Hi...I just installed the DC Front Strut Tie Bar. I installed it exactly as I was supposed to (I jacked up the car and all). Now I am no car master, but I think I did it right.

Anyway, the bar is causing a horrible rattle under the hood by hitting against another piece (pic below). Some have said that it is the MAF sensor, but I don't know. In any case, it is connected to the air box. (I have no CAI or SRI - it is stock). By pushing the piece down and away from the bar, the rattle stops, but unless I can find someone to hold the piece down under the hood while i'm driving, I have a problem. I know alot of people use the DC tie bar, so does anyone know/have the remedy to this problem.

~Jay

P.S. I know I'm not alone with this issue, so some advice would be beneficial to many - THANKS!

 

could i make a sugestion maby put a small washer under the strut bar to bring it up just a hair?? just a thought

 

I thought of it too, but the entire connection of the bar is sitting on the strut tower. My step-father has the idea of slightly shifting the air shaft (I don't know the real name). He thinks I should just losen the screw and rotate it so the sensor is just a little bit lower. All of this seems experimental, has anyone tried anything that works?

 

well that sounds like a cheap fix that easy to try i mean its not like u can bent the strut bar lol its desined to pervent bending lol try play with the intake tube and see what happens i mena its not like u can hurt anything there

 

I think I might have found the "factory" solution to your problem. On TRD Sparks website I found this install guide. Go to page 5 of 6 once you have the Acrobat window up. That should help. http://www.trdsparks.com/install/00016-80440inst.pdf
Good luck
Edit:
If this doesn't work/help and no one else jumps in, I will ask the guy I work with that has a tC with that strut bar, what he did to solve the problem.

 

thats not your maf, its your evap. it wont hurt your evap but its annoying as hell. the evap is attached by a bolt and hose, unbolt it, grab a ziptie and bring it down a little.

 

I see what you mean there, but that is the installation for a different bar that doesn't have this same problem. It just talks about repositioning the wires. As the picture shows, I clipped the wire tie so the wires are hanging lower (it seems to be fine like that), but the actual plug is what is still in the way!

 

unbolt that plug and drop it down a little, you dont need that plug bolted. it wont hit anymore.

 

ok from the photo you see that small little black piece that seems to be sitting flush with your strut bar, that little piece has a bolt that holds it in place. unbolt that bolt, and it should be able to move freely since it will be held with rubber tubing. as far as i can see thats the only thing that is hitting.

 

That bolt is attached to the intake tube. I don't believe that I am able to drop it down. I agree that it would help, but I don't know how to do it. I tried moving it down, but to shift the connection plug would mean that i'd have to shift the air tube.

Unbolting it is easy, but how can I drop it down without shifting the air tube?

 

Ah ok. I'll give that a shot

 

its ok to shift the air tube, its only a tube. move the air tube down a little and zip tie it. were talking a matter of centimeters to fix the problem, be creative and get in there, your nuking it .

 

Yea, I actually just rotated it a little bit as to lower the plug a bit. It isn't a lot, but I think it did the trick. All I did was basically losen the screw that holds the air tube in place, rotated it, and tightened the tube to hold it in place. I hope that'll be enough b/c I have not been able to move the plug even a millimeter!

 

you should be fine, also you should be able to move that plastic piece alot, i dont see why you can only move it a little bit, if anything push the hose down further.

 

What plastic piece are you refering to, and what hose? Because I would like to give the bar even a little more room than I have!

 

lol ok listen, what exactly is rubbing? is the piece in the far right of the photo rubbing? the piece with the wires coming out of it, or is it the little rounded piece? from the photo it looks like the little rounded piece.

 

First, I'm sorry for my ignorance and thanks for dealing with me!

I've circled here the piece that is rubbing.



The bar is hitting the top of that plug

 

ok yeah, thats what i was talking about.. it should only be attached by 1 bolt, you might have to remove the top of your air box to unbolt it.. once you unbolt it you should be able to slide that piece down or bend it over and zip tie it. true me, mine is just hanging it place, so i know its not attached to that air box. its ok to move the lines on it, wont hurt it. i think that little clip thats holding it in place need to be opened or moved, then i believe it has a bolt below, if not, just pull up on the piece, you might have to remove the strut bar to relocate that piece.

 

I hear you. I guess I haven't seen the bolt because I haven't openned the air box. I'll definitely do as you said. Maybe i'll be able to just slide it down a bit. Plenty of options you mentioned though, so i'm sure that at least one of them will help me. lol. Thanks a lot for your help!

 

tomorrow ill go look at the piece in my engine bay and ill tell you how it was mounted, if there was a bolt or not.