Sorry to double post this-I recently had a torsionbar break, I got a new heavy duty set from 4x4parts.com. The Xterra does have a shackle lift/bar crank. I had a mechanic put the new bars in because the weather isn't too great for working outside right now, the mechanic said it took 26 turns to get the old bars out and when they put the new bars in they got to turn 27 and they ran out of thread on the bolt. My Xterra is not level. I looked underneath, nothing looks out of place. Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Maybe there wasn't enough preload. Haven't done this myself yet, but it's on the To-Do List.

Someone else will chime in with correct info I'm sure.

Going for the S/C repair after?

If I had to guess...they're doing it wrong.



(BTW-The X normally is a bit nose down)

The anchor finger is drawn up by turning the bolt...and it takes a small amount of twist (rotationally) to make the X rise...so, assuming the finger is drawn up into the cross member, and started hanging down, the bar would have been twisted enough to raise the X by the LCA.

The thicker bars require even less finger motion to adequately tension the bar, as the stiffer bars apply more force for the same amount of twist, etc.

Either the bar ends were not adequately anchored by the splines, and turned as the finger was drawn up, or the shop inserted the bar into the finger with the finger already drawn most of the way up, etc....or....you were accidentally given wussy bars that were too light for the application.

Most shops, if anything, insert the new bar with the finger all the way down, and crank it up as high as it needs to go...leaving the finger sticking down below the cross member where it can be whacked by passing rocks, etc.

That typically means that you have too much, rather than too little adjustment left...the opposite of your description.



Got a pic or three?





The silver colored threaded bolt sticking up goes with the bolt head at the bottom, just under the cross member...there are two nuts on the top threaded part of the bolt, one to adjust, and one to tighten down onto the adjustment (Bottom most nut) nut, to hold it from loosening.

Cranking the T-Bars typically means holding the top adjuster nut, and turning the bottom bolt head so as to make the top nut go down the threaded part...which draws up the bolt head, which in turn, draws up the adjustment finger (Essentailly a lever with a hole in it for the bar end).

To get a 3" lift, I only needed to draw the finger up about 2"...the threaded part has around 4" of thread available to do it, so I have change left over.

So - you are trying to figure out if the bars slipped in the anchors (Both slipping the same would be weird), or if they somehow managed to waste available bar twist rotation, or, if you were given weaker bars than you wanted.

The first four pics are after the installation of the new bars. Thanks for the replies!
PICS

What kind of bars are those?

Sway A Way from 4x4parts.com

Well, the bolt heads ARE stuffed into the cross member pretty good... its harder but not impossible for a shop to get the bar in really close to the cross member...so, it comes down to the three possibilities again...

1. Weak bar

2. Indexed the bar too far (Inserted it with finger too high)

3. Slippage of the anchors

That's it I think: One, or any combination of the above, have to be it.

1. Check the part #'s, and make sure the bar in the box was the one you wanted...if not, they should trade you even...and pay the labor if they were really fair.

2. Ask the shop about the above possible scenario's, ask what they could do for you.

3. Check the splines in all four anchors, and the adjuster bolt itself for stripping (And nuts), measure the bar insertion depths...make sure the bottom washer isn't upside down, etc...look for damage....any of which might account for slippage.

Hope it works out!

A Frontier owner and another Xterra owner on my local Xterra Club, Nexterra, helped me out with these pointers.

"very important. don't mix up the left and right now that they have been pre-loaded.

remove the adjuster bolts completely making note of the angle of the adjuster and matching that angle when installing the new ones. if anything, it would take less turns to achieve the height and level it out because you bought better ones. they have to be removed and re-indexed to correct your problem.

completely remove the adjuster bolts but be careful, there's a crown spacer on top of the adjuster bracket that the bolt slides through. now, after they've been removed, measure the tip of the adjuster to the frame rail. make the distance approx. 1.50 inches and hold it there while sliding the t-bar back in. try that and post back with the results."

I stopped by the garage and showed these directions to the owner,he showed them to a different mechanic(not the one that worked on my X) As I watched them, the mechanic nodded his head and they both ended up shaking their heads while looking at the mechanic that worked on my truck. The owner came to me, told me that they're sorry and asked if Monday would be okay to fix it.

Thanks TJ, for your help as well!

Sounds Good to Me!

Another happy ending.

Unless.........I've been told that the bars are marked left and right. Why I don't know. CAn any damage come from installing the left bar on the right side??

Once the bars have "Taken a Set"...been twisted into a particular shape...a memory effect takes place...if you bend them back the other way, it's like bending a pipe back and forth, weakening the metal...

That's why you mark the bar L or R, and put the mark on one end of the bar only.

Typically, a new bar has no memory, and if marked L or R its a convenience...(Arbitrary marking, as opposed to only working one way)

Once installed though, ...you have to be consistant as to the head and tail/L & R orientation from then on.

If they "pre-stress" the bars, then the markings have meaning, and you need to use them as marked.

An L bar for example, put in backwards (Head where tail was supposed to go)...is twisting the right way afterall...but the stress points along the length of the bar will be reversed relative to the way the LCA - vs - the finger exerts its forces....stressing it.

So - thats the story on T-Bar orientations.

I hope it isn't relevent, or you need new bars.

If I do, I won't be paying for them. I left the directions with the news bars, didn't really figure a "mechanic" would need them. The moron that installed the bars I have never seen before. After they correct their mistake, I'm never going there again.