rear link arm bolt

[Ean Austral]

Gday All,


Just been reading about the number of rear link arm bolts that are breaking on the D3 /D4 .


I am wondering if this should be a preventive maintenance job to replace at say 100,000ks or some similar age /kms shedual.


I would imagine carrying spare bolts would be ok, but knowing how bolts usually break , being on the side of the road or track and trying to dig out a snapped bolt that level in the housing is usually beyond the limited tools that most would carry.


Does anyone or has anyone changed these as a preventive thing.


Cheers Ean

[~Rich~]

Yeah I changed mine as preventative maintenance. Got the old one as a spare now.

[Ean Austral]

Yeah I changed mine as preventative maintenance. Got the old one as a spare now.


Gday Rich,


Where did you get the bolts from ? and is it 1 each side ?


Cheers Ean

[justinc]

Hi ean i bought them from landrover. Always replace them after removing and refitting arm. Yes 1 each side. Jc

[~Rich~]

I just asked my mechanic to order one in from Purnell, fitted when the car was serviced.

Not mine but here is a bent one!
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/06/573.jpg

[eddy]

Ean,I take it these are the M14x80mm bolts part RYG501580.LRdirect sell them as packs of five for $90 delivered from the UK.Does this indicate them as
a weak spot or maintenance item?Replace them at home rather than by the side of the road!

[Graeme]

There's a suggestion that they may break if loosened during a rear wheel alignment then re-torqued rather than removed and retreated with thread locker or a new pre-treated bolt fitted. They are not required to be loosened for an alignment but apparently some aligners do anyway. If a bolt is not properly torqued then it will break.

For an upcoming outback trip I will carry spare bolts and tools to remove the broken bolt even though mine's bolts have never been loosened.

[LRD414]

For an upcoming outback trip I will carry spare bolts and tools to remove the broken bolt even though mine's bolts have never been loosened.

Graeme, what tools do you plan to carry for removing broken bolt?

Cheers,
Scott

[Graeme]

Portable drill and ezi-out, centre punch and hammer. If its loose then the centre-punch might be enough to rotate it otherwise do it the hard way.

[Ean Austral]

Surely there must be an aftermarket bolt that can be used , M14 x 80mm is not an uncommon size bolt.


Why would L/R sell them as a pack of 5 ? seems like a strange number of bolts when they are a pair. Does L/R know something we don't.


Cheers Ean

[LRD414]

Why would L/R sell them as a pack of 5 ? seems like a strange number of bolts when they are a pair.

I wondered this too when I was getting told "pack of 5" or "single bolt" against the same part number depending on where I was looking to get the bolts from. But in the end, I got 2 x single bolt using part number RYG501580, even though the same number can also indicate a pack of 5.:confused: I ended up getting them through the dealer.

Scott

[Graeme]

The bolts have a captive washer of a diameter appropriate for the bush size and are pre-treated with a thread locker. They can be purchased individually from a LR dealer. Packs are probably for workshops although 5 is still a strange qty.

I bought 2 as I was going to change both the originals but decided not to disturb them. A single spare is really all that's needed and a normal grade 5 HT bolt, thread locker and a suitable washer would do the job at least to get out of trouble, if not permanently.