REAR suspension un even

[GARRICK.CLARK1]

Hi guys.
My driver side rear ride height is lower than the passenger side.
I have 30mm bars fitted. and the spring plates are fitted with no pre load and are both fitted equal.
What I have noticed is that there is some sort of free upward movement on the driver side. I can lift the rear drum up on its arc a bit until the bar wants to twist. I'm thinking that possibly its the splined mount inside the torsion tube . like the splined 30mm bar is smaller in some way than the splined mount that's inside the tube causing some upward travel. Or the inner spline mount has come loose.
Never known the inner spline in the tube to go bad on any bug.
Thoughts please.

[H2OSB]

I absolutely intend this to be helpful, not smart assy, but you must have something broken. I would take it apart and investigate. Not worth having a failure...that could make for a bad day.

H2OSB

[TZepeSH]

Did you put left and right correctly? The torsion bars have L and R stamped on the ends, because having spring action means pre-torsioning in one specified direction; the other way around would 1) not have spring effect and 2) break in a short time.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Did you put left and right correctly? The torsion bars have L and R stamped on the ends, because having spring action means pre-torsioning in one specified direction; the other way around would 1) not have spring effect and 2) break in a short time.

This is true. Once a torsion bar has taken a "set", its strength lies in that direction and weakens in the other direction.

Maybe this will help if you haven't done it before. This is an old post (2007) and deals with off-road torsion setting but can apply to non-off-road also. Check your manual for recommended for the year stock settings if they apply. 24° to 26° seem to be the max pre-load but I have tried more (up to 30° but the ride starts to get rough/stiff above 26°and I got worried I could damage the torsion bar so I reduced the pre-load.

Lee

[66brm]

I would suggest you need to inspect the inner splines on both the torsion bar and the inner captive socket, if there's play there it's only going to get worse till it strips

[Kafer_Mike]

Did you put left and right correctly? The torsion bars have L and R stamped on the ends, because having spring action means pre-torsioning in one specified direction; the other way around would 1) not have spring effect and 2) break in a short time.

If the torsion bars and spring plates are set correctly and preloaded on their stops, there should be zero 'play' (and they should be near impossible to move by hand). Either they are installed and/or indexed incorrectly or not preloaded properly (which is often the case when people 'drop' them -- or something is broken. I doubt it is the latter or the 'play' would be present throughout the range of motion, but worth inspecting.

[TZepeSH]

He specified "No preload". With some force you can move the plate up a few mm by hand...Torsion bars in wrong direction move even easier. And if you apply some preload (at least put it on wheels) with torsion bars in the wrong direction you can weaken them easily. Anyway, it's just one possibility, all of the above could be.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

I just noticed that he URL for setting the rear torsion bars either didn't take or somehow got eliminated.

Even on a stock VW there is preload set in. You have to check a manual to see what stock is as it varied during the years but stock was something like 19° to 20-ish°'s give or take. If you want I will get the URL if needed.

Lee

[Piledriver]

If the bushings are shot (typical) some movement is easy to create.
The stock bushings are very soft as well.
I have had good luck with the black urethane bushings, these are impregnated with dry lube.

SACO sells hard urethane bushings but quality seems marginal fit wise, they almost seem to need machined or sanded to fit.
one set I got were too large on the id due to shrinkage.

[GARRICK.CLARK1]

To be fare this is my 3rd go at fixing this.
I did try and pre load the lower ride height side of the bug ,but cause its a 30mm it took a load of effort to get the spring plate over the edge of the chassis, after I eventually did it, the spring plate had no movement due to the stiffness of the bar. Lots of pos camber. I'll post what I find soon once stripped down.

[Piledriver]

You know how to adjust the camber? (dangerously assuming irs)

[GARRICK.CLARK1]

Yes ,done it lots of times over the years.
Just never had issues with play in the spring plate causing the bug to be lob sided.
Its a swing axle vehicle.

[Chip Birks]

Guys, 30mm bars don't need preload. I have 29s and they didn't need it either. They are stout! Sway away sends info with the bars that says what angle to set the bars at to essentially get factory ride height out of them. Its different for each diameter of bar. You can do the typical adjusting from that point. What length bars do you have? Is there any way that it hasn't fully seated into the inside?

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Guys, 30mm bars don't need preload. I have 29s and they didn't need it either. They are stout! Sway away sends info with the bars that says what angle to set the bars at to essentially get factory ride height out of them. Its different for each diameter of bar. You can do the typical adjusting from that point. What length bars do you have? Is there any way that it hasn't fully seated into the inside?

Interesting Chip. I'm going to have to go up a dia. or two with the V6 I am playing with so I should get that info. also. Thanks for the heads up on this.

Lee

[GARRICK.CLARK1]

Found an issue. Pile did mention it.
So.
stripped it down.
splines are good on the bar. No metal in between the splines. So cant be stripped.
The spring plate fits nice on the end of the bar.
The steel spring plate end cap with the brass bush has a slight amount of play but
the inner rubber bush has play. The round hole in the centre of the rubber bush has gone egg shape. If I fit the rubber bush to the removed spring plate and clock it to the position it would be if fitted to the vehicle there is a lot of play present. I'm assuming this is the problem. I may need a new standard outer spring plate cap and outer rubber bush to make it solid.