Spark plugs

Well done Dawn!

That's going to be a mod I will be implementing on mine when the weather warms up a tad.

I know its a bit late now as you have done the job, but reading back earlier in this thread, you were asking about how tight to go with the nuts and bolts; well for those of us involved in any form of engineering assembly it's something that is 'learned with experience' but if you are in any doubt its best to use a decent quality torque-wrench, particularly if you are working on an engine casing or other component that can be damaged easily.
Over-tightening a bolt can cause it to fail later, or will simply strip the threads either from the casting or the bolt itself.

There are usually standard torque values for given sizes, but it depends also on other variables such as the material the bolt is actually made from. e.g an alloy bolt such as magnesium would never be tightened to the same value as a steel bolt! Even a greased bolt may have a different value to one that isn't.

Torque is commonly measured in lbs force feet (lbf.ft) or lbs force inches (lbf.in) (Do not confuse the two!) Its also measured in Newton metres (N.m)

If no torque value is given in the instructions or workshop manual, you can find a standard torque chart such as the one below which will give you a rough guide as to how tight to go - you just need to know the size of the bolt you are fitting. Obviously check that any chart you are using refers to the materials the bolt is made of, but in almost every case vehicles will use steel bolts. The chart below is for steel.





Hope this makes some sense.

Hi max thank you and thank you for the torque table I will print it off yes all makes sense my main one was how tight the nuts should be on the ends of the damper where they fit to the brackets

Dawn, the only things I can add is that if you don't have a torque wrench and wish to buy one, then spend a little more and get a decent quality one simply for accuracy. The Halfords 'Advanced ones; while expensive to buy come with a proper lifetime warranty. (I think they might be rebranded Norbar ones).

There are several types but get one that "clicks" when you reach desired torque. Because it utilises a spring, it is very important to wind the value back to zero for storage. (I have a Norbar wrench from the 1980s which I've looked after, and when I checked its calibration last year on a special test-rig where I work, it was still pretty-much spot-on),

The difficulty you will have is choosing a wrench that gives the widest torque range for your needs, but you could use that chart to help you decide.

Hi max got wrench but just wondered how tight the damper should be when attached to the brackets there are 2 nuts each end take it one is a locking nut

Looking at your photos its a bit hard to see what is what, and as I haven't yet done the same job on my car, understanding how it all goes together and what you mean exactly isn't clear, but I assume you mean the attachment points on the ends of the damper itself(?).

I imagine one of the two nuts will be a lock-nut or stiff-nut of some description (such as a Nyloc with a plastic/nylon insert in the end of it).
Either way, I think I would just decide what size the nut is, and then refer to a metric (assuming they are metric) chart to find the torque value.

Using the torque wrench on the locking nut and another spanner (preferrably ring type) on the other nut, tighten the two together. Might be a bit fiddly doing this if you're on your own.

I can't believe there won't be a nyloc type nut and they have given you two plain nuts, but another form of locking is to tighten two nuts together, against each other; it's not ideal but it does work.

As long as these compnents are done up well, and there are no gaps under the nuts I don't think that this will be too critical on this particular component - ie if the damper fell off it wouldnt stop the car steering, (though there is the potential that it could restrict the steering if it somehow got jammed)

I was always taught to tighten the nut to the bottom of the threaded part of the spindle so that the washers and rubbers are all held on the plain section of the spindle. I'm not saying this is right just how I have been taught.

You might well be right Lambert - thats why I added that paragraph at the end of my last post. The question hangs over what that threaded part on the damper is attached to internally.
However if the two nuts are being tightened against each other at the attachment points without applying any torque to the stud on the damper itself I would think that a standard torque could apply on the two nuts.

Not sure that makes sense but hopefully so

Hi yes lambert that is the nut I am talking about on the spindle of the damper