How to Re-Torque Lower Control Arm

[Danimal]

I need help figuring out how to re-torque the lower control arms on the front of my car. I loosened them to install a set of PSS9 coilovers. I followed some of the videos online and I have the Bentley manual and 101 projects book. So far I haven’t seen a good way to re-torque the bolts at home.

I had the car on ~12inch Jack stands in the front. I jacked up the hub to apply load and simulate the car being on the ground with load. Then went to re-torque the bolt from the side of the car. The bolt is 16mm and the nut is 18mm. I tried holding the 18mm side with a box wrench and using a 16mm crows foot attachment on the other side with the torque wrench. But this proved pretty challenging to keep the crows foot on the bolt and only the 18mm but will spin. So I tried the reverse (16mm box wrench and 18mm crows foot. After lots of struggling I gave up and reassembled the car to let it sit on the springs and help break them in for now.

How did you re-torque yours??? I guess worst case scenario I can ask the shop to do it when I get an alignment. But it bugs the crap out of me I can’t do it myself after going through all this trouble. 😡

Now I am dreading doing the rears….

[spdrcr21]

IIRC there are marks on the chassis you line up with. Take a look at the pic I uploaded.

[986tate]

I loaded the other wheel, same as you, to get the suspension compressed and just tightened it “REALLY TIGHT”
Should be close enough. You torque stuff with a torque wrench often enough you get a pretty good sense of what is tight

[Danimal]

Thanks, I saw those on the car and hoped that's what they were for.

Originally Posted by spdrcr21

IIRC there are marks on the chassis you line up with. Take a look at the pic I uploaded.

[Danimal]

That's my problem. It's my first time torquing stuff in years. I"m going to raise it back up soon and give it another go.

I ordered a K Tool International Automotive Wrench Extender Adaptor. I'm going to connect it to my 18mm wrench and attach my torque wrench to it at a 90 degree angle and see if that works. There's a youtube video (by Heidi and Franny Sailing) for a 996 lower control arm replacement that uses a similar product by pro motion, but the torque rating on that product caps out at 100 ft lbs.

My tool kit has been expanding rapidly with this project.

Originally Posted by 986tate

I loaded the other wheel, same as you, to get the suspension compressed and just tightened it “REALLY TIGHT”
Should be close enough. You torque stuff with a torque wrench often enough you get a pretty good sense of what is tight

[tcoradeschi]

IIRC (it’s been a while), I put the car on ramps.

[Danimal]

The wrench extender worked! I put the front end back up on jack stands, lifted the hub with my floor jack to align the the pins in the diagram below, added the wrench extender to my 18mm combo wrench, taped it in place with gorilla tape, attached a 1/2 torque wrench and got after it....until the sweet 'click' of victory!

[spdrcr21]

Nice!