PTSFX

Hi all - just returned from Sebring for the first time with my new suspension and the nut that secures the setting for the front LCA on my rear driver side keeps coming loose. Going to take it for an alignment and will mention it to them just curious if anyone else has experienced this issue? Assume they’ll just throw some loctite on it.

De Jeeper

What kind of car do u drive? May have a bearing on the advice we give u.

Usually the nuts are a locking style. Sometimes they wear out. I would bring the shop a new bolt and nut as a loose bolt in that position will fatige.

PTSFX

2010 Cayman S. Suspension is brand new - this is happening after just one track day.

jdistefa

^ De Jeeper is referring to locking nuts that are used for most of the suspension hardware.

By "suspension brand new" I'm assuming (assuming) that you mean your dampers are new. Is anything else new or aftermarket?

There are six potential nuts for the rear suspension of your Cayman - three inboard, and three outboard.

It sounds like you're referring to the nut on the trailing/thrust arm that attaches to the main lower control arm.

Pictures would help... but general advice is to:

1. Replace the nut with a new OEM one
2. Use blue loctite
3. Torque to factory specs

PTSFX

Realize I confused everyone with the name of the topic - my apologies it was a long weekend!

The nut that loosens (two really) are on the Elephant Racing lower control arm. So the larger outboard nut that locks the rear toe setting in place as well as the small inbound nut that locks the headlight level sensor in place.

Neither seem to want to stay put, so I’m assuming Loctite is the answer. :/

85Gold

Or you could use the appropriate size lock washer instead of loctite.

Peter

De Jeeper

Ok so its the heim jamb nut. I figured it wad the other side of the arm.

For a heim jamb nut i usually make sure the heim is straight and use a screw driver or a wedge to keep it straight when tightening. Then tighen as much as u can. U can really crank on these because they r so large.

I suspect that the heim was rotated when tightened and it exceeded its rotational range when driving. This caused the shank to rotate and loosen the nuts.

stownsen914

It may be worth your while to make sure the joint isn't binding through the range of motion of the suspension. Or possibly the body of the joint is contacting something, forcing it to loosen. You dont want either of those things to happen.

PTSFX

Thanks all. Taking it to a shop for an alignment Monday and will certainly point all this out.

Karguy66

I know this is an old thread, but am curious about the fix…Did you retighten, use loctite, lock / retainer nut, or ?

Also curious if it ever happened again and if the fix was permanent/ acceptable?

I ask as I’m considering using same LCAs on my Cayman

TIA!

winders

Now that is funny. Lock washers don’t do anything useful. Nord-Lock washers, on the other hand, actually work….but no lock washers are appropriate in this application.

wgn

I have these control arms on my Cayman. It's a pain to get those adjuster locknuts secure, made worse in this case by having the litronic headlight bracket between the nuts. The middle "nut" in the photo is the adjuster, the nut on the right is the locknut. Having the bracket between the nut and locknut is also, let's say, less than ideal for the locknut to be effective.

The adjuster and locknut in the photo are 26mm and require ultra thin open end wrenches (not exactly something everyone has lying around). Worse, there is a lot of stuff in the way: I bought two 26mm wrenches and cut one down to about 5" long because it was the only way I could get two wrenches in there.

My guess? The shop didn't get the locknut tight, and so it backed off and the adjuster walked a bit as the suspension cycled.

Make sure they are tightened and check them periodically. I had one come loose only once in a lot of years racing, and I assumed I hadn't gotten the locknut secure enough.

Oh, I would also avoid loctite. These things are are already a pain to break loose.

PTSFX

It was eventually resolved, and I partially blame the shop that did the install. That being said, I also had one of the ball joints fail, and have heard others complain about that same issue, so I would avoid this product all together for a variety of reasons.

bcrdukes

Not related, but somewhat related to your sentiments on Elephant Racing.
https://rennlist.com/forums/performa...s-quality.html

Karguy66

Thank you for the update and insight