Advice on fitting front drop links?

[darreni]

Guys, i hope to have my new front anti rollbar drop links tomorrow & will be fitting them myself.
Any hints /tips? I could do with losing as little blood as possible!

Its a 95 Rs2 by the way.

[dan_b]

Fitting is the reverse of removal

It's a straightforward enough job, can't think of any useful BTDT advice...

[mcandmar]

Jack the car up so both front wheels are off the ground so you dont have to fight the antiroll bar if the car isnt level. And wire brush the nuts and bolts first to clean the threads, will come apart much easier.

@Dan: Did you write the haynes manual by any chance

[darreni]

where do i jack the car to get both front wheels off the ground?

[mcandmar]

You dont ;-) Jack one side and rest on an axle stand or large blocks of wood and then raise the other side. Make sure you use the lip for the stock jack and not the floor of the car as it wont take the weight.

[dan_b]

Spot on advice from Mcandmar there - did I write the Haynes manual? If there was one for the S2 I think we'd all be a lot less reliant on this forum?!

[S2central.net]

Only trick I would offer up is to NOT fully tighten the drop link bolts until the full weight of the car is on them... Thus just means you don't tighten all the joints up with the wheels in the air - a hopefully rare event for the car when its being driven.

PAul

[pastures16]

but why theyre a balljoint the will swivel to suite

[S2central.net]

Sometimes they don't swivel round as you'd think. I've seen a few where the rubber boot on the joint is twisted and starting to tear... Probably a sign of the thing being overtightened as well of course.

Paul

[Fat Audi 80]

If you use a trolley jack to jack up the car, (much better and safer than the emergency jack) then always use a piece of wood between the car and jack and always choose a strong point on the car, either a chassis RAIL not the floor or a sub frame mount or body suspension mount.

HTH

Cheers,

Steve

[darreni]

All done chaps!
It was easier than i thought, & the nuts gave me no trouble at all (oerrr!).

Thanks for all your help.

[dan_b]

Hope it makes a difference! Did you get metal, or plastic, droplinks?

[HPmuirt]

Thus just means you don't tighten all the joints up with the wheels in the air - a hopefully rare event for the car when its being driven. PAul

Ahh, maybe I should slow down then, but all these yumps and small fenland dyke bridges are just too tempting :mischeif:

Funny, the S2 is the lowest car I have owned, but the only one that doesn't grind on the landings

Cheers n

Si

P.S. On a serious note, I am about to fit an RS2 FARB and have plastic drop links. SHould I upgrade to steel ones?

[BRY]

P.S. On a serious note, I am about to fit an RS2 FARB and have plastic drop links. SHould I upgrade to steel ones?

I wonder why the steel ones were put on the RS2?

[darreni]

Its made a huge difference to the ride & handling & no more rattles! one of the joints was shot & the other side had a tiny amount of play. I had new top mounts fitted the week before christmas & the liks were chcked then & seemed ok.

I fitted the O.E steel links as i have an RS2.

I would have thought the steel links were stiffer/stronger than the plastic ones & the is not much of a price difference. Having said that, it seems to be the joint itself, not the rod that takes a pounding.