2005 4wd Explorer that needs sway bar linkages replaced, money is very tight.

[Westkane]

High from Kane, PA, land of cold and snow. My son has my 2005 4wd Explorer at Westminster college in New Wilmington. I just found out that the torsion/sway bar links are broke and need replaced. I prefer to do myself as every penny counts as I am basically retired due to health reasons. I'm 57, My wife is 59, and she is the sole source of income for us, and we have 2 kids in college, one in Westminster, the girl in Mercyhurst in Erie PA. So I try to repair what I can, This looks fairly simple to replace the links, and I would probably replace the bar bushing also. I can get the parts much cheaper than the local auto parts place, and the local Ford dealer wants big bucks to do the repair. Its a 2005 Auto 4WD, Auto, with 6 Cyl. I have seen several articles on this type of repair, but can't seem to get the pictures to load with the repair narrative, It is Photobucket and says to go to www.photobucket.com/P500, but have not been able to get the pictures to load. Any of youinz the experts tell me what I need to do? In so far as the repair, it looks like I need a pair of sway bar links, and I would probably replace the torsion bar bushings also, and tighten using a torque wrench. In a simplified narrative, that seems to be the basics to it. Can someone confirm this please? I'm looking for the experts such as yourselves for feed back, plus how to load the pictures. I see Joe dirt has a nice write up, but I can't get the pics in photobucket to load. With 2 kids in college on 1 income, money is Really tight. I would greatly appreciate any feedback, I come seeking knowledge, ideas, tricks of the trades, etc, that would help me with this. Thank you in advance for your thoughts, opinions input, and knowledge. Thank You all and God Bless.

 

[Donystoy]

This is one of the easier jobs to do. Just make sure you raise the front of the vehicle evenly and support securely. Remove wheels for ease of access to the links. The only issue you might have is that the bolts frequently seize into the original plastic sleeves. An angle grinder with a cut-off wheel comes in handy here. The bushings are just a matter of undoing the bolts and installing the new ones.
Just do not try this job with only one side raised off the ground as this puts tension on the bar.

 

[Westkane]

This is one of the easier jobs to do. Just make sure you raise the front of the vehicle evenly and support securely. Remove wheels for ease of access to the links. The only issue you might have is that the bolts frequently seize into the original plastic sleeves. An angle grinder with a cut-off wheel comes in handy here. The bushings are just a matter of undoing the bolts and installing the new ones.
Just do not try this job with only one side raised off the ground as this puts tension on the bar.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

 

[Tech By Trade]

I do mine at least once a year. Pretty simple fix. I don't even lift the truck anymore, just turn the tire to one side and swap it out and do the other. Up here they don't usually last long enough to freeze. Usually the bushings fall apart long before they break. You will be fine. Good luck.