PSA- Control arm bolts

[Scott Tanner]

Just a quick PSA- (pubic service announcement)



Last summer, I put in all-new front suspension on my 2002 trac. control arms, tie-rods, sway bar links, Rotors, and had it aligned... a few months ago, I noticed the front tire on the drivers side was leaning in at the top, wearing the tire really bad.. I visited the aligment shop yesterday to have them look at it, figuring the adjustments bolts came loose or something... well, the front upper control arm bolt's head broke right off, and the cam plate is gone, too. :cry:



Keep in mind, last summer i inspected the bolts, and they looked fine, but the trac just turned 230,000k miles. I guess I/they over torqued it..

 

[EddieS'04]

I guess I/they over torqued it..

Probably didnt use a torque wrench. Most likely used the impact gun....

I have watched alot of shops put things back together that way.

If I pay to have work done, instead of DIY. I dont sit in the waiting room. I watch them in the garage. I make sure to not be in their way. If they make me leave. I find an advantage point, to watch from the garage door. If the mechanic is good. Sometimes I get info I didnt know.



Im not shy about pointing out a wrong. Many places hire wrench turners,, to work under the techs instruction. But the tech cant watch everthing.



When I got my tires @ pep-boys. The guy adjusted the lift arms, to lift my Trac from the rocker panels. I stoped him when the lift pads were 2" from lifting. Had to tell him the Trac has a full frame. Not a unibody. Pissed him off. He cursed me for not letting him do his job. Not only would he have busted the rocker panel covers. He would have crushed the panel metal from the Trac weight. Probably the doors would have jamed.



I turned him in to corporate. Never saw him there again, and pep-boys put 20% of the charges back on my credit card. Also their insurance gave me $700 for scuffing the wheels, installing the new tires. They clamped them face down on the machine. I had steped away and caught that when they were on the last one...



Sorry I highjacked. I just dont trust shops.:soap::fire:

So I watch them. Many times I saved a trip back or a safety issue.

 

[swshawaii]

Agree with Eddie, very likely air impact tightened. UCA camber bolt spec is tire lug tight at 98 ft/lbs. :banghead:

 

[Mark k 4]

This is why i dont trust shops. I prefer to do my own work so I know it is done right. Then if things go bad I have no one to blame but my self. But an impact gun is useful. For removing bolts. Not tightening them.



This is why most of the time now I dont even turn my compressor on any more. I do just about everything by hand.

 

[swshawaii]

Unfortunately, precise camber and caster adjustment is best left to the experts.

 

[Gavin Allan]

Probably didnt use a torque wrench. Most likely used the impact gun....

I have watched alot of shops put things back together that way.

an impact gun is useful. For removing bolts. Not tightening them.

AMEN! It sends shivers up my spine to watch folks reassemble stuff with an impact gun. They have no idea how tight the fastener is.



I have worked in an Tier I auto parts assembly plants, and unless the guns are the specialty type that are frequently calibrated and controlled for proper torque, there is no way to know how tight the fastener is. Too tight is as bad as not tight enough.



Hack mechanics give the rest a very bad image.