Stabilizer Bar?
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From: Flower Mound Texas
Stabilizer Bar?
I have a noobie question:
Could someone please explain to me the front stabilizer bar and the relationship with the leaf springs? I have a failure of what I thought was my springs but might be the stabilizer bar - I can't tell what I'm looking at because (1) I know nothing and (2) my car is so friggin' low that I can barely squeeze a camera under there to take pics.
TIA,
Todd
Could someone please explain to me the front stabilizer bar and the relationship with the leaf springs? I have a failure of what I thought was my springs but might be the stabilizer bar - I can't tell what I'm looking at because (1) I know nothing and (2) my car is so friggin' low that I can barely squeeze a camera under there to take pics.
TIA,
Todd
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From: CHOCOWINITY NC
Stabilizer, or anti-roll bar is the round black bar shown in the front of this picture, linking both sides of the suspension. Spring is the flat Leaf below the suspension arms that also spans the front of the car. Stabilizer bars Never go "Bad"...
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From: Flower Mound Texas
In looking at your pic, are the leaf springs the black that appear from the left tire (left in the pic) right above the kink in the stabilizer bar (but are really below it)? If so, then it is my leaf springs that failed.
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Did you hit something or get some chemicals on it?
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From: Spicewood, Texas, USA TX-Texas
What I'm thinking...On the C4s, there were profuse warnings about getting certain chemicals on the fiberglass springs. I don't know if the C6 spring material is still susceptible.
Spring failure is unrelated to the stabilizer bar...the stabilizer bar restrains movement of the control arm in a hard turn, and applies no loads to the spring directly. Even indirectly, the stabilizer bar can't cause any loads on the spring that it is not designed to handle.
Spring failure is unrelated to the stabilizer bar...the stabilizer bar restrains movement of the control arm in a hard turn, and applies no loads to the spring directly. Even indirectly, the stabilizer bar can't cause any loads on the spring that it is not designed to handle.
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The stablizer bar (round) is steel and connects to the suspension via links. The spring (singular) is flat (in one direction, arched in the other) and made of a synthetic composite, not metal. It is clamped to the frame, but at the suspension it merely bears on the lower A arm via a pad on a threaded rod. The latter is adjustable for ride height. (No, it is not supposed to have a nut on it.)
These composite springs are very tough. It is extremely rare for one to fail. If yours has broken, I'd be very concerned about the rest of the suspension because it would take a hell of a lick to break it.
These composite springs are very tough. It is extremely rare for one to fail. If yours has broken, I'd be very concerned about the rest of the suspension because it would take a hell of a lick to break it.
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From: Flower Mound Texas
Thanks for the info to everyone, especially the pics. I didn't hit anything or spill anything either. I've only owned the car for 2 weeks, so Lord knows what the previous owner did. The front end is lowered about an inch - would that put too much strain on the spring?
As I mentioned in an earlier thread, I was heading to TMS for hot laps and heard a pop, followed by something scraping under my car. I thought I ran over something and was dragging it, so I got out to look and saw what appears to be my leaf spring splintering apart and a strip dragging on the concrete. I took a few pics but I don't know how to resize them so I can post them here - that would probably help explain what I see. It's at the dealer now, and I should know more in the morning. The service advisor left a message that just said a stabilizer broke, but that is definitely not what I can see as failing with my own two eyes. I'll need to hear more from them tomorrow.
As I mentioned in an earlier thread, I was heading to TMS for hot laps and heard a pop, followed by something scraping under my car. I thought I ran over something and was dragging it, so I got out to look and saw what appears to be my leaf spring splintering apart and a strip dragging on the concrete. I took a few pics but I don't know how to resize them so I can post them here - that would probably help explain what I see. It's at the dealer now, and I should know more in the morning. The service advisor left a message that just said a stabilizer broke, but that is definitely not what I can see as failing with my own two eyes. I'll need to hear more from them tomorrow.
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Thanks for the info to everyone, especially the pics. I didn't hit anything or spill anything either. I've only owned the car for 2 weeks, so Lord knows what the previous owner did. The front end is lowered about an inch - would that put too much strain on the spring?
As I mentioned in an earlier thread, I was heading to TMS for hot laps and heard a pop, followed by something scraping under my car. I thought I ran over something and was dragging it, so I got out to look and saw what appears to be my leaf spring splintering apart and a strip dragging on the concrete. I took a few pics but I don't know how to resize them so I can post them here - that would probably help explain what I see. It's at the dealer now, and I should know more in the morning. The service advisor left a message that just said a stabilizer broke, but that is definitely not what I can see as failing with my own two eyes. I'll need to hear more from them tomorrow.
As I mentioned in an earlier thread, I was heading to TMS for hot laps and heard a pop, followed by something scraping under my car. I thought I ran over something and was dragging it, so I got out to look and saw what appears to be my leaf spring splintering apart and a strip dragging on the concrete. I took a few pics but I don't know how to resize them so I can post them here - that would probably help explain what I see. It's at the dealer now, and I should know more in the morning. The service advisor left a message that just said a stabilizer broke, but that is definitely not what I can see as failing with my own two eyes. I'll need to hear more from them tomorrow.
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From: Flower Mound Texas
OK - let's try to post these pics.
Here's my car:
Here's how it sits as lowered:
Here are pics of the damage that I could see - both from the driver side and passenger side:
Does this make any sense or do I have no idea what I'm looking at?
Here's my car:
Here's how it sits as lowered:
Here are pics of the damage that I could see - both from the driver side and passenger side:
Does this make any sense or do I have no idea what I'm looking at?
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From: Flower Mound Texas
Now I see the pics - I'm not sure what the issue is. Does anyone else see these? I couldn't see them on my other laptop but I do on this computer. I'll try a different way:
Last edited by leftlane1; May 22, 2007 at 01:41 AM.
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St. Jude Donor '13
I can see the pix now, but they are just little thumbnail pix. When I click on them I get ads and a voice saying I won a free Ipod...and no fullsize pic.
Photobucket is Way better for posting pix. They even give you the image tags so you can put full size photos in the posts with no issues at all..
BTW: from the small pix it does look like you may have broke a spring.....
hard to tell though from the small size photo but that probably is what I'm looking at.
Photobucket is Way better for posting pix. They even give you the image tags so you can put full size photos in the posts with no issues at all..
BTW: from the small pix it does look like you may have broke a spring.....
hard to tell though from the small size photo but that probably is what I'm looking at.
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St. Jude Donor '07
Yup, definitely splintered the leaf spring.