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Old 04-20-2004, 07:25 PM   #1 (permalink)
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WRITE UP: How to adjust trunk Torsion Rods

When a spoiler is installed or uninstalled, it is a good idea to adjust the tension rods for the trunk lid due to the wieght change.

Many people assume that springs need to be swapped out from a base to SH or vice versa, but that is wrong.
Honda trunks, for the most part, are held up with tension rods (or torsion bars).

There are two settings for the rods.
One for with-spoiler and one for without-spoiler

The adjustment is easy and only takes minutes.

** STEP ONE **

TOOLS

These are just something I found in my garage.

You can use whatever you want, but you want something long and strong to use as a lever. Ideally, you want it small so you can fit it inside the trunk. (I had a big flat head screwdriver at first and it wasn't cutting it because the handle was getting in the way.)

Secondly, you want something big and flat to hit with.

You'll see what I mean as the write up continues.


** STEP TWO **

****BEFORE****

This is a picture of my base model without a spoiler installed. Because I installed a spoiler, I want to move the tension rod to the next notch.


** STEP THREE **



CLOSE the trunk and crawl inside through the rear seat.
Don't try to do it with the trunk opened, because you'll be adding tension to the rods which will make it harder to adjust.
(forgive me - but I tried my best to take some good pictures. It's hard when you're laying down and trying to do two things at once )

Next, take your lever and stick it into the rods as showed above.


** STEP FOUR **





Pull the lever up to lift the torsion rod out of its notch.
You maybe able to push the lever forward to push the rod to the next notch.
If you can't, take something, such as the back end of a hammer, and hit the torsion rod into the next notch.

** DONE **



Now do the same to the other side.

EASY HUH?!?!?!
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Old 04-20-2004, 08:44 PM   #2 (permalink)
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what a guy, checking this out for Sandiegan. nice writeup
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Old 04-20-2004, 09:18 PM   #3 (permalink)
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yes, but what about those with carbon fiber trunks? mine flys up everytime I open it.
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Old 04-20-2004, 09:59 PM   #4 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally posted by 94AccordSedan
yes, but what about those with carbon fiber trunks? mine flys up everytime I open it.
remove the tension rods.

nice write-up BTW Someone should FAQ this.
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Old 04-20-2004, 10:04 PM   #5 (permalink)
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very useful.... i deffinalty want to do it
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Old 04-20-2004, 10:39 PM   #6 (permalink)
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yea for CF I cut one of mine with a dremel.
Now it doesn't spring up at all and it'll stay up if opened.
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Old 04-21-2004, 07:56 AM   #7 (permalink)
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Holy crap! I need to do this tonight hahah.. thanks man
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Old 04-21-2004, 10:09 AM   #8 (permalink)
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nice writeup natc99.

I found that even with this done, when I installed the heavier Accord auto trunk popper, the trunk wouldn't open very high, and not at all on a hill.


What I ended up doing was taking a couple of pieces of aluminum (about 1/2 an inch thick) and inserting it between the trunk lid bracket and the torsion rod on both sides. Works like a charm.
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Old 04-21-2004, 12:08 PM   #9 (permalink)
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so there is only 2 settings -- one with and one without spoiler? if mine is already set on "with spoiler", am i SOL?
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Old 04-21-2004, 05:45 PM   #10 (permalink)
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yeah, it looks like there are only two settings.
mmmm....you can try what kotetu did.
or get some hydrolic lifters and custom mount them for extra lifting power.

my trunk holds up a lot better now that my rods are adjusted.
it doesn't POP open, but at least I don't have to worry about it falling on my head as I'm getting stuff out of the trunk.
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Old 04-22-2004, 12:21 AM   #11 (permalink)
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Old 04-22-2004, 01:21 AM   #12 (permalink)
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kotetu... can you elaborate?
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Old 04-22-2004, 02:20 AM   #13 (permalink)
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well cant you just buy the stiffer springs if yours didnt come with it stock?
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Old 04-22-2004, 05:17 AM   #14 (permalink)
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Sandiegan-

see this picture here?



All I did was wedge a 1/3-1/2 inch piece of metal between the torsion bar and the trunk lid mount on the BOTTOM RIGHT of the picture.

what that does is increase the twist (torsion) of the torsion springs, causing them to lift more firmly when opened.

btw, mine DOES spring up, and holds perfectly steady now on a slope (my head thanks me).
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Old 04-22-2004, 06:05 AM   #15 (permalink)
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My spoiler came with an extra torsion spring that added the lift needed.
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Old 04-23-2004, 01:26 PM   #16 (permalink)
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OK, stupid question here. What will this do? When I unlock mine, it just unlocks. It doesn't flip up at all. It is the same whether I use the flippy thing by the driver's seat or the remote for my Clifford alarm. Also, when I put it in the upright position, it will fall down with a gust of wind. Is mine not setup correctly?

BTW:- I had my boot lid's lock hole welded over and the boot lid resprayed last week. Very nice. No sign of the lock whatsoever.
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Old 04-23-2004, 04:07 PM   #17 (permalink)
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thx kotetu, now i have to fine some metal :hammer:
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Old 04-26-2004, 10:11 AM   #18 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally posted by Prelude UK
OK, stupid question here. What will this do? When I unlock mine, it just unlocks. It doesn't flip up at all. It is the same whether I use the flippy thing by the driver's seat or the remote for my Clifford alarm. Also, when I put it in the upright position, it will fall down with a gust of wind. Is mine not setup correctly?

BTW:- I had my boot lid's lock hole welded over and the boot lid resprayed last week. Very nice. No sign of the lock whatsoever.

Prelude UK-

At the center of the two torsion springs, there is a plastic clip that holds the springs into the body of the car. Make sure that this is still connected.

if it has come out, your springs won't work right, and also, the only way to fix it without damaging the hole is to remove the springs, then put the clip back in, then put the springs back in.

If you try to just jam the clip back in while the springs are inserted, you will bend the edges of the hole, causing the spring to come out all the time. Honda did this to me, and now I have 4 zip ties holding the clip in thanks to their ineptness.

sandiegan-

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Old 12-17-2005, 03:14 PM   #19 (permalink)
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Any advice on how to reinstall a bar after you've removed one?
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Old 12-17-2005, 06:04 PM   #20 (permalink)
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I have an aftermarket oem copy spoiler and I just noticed that my springs were on the first notch. Whenever I pop the trunk it just moves up about an inch and stays there. I moved the springs to the higher tension and it still does the same. It doesn't pop up all the way but hopefully it will keep it off of my head when the wind blows!
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