need a part identified

[clueless dad]

my daughtr has bent a part on her 99 explorer rear suspention,it is a approximate 1 inch diameter steel bar that attatches to the rear wheel brake caliper assembly and extends to the center of the vehicle , what is it called any help out there?????

 

[steventadams]

Sway bar maybe? A picture might help if you have one.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[90ranajo]

Is this the part you are refferring too?

 

[clueless dad]

wish i could provide a photo,thanks for responding though, your pic shows the sway bar or control arm , or whatever it is,but it runs front to rear, the part i am trying to figure out runs perpendicular to the vehicle ,it mounts at the rear of the back brake caliper and attaches at the middle of the chassis right behind the differetial. it parralels the rear suspension 'A ' frame

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Check the photo gallery on this site for a picture. You could also do a photo search on Google. It would help if you could get a photo of it.

 

[wildcatsmale]

its a lateral link from the looks of it

 

[Pensa]

That positions the rear axle, if it's bent enough it could cause the truck to run a little sideways.

 

[wildcatsmale]

oh ya, you ever see those cars along the highway taking up the left and right side of a lane, its usually thier rear links are gone, if the bolts are not to rusted its easy to do, just pick one up at the scrap yard.

 

[gijoecam]

wish i could provide a photo,thanks for responding though, your pic shows the sway bar or control arm , or whatever it is,but it runs front to rear, the part i am trying to figure out runs perpendicular to the vehicle ,it mounts at the rear of the back brake caliper and attaches at the middle of the chassis right behind the differetial. it parralels the rear suspension 'A ' frame

This is where I'm confused... There is no A-frame on the 99 Explorer... it has a solid rear axle. The only thing connected to the brake caliper is the brake hose.

Now, if it's an '02 or newer, the rear lower control arm also has a rear toe link that connects to the spindle just below the caliper... Maybe you have the wrong year? The toe link would be roughly a 1" diameter bar that runs from the knuckle over to the frame sub-assembly that the rear differential and lower control arms are mounted to.... don't have a pic that'll help though...

-Joe

 

[CDW6212R]

Ditto, the description sounds like a Watts link, a horizontal axle locating suspension link. The Explorers before 2002 don't have those. Regards,

 

[gijoecam]

Ditto, the description sounds like a Watts link, a horizontal axle locating suspension link. The Explorers before 2002 don't have those. Regards,

Neither do the '02-up Explorers. A Watts link is used on a solid axle. IIRC, some of the Dodge Durangos use them. It allows the axle to travel vertically, but not laterally like a pan-hard rod does (actually swings in a radius, but the net result is some degree of lateral suspension movement).

Here's a link that shows the difference:
http://www.miracerros.com/mustang/t_suspension.htm

Scroll all the way to the bottom for a simple GIF animation...

The '02-up Explorers use a independent rear suspension that utilizes a conventional double-a-arm or double-wish-bone suspension, and uses the rear toe link to set and lock the rear toe (similar to a tie rod on the front end, except it doesn't move to steer the vehicle). The Explorer uses a coilover shock (not a strut) to support the vehicle.

Another way to differentiate the two is if she has a coil spring, it's an '02-up. If she has leaf springs, she has something before the end of '01. Make sense?

 

[CDW6212R]

That's true, I forgot that it doesn't go on IRS suspensions. I've seen a few newer Lincolns lately that I wished I could have the rear out of.

 

[96eb96]

Neither do the '02-up Explorers. A Watts link is used on a solid axle. IIRC, some of the Dodge Durangos use them. It allows the axle to travel vertically, but not laterally like a pan-hard rod does (actually swings in a radius, but the net result is some degree of lateral suspension movement).

Here's a link that shows the difference:
http://www.miracerros.com/mustang/t_suspension.htm

Scroll all the way to the bottom for a simple GIF animation...

The '02-up Explorers use a independent rear suspension that utilizes a conventional double-a-arm or double-wish-bone suspension, and uses the rear toe link to set and lock the rear toe (similar to a tie rod on the front end, except it doesn't move to steer the vehicle). The Explorer uses a coilover shock (not a strut) to support the vehicle.

Another way to differentiate the two is if she has a coil spring, it's an '02-up. If she has leaf springs, she has something before the end of '01. Make sense?

The new explorer suspensions look like they are a takeoff from the mid 90s tbird and mk 8/cobra setups.

 

[gijoecam]

The new explorer suspensions look like they are a takeoff from the mid 90s tbird and mk 8/cobra setups.

Actually, the t-bird rear end used a lwoer control arm that located the knuckle in two places, eliminating the need for a toe link. Rear toe would have been set with a set of cam washers, similar to the upper control arm on the front end of the Explorers. It also used a conventional coil spring in between the LCA spring bucket and the frame, and the shock was mounted elsewhere on the LCA. The Explorer uses a coilover shock.

The MKVIII used a similar setup to the T-bird, but used an air spring instead of a coil spring. IIRC, the only major difference was in the upper spring mount attached to the frame, but don't quote me on that...

The Cobra rear ends were an entire beast unto themselves... The IRS for the '99 Cobra was an entire subassembly that bolted up in place of the entire rear axle and control arm assemblies. That whole thing was a monster, but the first thing a lot of guys did was yank it out and put the solid axle back under it. For the track, the IRS was awesome, but on the strip, it was useless. But I digress... It, too, used a double-wishbone, with a solid knuckle, not a toe-link like the Explorers... Separate coil and shock as well.

So, similar? Sure... but only if you lump all IRS's together.