Recommend anti roll bar please

[406HDi3]

I had my anti roll bad drop links and arb rubbers checked today. All are in good shape.
Had top mount off one side of suspension as you can feel slight knock when holding hand on top whilst rocking suspension up and down.

Anyone think it could be stabiliser bar/mounts on the arms?

[rwb]

Hey,
Hadn't been monitoring the thread, crazy week at work...

With the drop links: just offering up my experience on the off-chance it's useful.
I'd be pretty confident with those I linked to, and you can see for yourself on my old ones that the boot isn't big/flexible enough.

Not that I intend to doubt you but IIRC there's tales of bust ones not being picked up by MOT testers as they can appear solid unless you take all the weight off them.

Has nobody mentioned strut top bearings?

What else is there?

[steve_earwig]

Wishbone bushes, bottom ball joints, ummm, loose subframe bolts...

[dirtydirtydiesel]

Thanks for this. Just out of interest since everyone in here knows a lot more than me. I recently had a broken coil spring on the front and so had both replaced at my local garage. Is it possible when he was replacing both coils that something else could have been upset to cause this slight knocking I'm getting over rough road surfaces?

The knocking / tapping is ever so slight and to my trained ear since it's my car, very audible to me. Yet someone else may not hear what I'm hearing.


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If they have replaced a coil spring they will have had to remove the strut from the car & I can tell you 100% that they will have had to disconnect the drop link to do so.
In doing this they inveriably damage the drop link joints ( I know because this had been done to mine )
I could find NO play in them but upon changing them the knocking was gone
I am 99.9% sure if you replace yours your knocking will be gone

[dirtydirtydiesel]

ddd cheers for this. The rubbers, easy to replace and fairly less expensive?


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, When I did mine I did the drop links at the same time because both were knackered & you have to remove the drop links to do the rubber bushes .
Also you need to measure the dia of your anti-roll bar to make sure you get the right size rubbers ( 3 different sizes I.I.R.C ), cost not much, cheeper than drop links

Whats the largest sized ARB and what does it come out of? I want to make sure I have the biggest

Sorry bud but I think all the actual roll bars are the same dia, it's just the hexagon part where the rubbers sit that can be different sizes ie 19mm / 20mm / 21mm
so if you get the wrong size rubber it'll either not fit or be as sloppy as a cock in a sock

[pug406nz]

Ah damn, I thought they were all the same dia. but I got a little bit excited thinking I can get a bigger one.
I used to have a 205 GTi and putting a thicker ARB made a pretty big difference.

[406HDi3]

Thanks for this. Just out of interest since everyone in here knows a lot more than me. I recently had a broken coil spring on the front and so had both replaced at my local garage. Is it possible when he was replacing both coils that something else could have been upset to cause this slight knocking I'm getting over rough road surfaces?

The knocking / tapping is ever so slight and to my trained ear since it's my car, very audible to me. Yet someone else may not hear what I'm hearing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If they have replaced a coil spring they will have had to remove the strut from the car & I can tell you 100% that they will have had to disconnect the drop link to do so.
In doing this they inveriably damage the drop link joints ( I know because this had been done to mine )
I could find NO play in them but upon changing them the knocking was gone
I am 99.9% sure if you replace yours your knocking will be gone

Thanks for the heads up everyone. I'm just about to pop into another garage to have all this checked out. 2nd opinion from my main mechanic.

Keep fingers crossed for me it's found and a cheap fix

[406HDi3]

There are a couple of good threads on here, e.g., viewtopic.php?f=27&t=18692

Here's my old and new link.

The ones you want have two pleats in the boot and a hex in the end of the bolt. (New one.)
The ones you don't want have no pleats in the boot and a flat next to the end of the boot. (Old one.)

Okay, so I've returned with success!

New garage so was a second opinion. Put it up on the ramp and straight away saw play in the right side drop link, right in the ball joint.

He said he could fit a pair now so got a quote first. £12 each for the links and half hour labour.

The top of the the old links were easy to remove as they'd recently been off when I had new coils. The bottom on both sides needing cutting.

The new ones turned up and guess what.... Two pleats and a hex in the end of the bolt! Bonus, Delphi. Thank you very much, yes please.

As soon as I drove it out, noticed the difference instantly.

Good job done and thanks everyone here that's given the advice. It's places like on here that makes lives of people like me, less stressful. So thanks very much.

[trufflehunt]

Yes, with new drop links, I felt like I was driving a new car.

[406HDi3]

Yes, with new drop links, I felt like I was driving a new car.

Wouldn't quite say new car for me but yes made a big difference.

Amazing what these drop links do.

[dirtydirtydiesel]

Result ,
Glad to have been able to help, don't like to say I told you so
All the best DDD.

[406HDi3]

Result ,
Glad to have been able to help, don't like to say I told you so
All the best DDD.

Cheers DDD. Cars eh!!

[dirtydirtydiesel]

Ah damn, I thought they were all the same dia. but I got a little bit excited thinking I can get a bigger one.
I used to have a 205 GTi and putting a thicker ARB made a pretty big difference.

There is a bit of a bodge / lash up I have seen done where a second anti roll bar is clamped to the original one
I don't know if the 3.0 V6 coupe one is any bigger, but fitting a coupe strut brace is suposed to work well