Frozen sway-bar slider

[pethier]

Saturday I ran a small-lot autocross at a dragstrip near Rock Falls Wisconsin.  My Caterham was pushing a bit and I had trouble staying in the power band in second gear.

Also, there is a light clicky sound when I drive over bumps on the street.

 

The click is probably the rear sway-bar moving sideways and hitting the hose clamps that locate it in its aluminum-block brackets.  First shot at quieting it is to put in a couple of cable ties between the clamps and the blocks.  If that does not do it I will slit some PEX.

 

Next, adjust the rear bar stiffer.  Problem:  I have removed all the fasteners and the blocks will not move.  The Heim joints pulled out OK.  I swung the bar down.  It moves very easily.  I shot the blocks with Kroil, smacked them with a wrench and stopped for lunch.  At least if I need to use heat, the part is far from anything to damage. 

 

 

Edited September 16, 2024 by pethier

[pethier]

I didn't have to resort to the blue flame.  The slider block finally came loose with liberal application of Kroil and 1100-degree-F air from a heat gun followed by a twist with a pair of vise-grips.  Ran a half-inch reamer through the block. Polished all the corrosion off the sway bar with a sandpaper strip and emery cloth.  Block is 20mm long.  Used one block to to put saw marks 20mm apart on each bar arm on both the inside and outside to serve as guides to settings.  I set the bar two notches up (40mm plus saw kerfs). Cat is much-more neutral now.  Front tires are sharing with each other better with car rolling less.  Plate-style LSD is preventing wheelspin.  This has transformed the handling, There is much more overall grip.  I can provoke both understeer and oversteer now.  May try one more notch at next weekend's autocrosses.  I did have to put a little more bend in the endlinks to allow one more notch.   They are factory-bent to clear the DeDion tube.

 

Took out the lateral drift on the brackets with slit PEX pieces held in place with hose clamps. Clicky noise is gone.

Edited September 18, 2024 by pethier