rig, I got bad measurement. I got 1 1/8 and I need 1 3/16

Had to move to plan B for the C/A bushing tool. This is what my buddy's going to fab up for me.

Slide 7/16" all thread through the hole, a couple washers and nuts on either end and start wrenching.

[Dirk]

Nice! A man can never have enough tools

[Jasen]

I just can't see spending the money on the tool, actually I think I need 2, an upper and lower bushing press, $200 +/- for something that I maybe might possibly use again before I die.

[Dirk]

Your buddy isn't charging you $200 right?

[Jasen]

No, that's what I was seeing for prices online for CA bushing pullers.
And if he thinks this makes us even for my help putting a tranz in his E250 conversion, he is sadly mistaken

[Lumpy]

What's the Inside Diameter of the tube that holds the bushing?


Lump

[Jasen]

Here it is. As is right now I can pull the center sleeve out, but I need to pull the rubber bushing out as well, so just need to pick up a couple big washer's. I set it up on the upper CA bushings too, I'll need to beat the feet a little closer together to do those.

1/2" tube stock, 1/4" plate and 1/2" all thread.

Lumpy the bushing itself is 1 7/8" at the narrow end, is that what you were going for?

[Lumpy]

I guess I'm a little wary of your new gizmo holding up. Seems that the three legs are a folding collapse wanting to happen when put under all that compression. That's why I was thinking a pipe nipple would be the right approach.

Lots-o-lube. Hope it happens without too much more setbacks.


Lump

[Jasen]

I got all the bushing out, then had to call for a work stoppage. Can't get the new ones in, the lowers are about 3/16" from seated and the upper's, no way am I getting them in. Got a call into my son in the hopes the Ducati shop has a press, also to a shade tree mechanic the kid at Oreilly's gave me the number too.
But at least now I'm on the re assemble side of things.

[Jasen]

Kid just called back, they have a 15 ton press down there and to come over tomorrow night at closing.

[Jasen]

Lumpy "The Gizmo" held up pretty good. In hind sight I would have built it to fit the smaller upper CA bushings and then notched the legs to do the lower's. I had to beat the legs closer together to work for the lowers, so that stressed it even more and I wasn't sure if it was going to hold up for bushings 6-8 but it did.
I would have liked something a bit heavier myself, but he works in a sheet metal fab shop and 1/4" is the heaviest they can sheer/brake so that's as big as they stock.
I cranked on it about as hard as I could 18-20 times with a long 1/2" ratchet. It got to the turn your head and mind your fingers point towards the end, it was distorted pretty badly by the time I was done, but now I know my buddy actually knows how to weld

[Lumpy]

Glad to hear it's all out. And now new one's in with that press?


Lumpress

[Jasen]

Yup, the kid said be at his work at closing time Wednesday. Shouldn't have any trouble getting them in with that 15 ton press. Got the right sway bar bushings in today, so I'll get those in and the SB link rock auto shorted me is supposed to be here friday. Should only take me 7-8 days to complete something I'd figured 2 days tops to do It has been kinda fun driving the Wrangler, 180 HP 220 torque 3k curb weight, that thing is like a sports car compared to the van.

[Lumpy]

... It has been kinda fun driving the Wrangler, 180 HP 220 torque 3k curb weight, that thing is like a sports car compared to the van.

I've never understood torque.

I weigh 220. Does that mean that if I put a 1 ft breaker bar on the crank bolt of that engine, then stand on the bar, the engine can't turn over? Surely that can't be right.


Lump

[Jasen]

It is confusing, torque and HP work together like space time, you can't have one without the other. Lets see if I can make some sense, or get shot down here. HP is the measurement of movement over distance in a given time. Torque is the measurement of rotary force, not movement, hence a torque wrench measures the amount of rotary force you apply to the bolt. Now the bolt doesn't actually have to move, but you are still applying torque, once that bolt does turn your also producing HP.
If your standing on the brakes and throttling up but the wheels aren't turning, your only applying torque because you've done no work, work = distance traveled. Once you take your foot off the brake your also applying HP, HP= work or distance traveled.
Many people over look torque and go straight for HP, but torque is what gets you moving. A semi engine is 200-300 HP and around 1k lbs torque. A Z06 vets is 500 HP and 400 lbs torque, although roughly twice the HP it's less then 1/2 the torque, hook it up to a 60k lb trailer of and lets see how long it takes to burn the motor or tranz up. It's surely not going to last 150k miles let alone a million or two, I'm guessing a few minutes before something burns up, and distance traveled, probably 0. Now this is not exactly fair seeing the semi has an 18-21 speed tranz versus the vets 6 speed.
On the extreme end, a top fuel dragster is around 8k HP and 5k lbs of torque, it would pull the trailer of a lot easier then a semi, if you could manage the power in a gradual and controlled manor. Did you realize that the HP out put of one cylinder is illegal on city streets

Now in theory, if you could remove the HP from the engine, balance a can of on your head to off set the torque of the engine just a tad for safety proposes, then no the engine wouldn't be able to turn. Think space time, string theory, quantum mechanics, quarks...

[Jasen]

90% chance for rain still Sunday, which is my sons wedding day. So probably won't get to do anything till next week other them press in the new bushings tonight.

[Jasen]

Now on to plan C.
I called a few shops and none of them will give me a rough idea of the cost/time of pressing the bushings in, just that it's going to be shop rate at $95-$110 an hr.
Seeing money is bit of an issue, this would be inexpensive to build.
How crazy is this idea, I am one hell of a carpenter. Build a press out of 2x4's and use my bottle jack. Making it as small as possible to reduce deflection. I'm thinking of making sleeves out of PVC pipe to press the bushings in via there shoulders.