Thomas Stahel

iTrader: (1)

Hi there

What do you recommend for removing and replacing the swaybar and panhard bar: Supporting the axle with a jack (= leave the car on the ground) OR not supporting it (= let the axle hang loose)?

In my manual it says you should support the axle at curb height position (how do I know where that is?) and on the internet I also read about not to support it. Which one is right / better?

And when I torque the new parts, the axle should also be supported, right?

Thanks,
Thomas

propaintball96

Change it with it hanging so you can manipulate the rear end the get the bolts back in. With it on the jack you wont be able to move it as easily. It really doesn't matter if it is supported or not when you torque the bolts down. Either way the rear end will always end up in the exact same spot as long as the pan hard bar is not adjustable.

Base91

iTrader: (1)

You can put the rear wheels up on ramps and unbolt everything. The car can move sideways but shouldn't be an issue. Chock the front wheels. Before final tightening the car must be sitting on the suspension so the rubber bushes are not flexed.

Base91

iTrader: (1)

That's not correct. The bushes should be in a neutral unflexed state when fully tightened so the suspension should be loaded first.

Thomas Stahel

iTrader: (1)

Thanks. So the manual is right about the loaded axle.

I'm actually only removing the sway bar and the panhard bar for now. I'm replacing the fuel pump so putting all back together will be later on. So it won't make any difference for the removal whether I have the axle loaded or not, I understand...?

If I have to move the car (our streets are being tared in a few weeks) could I move it for about 50 metres without the panhard bar and sway bar or should I mount at least the panhard bar?

Thanks,
Thomas

MoJoe

iTrader: (5)

Some model years, the sway bar was an option, and offroaders disconnect it intentionally. There is no problem with having the sway bar off. If driving, there will be more body roll without it.

As for the PHB, you can move the car without it, but do not drive it. Moving it 50m, even under its own power, should be fine. The PHB keeps the rear end located laterally, and at any speed or cornering, the rear end would move side to side.

Base91

iTrader: (1)

I did my fuel pump a few weeks ago and although I did it with the axle just hanging, if I ever do it again, I'd remove the axle completely as it was a total pain to work around.

Thomas Stahel

iTrader: (1)

The fuel pump will already be hard for me to do as I'm a beginner. I really don't want to bleed the brake sytem and in the worst case replace the calipers or master brake cylinder if anything goes wrong. So, I'll give it a try to only let the axel hang.

And thanks @all for your help!

Base91

iTrader: (1)

You almost certainly can't do it without disconnecting the brake hose that goes from the axle to the body. If you try to lower the axle enough you risk ripping the hose apart. I had to disconnect it which is why I suggest just removing the axle once that's done. Either way it's not hard to bleed the brakes.

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

I cant promise this wont damage old, worn out rubber brake hoses... but Ive done it multiple times without an issue. Clamp down on the rubber line with a vice-grip, then disconnect. When you put the axle back in, only loosen the vice grip after it's reconnected then gravity bleed it ( open both rear calipers and let them drip for a while).

Should be easy and painless.

8Mike9

You don't (well I didn't) have to take the brake line loose.

All you need to do is unbolt the retainer where the brake line (metal) connects to the rubber line on the body (where all the tank lines are at.

The metal line has plenty of give to it. and will just sorta lay down when you lower the rear end.

With the shocks off, and the rear down as far as it can go hanging on the LCA's, there's no stress on the line and plenty of room to pull the tank.

Knuckl3s

hen I had to change my fuel pump I cut an access panel in the rear floorboard right behind the seats above the fuel pump with a dremel and viola. 20 minute fuel pump change

Thomas Stahel

iTrader: (1)

Little question: How can the axle move side to side without the panhard bar that much if the shocks are installed? They should kinda keep the axle to the frame... ?

@8Mike

I've read the guide to the fuel pump replacement. It says exactly what you told me about the brake line. I'll do it as you said. If I disconnect the fuel hoses leading to the sending unit, will there be a lot of gas coming out? I'm a bit afraid...

Thanks,
Thomas

MoJoe

iTrader: (5)

Look at the direction of forces and the mounting points. The shocks dampen up and down movement. The lower mount can rotate around the bolt, and the top bushings can compress, allowing the shocks to pivot, producing side-to-side motion at the axle.

The control arms work to limit tension and compression, keeping the axle located fore/aft... not side-to-side. Maybe a little bit, when just sitting in place. But not nearly enough to drive the car.

The PHB also works in tension/compression, but since it is mounted side-to-side, that is the motion it resists. The PHB would do nothing (or very little) to limit the axle moving front and rear.

Just sitting in one place, the car seems pretty stable. Our puny 100#-200# of force to push the car sideways may not produce much movement. When you drive the car and start experiencing many 100's or even 1000's pounds of dynamic forces, it will really show.

8Mike9

You may spill a bit, whatever is in the line...now, let me ask you..how much fuel is in the tank...anymore than a few gallons, makes it real hard to wiggle around..thing is, you can't siphon but about 1/2 tank out, due to this little bar that is at the end of the filler neck...or you'd have to use a pretty small line.

You pull the pressure line, up front by the engine, adapt a hose and electric pump, and start sucking it out through the old pump, if it's not clogged.

I also have my old sending unit sitting in the shop, there's another line that runs down along side of the pump, I'll see which of the four it is if you need to siphon/pump out from there.

PS...you will also need to disconnect the shocks at the rearend as well to get it low enough and to get the coil spring out.

Thomas Stahel

iTrader: (1)

Sorry that I didn't get back to your comment until now...

The day my fuel pump didn't produce a steady pressure I refilled my tank to the brim :-( I siphoned about 25 liters, so that's pretty much half of the tank. I'll try and continue the next days and see how much I can get out. I had thought about connecting a hose to the pressure line but at first I thought it wouldn't be tight enough to not spill some fuel during the process. As my fuel pump is still running (but not giving enough pressure) I could even use the defective pump which was what I thought to do. So where / how can I securely connect a hose to the line? I could get a PVC hose... or I even have one already which I used to siphon but maybe its diameter is too small.

I know that I need to disconnect the shocks. I already have new ones and also new springs ready to mount :-) But at the moment I'm fighting with my exhaust. Tried to get the end pipes from the muffler. They can be turned but they won't come out of the muffer. I thought about disconnecting the long pipe from the cat (which should be easy as they are not plugged together but flange-mounted) and also remove the track bar brace (which is also quite rusty, so maybe I should replace it as well) and hope that I will be able (after letting down the axle) to pull the whole cat-back assembly back- or forwards over the axle. The cat-back is only 2 years or so old. So I'd like to reuse it.