I have a Mondeo 2001 ST200 4 dr. I have discovered that a seal on my front, driver side 'Anti roll bar drop link' has a split in it. Now that the ball joint no longer protected, when I steer I get a loud creaking noise.
I have brought a new link from TCH, £36.
With regards to fitting this part, I am concerned about what will happen when I disconnect the exsisting link. Will the roll bar spring open or shut, considering that the suspension spring will be fully extended when I remove the link, or is it a simple case of unbolt the old link and bolt on the new?
TIA AdyBee
Edited by Pugugly on 13/06/2009 at 17:55
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I don't have a Mondeo, but have recently undone four ARB links whilst changing all the springs on my MX-5.
If you let the wheel drop, then yes, things can fly about. The easiest and safest way would be to have the car up on axle stands and use a jack underneath the lower wishbone to lift it up. With the nut removed, you can try wiggling the bolt whilst jacking it up to find the 'neutral' position. Lots of PlusGas the day before you attack the nuts helps.
Martin
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So long as the ARB isn't under torsion (both wheels at same height) it will be fine.
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when you take the old one off use some small thin mole grips on the inside of the link and undo the nut 15mm i think as the nut will spin on the link you will see what i mean when you come to change it..........easy peasy
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So, does this mean that if I jack up the front right corner of the car, the replacement of this part will not be possible?
I assume that the car will need to be raised on both sides, evenly using axle stands, before I attempt this job.
AdyBee...
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you can jack up 1 side at a time it doesn't have to be level i replace these every day but put a axle stand under for safety o.k honestly mate they are not hard if you don't feel competant tho get them fitted by a reputable mechanic....
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Thank you for you replies. The job itself, as I can see it, is easy. It's just I didn't want an Anti roll bar to spring open in my face when I disconnect the drop link. The potential energy contained in one of those would be enough to take my head off.
I will jack up the right side, then with an axle stand in situ, will replace the part. Now that my mind is put at rest, I feel much better about the task in hand. Many thanks.
AdyBee..
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Personally, if I work on an ARB I prefer the car to be level. If there's torsion in the bar then something is under load, isn't it?
Having said that, I'm sure you can just jack one side up - but I like to do things my way, which is not necessarily the quickest way.
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i think your getting the anti rollbar mixed up with a coil spring a coil spring stays under load and is compressed a anti roll bar adds stability to a vehicle on cornering you certainly wouldn't have your head taken off by it it sits in position dormant until you corner you will see that there is no pressure on it when you do the job....
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I'm not sure about that. If you just jack up a corner and the wheel drops, there is torsion in the anti roll bar. When I had the bolt out of mine, there was a good two inches difference in height between the wishbone mount and the drop link. Thats why I suggested using a second jack to raise the wishbone.
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there will be a bit of resistance on it of course but taking your head off not a chance take a top plate off a coil spring and yea i would agree
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No offence intended, Van Man, but I think you need to learn a bit about how vehicle suspensions work. I've been working on motors for about 30 years and definitely not getting mixed up between an ARB and a coil spring!
An ARB works to reduce body roll by resisting any unequal vertical deflection between the two wheels to which it is connected. It is a form of torsion spring. If the wheels are deflected equally than there is no torsion in the ARB. If the wheels are differently deflected then there IS a torque. When you undo the drop link it will 'jump' a few inches if the wheels are not at the same level. It won't 'take your head off', but it can be a bit awkward to get to the new drop link on - you may have to twist the ARB with a lever or something to get the holes to line up.
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non taken i have been at a main dealers for 20years and done more than the average person funny tho have never struggled both sides can be done in 15 to 20mins are you sure your not thinkin coil springs that go bouncy bouncy bouncy no offence its such a simple job being made into a complicated one
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Can't speak for Mondeo's, but whenever I've done work on my previous Vauxhalls front suspension, I've always needed a tyre lever to persuade the ARB to go back into position as they were always under tension.
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i havnt done a Mondeo 2001 ST20 arb but am led to believe they are a sturdy piece of kit which also has a unique wishbone that costs many pennies,i would therefore be inclined to er on the side of safety as it could well kick and trap a finger or worse your head if placed in wrong place at time,dont think a boing boing bendy spring would bother me though
--
\"a little man in a big world/\"
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Well, my last post on this subject (applies to any work on any ARB)...
All I can say to the original poster is to look at these posts and make your own decision.
Think about it though - ANY ARB is designed to reduce body roll. If one wheel is extended more than the other then the ARB will be under torsion (twisted). If you do it Van Man's way then keep your fingers and face away from the bar and links when you unfasten it. The free end will spring upwards so that its in the same relative position as the end on the other side of the car (the side not being jacked). The wishbone might also drop down a bit.
I'm surprised Van Man's Main Dealer does them by jacking one side at a time - I thought it would be up on the ramps and then jack the whole front.
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i think aprilia should do it for you and talk you thru it he he
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last words..................................................... to adybeee as long as your carefull you will be o.k normally we do them on a 2poster ramp but occasionally do them on floor take your time if your not confident get a garage to fit it they shouldn't charge you more than £10-£15 as it is a nice motor they might let you watch if you ask nicely this started out as advice but is getting in to a argument no offence was pointed towards anyone during this discussion different people do things different ways so the advice given is easier to understand if your experienced than if your not which ever way you decide to go good luck..................................................................
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Just jack it off the ground an inch ,undo the nuts and remove the link.It will move a small amount no real pressure.When reffiting it to align both fixings squarly easy the anto roll bar a bit with a small bar to pop the bolts in.It only takes 10 mins it's easy.I have a ST24 2.5 V6 and am about to have a go at the rear anti roll bar complete as the eye on the end had snapped.1 in a million chance but I had it.Got it from a scrappy at a £10 instead of £85 in Fords.
Edited by tuffnuts on 13/06/2009 at 17:50
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He's probably done it by now,it was over three years ago.
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