ATTN: Jim's Torque Rod Owners

[Chinky420]

hey all.....this JUST happened to me, and i feel kinda like a chump....but i figured i'd let everyone know, just in case someone MAY make the same mistake i did.

when installing/tweaking the height of the transmission mount, make sure that it stays as close to OEM as possible.

reason being....i must have installed mine so that the transmission was mounted too high, because apparently the stress was too much on the trans-mount, and it snapped it in two. it was brought to my attention when my radiator fan started fapping against the loose torque rod (top portion), and making this nasty plasticky popping sound.

so now i'm stuck at work, with a new (urgent) weekend project that i wasn't anticipating.

i hope everyone elses friday was better than mine.

[sydemoid]

Had that happen already. cost me $30 at a local junkyard.

Thought about possibly using thicker gauge steel tube to make it, but decided to get the stocker.... its been 4 months, no issues.

[atclate]

Do you mean you were twisting the bolt and pushing the transmission higher?

Was it also because you were stepping on the gas a lot?

I wonder if any one of you know what the dimensions of the big bolt at the bottom of the rod is... I lost it, and I'm looking for an exact fit.

[SleeperSolara]

What??
Pictures would help...
That hasn't happened to me yet, even though i did install mine on a flat hanger floor.

[99V6solaraSE]

hmmm i wonder if this has anything to do with weird tapping noises ive been hearing at idle...

[QuickSEV6]

I am a torque rod owner, but not a user. Mine isn't installed yet, but this is a great post to keep in mind when I install it. Thanks

[Jakecallun20]

I am a torque rod owner, but not a user. Mine isn't installed yet, but this is a great post to keep in mind when I install it. Thanks

Man quick, I've seen you post about several things you have, just not on your Lara' yet! Do I need to drive up and help ya? J/K.

[QuickSEV6]

Man quick, I've seen you post about several things you have, just not on your Lara' yet! Do I need to drive up and help ya? J/K.

You are absolutely right.
I have a Limited Slip differential I bought back in 2002
I have the super charger belt tensioner I bought back in 2005
I have the torque rod I bought about 4 months ago

Hopefully it will all be installed in 2008. If not, I'll give you a call for help. ha ha
You know, if I worked on my car as much as I worked on my Solaraguy signature, it would probably be completed.

[SleeperSolara]

Man quick, I've seen you post about several things you have, just not on your Lara' yet! Do I need to drive up and help ya? J/K.

You are absolutely right.
I have a Limited Slip differential I bought back in 2002
I have the super charger belt tensioner I bought back in 2005
I have the torque rod I bought about 4 months ago

Hopefully it will all be installed in 2008. If not, I'll give you a call for help. ha ha

Good grief man.
You're almost like me. lol.

1. SS door sills i need to get etched "TOYOTA"
2. SS Goodridge brake lines.
3. SuperPro poly P/S bushin' set.
4. SuperPro poly bushin' for front control arms.
5. TOKICO struts.
6. TIEN lowerin' springs.
7. DBA standard slotted rotors, and ceramic brake pads.
8. Finish my neva endin' retro to install on the car.

As long as you install your Torque Rod on a flat driveway you'll be fine.
Just tighten the bottom nut wit the bushin' in place to the transmission bracket, but don't tighten it where it raises the bracket, and then after that tighten the top nut.

[Chinky420]

ok, for clarification and responses...

the problem probably arose from letting my pop's drive my car...he's got the bad habit of shifting from R to D w/o letting the car come to a complete stop first....ergo, there was a pretty hearty surge the last time he drove her (i was in the car w/ him at the time).

atclate: yes it was from seating the mount too high. when installing, i did raise the bottom nuts (bottom bushing) higher than it should have been. therefore, the extra stress (from the funny angle) + the jolt from shifting from R to D = FCK!

sleepersolara: it's the peice that the top of the rod goes into....since i'm at work right now, i can't do the picture thing....but it's the 90 degree peice that bolts to the verticle side of the trans (two 15mm bolts), and then has the hole in it to place the top of the torque rod through. basically, it's the piece that the bushing go around.

99V6SolaraSE: i dont think it does have anything to do w/ that. when i got my tapping noise it was definitely NOTICABLE as a new noise. when popping the hood, the part was clearly broken, and leaning against the fan blades (actually it would rock back and forth dependning on whether i was braking or accelerating). but you would definitely notice if it was due to this broken peice, since it's alarmingly noisy.


and i was able to fix it by getting the piece welded back together. but if it breaks again, i will be going to the junkyard to get the part replaced.

and this is also a testiment to the quality of product the torque rod is. the rod itself is much stronger than the mount it connects to. and it was perfectly fine, even though the other metal peice snapped in 2.

good work jim.

[CASTRO]

happened to me allready a long time ago. I didnt wanna share my experience as a lot of people here are fans of the rod and I may have gotten negative responses. Its all good, I like the smoothness of the tiny kyb shock over the rod.

[SleeperSolara]

Oh, ok.
I get what you're talkin' about now.



It's that upside "L" bracket, huh??
Dang.
I would say go to the salvage yard for another one, to be on the safe side.

[Chinky420]

**ding ding ding** we have a winner.

yeah its the upside-down L-bracket

i took it to a buddy and he welded it up pretty cleanly. really this is just a temp solution, because i've been putting off a trip to the salvage yard for a while. i just needed to have it functional by the start of the week, so i went w/ the short term solution.

[Chinky420]

update: mine broke again. a year and change after having it welded back together isnt too bad...

...and this is why i don't like loaning out my car to people...even those i'm related to.

oh well, i still suspect that it would have lasted another 6 months to a year if i had been the only one driving my car...but i'm pretty sure that it broke because the car was not stationary when it was shifted from R to D (again)....

[ASG14]

WTF? Kings lasted over a year, on the original bracket, untouched.....

I need to find a really really good way to weld them.....