ISIS tension rod problems

[Purp240]

Hello,

I installed new ISIS tension rods on my s14 a few months ago and I seem to be having a problem...They keep loosening up..I put threadlocker on them etc etc and after about 1000 miles of driving they loosen up. when i installed them I set them to the correct length to match the stock ones and the install was easy. Also the pillow ball part of the rods seem to be binding and crooked in the sleeve. I attached a diagram that I found that shows me problem (scroll down to page 4 at bottom) but doesnt say what to do to fix it. My rod ends look like the pic on the right after installation. Idk if they need to be lengthened or shortened or what..
Please help. My car feels unsafe on the road when this happens...I want to get this all straightened out before i get a full alignment.

Thanks

[Purp240]

noone has any ideas to help me out??? i just dont understand this diagram..it shows my problem but doesnt say what needs to be done to fix it

help me....

[rawgarage]

Post pics of the car underside

[omgosh]

Just loosen the jam nuts, center the spherical, and tighten them again...

[Purp240]

^^^^^ i already tried this. Did not work. I'm sure something is binding. The way it looks I would think they were too long but they match up perfect to the originals. I could be wrong so I attached some pics of my cars suspension. Maybe someone can confirm it for me.

Thanks

[Purp240]

sorry here are the pics of how they look...notice they arent straight i also notice that my caster is way out of whack when I look aty the car from the side...the front wheels seem to be farther back in the wheel well then they should be...not sure if this is normal or not but Im beginning to think I need to shorten the tension rods but I want a definite answer

thanks again
Anthony

[Purp240]

no ideas even looking at the pics?? when i isntalled them they were centered and not they look like this

[dbeiler]

Are you tightening all the hardware with the suspension loaded as you should when doing suspension work? Before tightening bolts or making adjustments, you must use a floor/trans jack to raise the specific suspension arm to the same height it would be with the vehicle sitting on it's wheels on the ground. If you tighten suspension hardware with the arms just hanging down, unloaded, the rubber bushings and heim joints will not be orientated correctly when the car is put back down on it's wheels.

The PDF VOODOO install guide you linked doesn't even mention loading the suspension before final tightening. Epic fail and a recipe for disaster.

Load the suspension before centering the heim joint and tightening the tension rods. Problem solved.

[Purp240]

^^^^ thanks for the reply....never knew this...but it makes sense

I not even sure where I got that PDF from but all i know is it showed my exact problem but didnt give a fix for it...so i posted it until i was able to snap a pic of my own car..

I will try to realign everything with a jack under the control arm and see if that helps...

Does anyone know if you can actually see if your cars caster is off or is it such a small movement you cant notice it without lasers etc etc.. Cause i swear by looking at my car from the side, the front wheels sit slightly more toward the back of the car and they arent totally centered in the wheel well....not sure if this is normal and ive just never noticed it before or my car's caster is really bad...

of course once i get everything installed and set properly im going to get a full alignment done on my car..

[steveff]

Does anyone know if you can actually see if your cars caster is off or is it such a small movement you cant notice it without lasers etc etc.. Cause i swear by looking at my car from the side, the front wheels sit slightly more toward the back of the car and they arent totally centered in the wheel well....not sure if this is normal and ive just never noticed it before or my car's caster is really bad...

of course once i get everything installed and set properly im going to get a full alignment done on my car..

Get a full alignment done. They'll be able to set your castor within spec. If the wheels are way back your castor is too low and the arms are extended too far. Should be roughly 6-7 degrees factory, IIRC.

I had the ISIS PRO series arms on my last set up and never once had an issue with them.

[Purp240]

yea i need it...my caster on the driver side is waaay out of whack...the passenger side wheel is more centered in the wheel well then the drivers side..
also when i turn left the drivers side tire rubs against the back of the fender well...i probbaly mis measured and put that arm on too long...Ill prob shorten it for temporary until i get to alignment shop

[Purp240]

ok so i removed my tension rods and was able to reinstall them with the suspension loaded up and the mounts stayed straight and there is no binding anymore ..im gonna keep driving it and hopefully they dont go back to the way they were...i also was able to shorten the drivers side tension rod and it moved my wheel farther forward in the wheel well and i dont rub on the back of the wheel well anymore in left turns.... i still need a full alignment done but at least I made progress