Ian C Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 (edited) So I went to tighten up my subframe bolts yesterday, and the big buggers near the rear of the front subframe needed about an eighth of a turn. I then went to the 17mm nuts and found one on the driver's side that needed a fair bit of doing up. Aha, thought I, here we go, this is the cause of my handling issues. After about three full turns I started to get suspicious that something wasn't right. Remember those flat headed bolts on the chassis legs by the inside of the suspension turrets? The ones that sit on the banana-shaped metal bracket? They are the other end of the subframe bolts. And the one I was working on was merrily turning as I tried to tighten the nut up underneath. Ordinarily this would just be a pain in the backside as you'd need someone holding a spanner on the bolt head while you tightened away. With this though, the blasted bolt picked up the bracket and mangled it I think Scooter asked a question about these plates a while back but I can't find the thread. I'll have pics tomorrow, I left the camera in the garage and I'm at work. Now, this bracket seems to not only act as a load spreader, it also stops the bolts from creeping around under load. When I marked them up with pen and turned the nut under the car a quarter turn, bare metal was exposed near the bolt head, a good 2mm's worth - i.e. the whole bolt had physically moved 2mm towards the rear of the car. Turning the bolt back covered the metal up again. That says to me the subframe can move as this nut/bolt combo turns around under load stresses, hence the handling being random. I marked the bolts up again and went for a drive on bumpy roads and hit every dodgy drain cover I could, and the markings didn't move. It also seemed to drive OK, no real tramlining. But I'm still reticent about driving it with a mangled plate in there So I need a good one of those (it's marked RH side) if anyone has one Let this be a heads-up to anyone else tightening their front subframe bolts It'll make more sense when I get the pics up. -Ian Edited February 18, 2012 by Ian C (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imi Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Would like to have a look at mine, got a pic of where they are on the underside? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham1984 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 I wonder if that is why I nearly wrote my car off yesterday?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashbuster Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 need mine checking too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian C Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 Would like to have a look at mine, got a pic of where they are on the underside? Sadly no, I didn't take any pics, but when I have another attempt I'll get loads as it's a confusing mass of bolts under there. It'll be quite helpful judging by the responses, and these things need doing every 3 years or so. And not every 6 or 7 hah. I've already been contacted regarding a replacement bracket and bolts set, this club is the business Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashbuster Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 yeah there was a few posts in another thread asking for the bolt locations would come in handy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham1984 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 There was a diagram on here before I thought?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian C Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 There is a Toyota EPC diagram but it's really quite awful at showing the right number of bolts, never mind where they actually live Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham1984 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 There is a Toyota EPC diagram but it's really quite awful at showing the right number of bolts, never mind where they actually live Actually Ian I forgot how bad that photo is with just a steering column and loads of -------- coming down in various sections representing one bolt. I am wondering if where my friend only tightened the front one's (which cured the reverse turning knock) and not the back seeing as I get this annoying squeak at times when doing a forward sharp turn at slow speed, I had my tracking checked and that was fine but yesterday I came off a roundabout and the back end just shot out about 80 degrees to the right resulting in me doing a massive semi powerslide trying to correct it but I knocked the bloody curb although I consider myself lucky as their was no body damage whatsoever just a slight scuff on my front left wheel that needed fixing anyway. Drifting seams good fun but not when you don't expect it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 There is a Toyota EPC diagram but it's really quite awful at showing the right number of bolts, never mind where they actually live This show it any better? http://www.turbosupras.com/pdfs/JZA80%20TSRM/SA.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian C Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 This show it any better? http://www.turbosupras.com/pdfs/JZA80%20TSRM/SA.pdf After going through all 111 pages, no Doesn't show the subframe at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham1984 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 After going through all 111 pages, no Doesn't show the subframe at all. Nothing better than reading 111 pages on a Saturday to not even get your answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian C Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 Nothing better than reading 111 pages on a Saturday to not even get your answer. It was only a scan through. Problem solving is 95% finding out what's not wrong so I don't mind, it's what I do And I'm at work hah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham1984 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 (edited) It was only a scan through. Problem solving is 95% finding out what's not wrong so I don't mind, it's what I do And I'm at work hah Ian is this page the useless one you were thinking of at the bottom of the first page?? http://www.turbosupras.com/pdfs/JZA80%20TSRM/MA.pdf Edited February 18, 2012 by Graham1984 (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 After going through all 111 pages, no Doesn't show the subframe at all. Yeah I didn't think it did, thanks for confirming that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashbuster Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian C Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 I saved that PDF out anyway, it's seriously good info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 (edited) I might be under mine tomorrow, but from memory i've only done 10 bolts...5 each side a cluster of 3 (19mm?) near the back of the front wheels and not far in from the sill. 2 tucked up inside the aluminium part, one of which the deep socket and extension when vertical rubs the steering rack boot and the other is I think 6" or so further towards the back (one of these bolts is I think 17mm and one 19mm NB correction both are 17mm the 19mm is the engine mount nut/bolt and is further in towards the engine than the two subframe bolts) If you look in the engine bay down past the suspension turret (drivers side) you'll see the horseshoe bracket Ian mentions and can use this as a guide to where to look for the bolt heads underneath. Edited February 19, 2012 by Scooter (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibrar Jabbar Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Some front subframe pics in My project thread here : http://mkivsupra.net/vbb/showthread.php?241651-My-Super-Widebody-Aero-VVTi-Turbo-6sp-project/page40 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian C Posted February 19, 2012 Author Share Posted February 19, 2012 Ibrar you tosser, stop making me insanely jealous Can't believe the difference, can you do mine next? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian C Posted February 19, 2012 Author Share Posted February 19, 2012 As promised, the photos of my cockup. Although for the one bolt to rotate in the first place, something had clearly gone wrong here already. I just, kinda, made it a tad worse-ish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian C Posted February 19, 2012 Author Share Posted February 19, 2012 Also, aha, I hope you're reading this DnK, that sheared off bolt head you can see I've never touched before, so it can't have been me overtightening it - vindicated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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