[DMCForum] Re: torsion bar question

[<twinenginedmc12@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

--- In DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "erikgeerdink <erikgeerdink@xxxx>" 
<erikgeerdink@xxxx> wrote:
> While going through my parts I came along my stash of torsion 
bars.  
> One of my drivers side bars was touched by fire when the car 
> burned.  There are no deep scratches in this bar, and the area that 
> I cleaned looks really good.  Now, would the fire have weakend the 
> bar at all?  I have a passenger side bar (from the same car) that 
is 
> totally black (i haven't cleaned it at all). Same question, is it 
> weaker now?
> 
> Thanks,
> Erik

Hi Erik.

Excessive heat will definitely weaken or damage the torsion bars.  
The sixty four dollar question is how hot they got, and how hot they 
tolerate.  I doubt any one knows for sure either question's answer.

You can test them, to determine whether they've been weakened.

With a known good torsion bar installed in a car, you could remove 
the retaining plate from the torsion bar, and measure the amount of 
force a good torsion bar exerts with the door both open AND closed, 
using a torque wrench to hold the torsion bar end in the exact 
position it was with the retainer plate installed.

A weakened bar will show a smaller change in torque between open and 
closed than the good bar, that is, it will be less "springy".

You probably ought to clean off the discoloration off of the black 
torsion bar.  It's either harmless condensed soot, or impurities 
embedded in the surface which are degrading the alloy just by sitting 
there.

Please keep in mind that these torsion bars are suspect, and could 
fail at any time during the measurements.  Don't be under the door.

Rick.






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