pic of broken EE swaybar bracket

[Rhett]

Attached should be a pic of my broken EE swaybar bracket...
I have no idea how it broke...anyone seen this happen before??

 

[spindlecone]

You had to have bottomed out the bar on somthing to tear the bracket out, no way that would just happen

 

[blueox]

Did it bend the sway bar also? It looks like you hit something. Good time to install pillow blocks

 

[Rhett]

Hrm well it did happen. And no, I do not think I hit the bar on anything. I think I would know it if I did...The bar is perfectly straight and undamaged.
Is it possible the bracket was defective?

 

[spindlecone]

Hrm well it did happen. And no, I do not think I hit the bar on anything. I think I would know it if I did...The bar is perfectly straight and undamaged.
Is it possible the bracket was defective?

Don't see how it could be defective, it's been somehow physically bent.
Looks like you could bend it back in place tho.

 

[Lee S.]

I didn't have to install the front EE sway bar on my 98 since it already had the beefier one stock. However (and I'm not 100% certain) I seem to remember reusing the stock bracket over the EE bushing when I installed my rear EE sway bar. Not sure if it was the same for the front on your 94.

Did the metal bracket actually break (tear). Is that a lock washer on the bolt or part of the bracket? From your pic, it kind of looks like the bracket just pulled out from under the bolt head. Any chance the bolt was loose?

 

[blueox]

Surely the metal is torn I can't see why EE would create a bracket that isn't boxed and if one bolt comes loose the bracket would pull out from underneath it and release the bar but... who knows? I was looking at what was left of the hanging bracket but that could have been bent back by the bar itself as it tried to do it's job.

What made you look/find it Rhett was it making noise.

 

[blueox]

Looking again.....I think I see a possible reason. The factory bracket is stepped for the extra thickness on one side for the factory crossbrace up front. If you used a different sway bracket without the offset I wonder if this would have left a small amount of play and as the bar cycles hundreds of times I wonder if it fatigued the metal and well the picture shows the rest.

 

[Rhett]

Don't see how it could be defective, it's been somehow physically bent.
Looks like you could bend it back in place tho.

If you look closely, you can see that the bracket is actually ripped apart..
It's not simply bent...it broke.

 

[Rhett]

What made you look/find it Rhett was it making noise.

I was messing with the belt tensioner and was underneath the truck...I was pretty surprised to see that...

 

[spindlecone]

If you look closely, you can see that the bracket is actually ripped apart..
It's not simply bent...it broke.

Would have to think it sufferd some trauma

 

[Rhett]

Did the metal bracket actually break (tear). Is that a lock washer on the bolt or part of the bracket? From your pic, it kind of looks like the bracket just pulled out from under the bolt head. Any chance the bolt was loose?

I doubt the bolt was loose...because the bracket gave way first.

What you see there by the bolt is not a lock washer; it is actually part of the bracket that broke.

The bar has been on there about a year, and I last lubed it in March, and all appeared to be fine at that time. Is it possible these brackets can give way like this? Under normal use? I mean, I haven't been massively flexing this truck. Very babied.

 

[Creager]

over-tightened maybe?

is that bracket aluminum? It looks like the bracket cracked around the bolt, then the sway bar worked the bracket around the bolt head. and finally, bending it to where it is now... atleast you get a first hand look of about how much force gets applied on that sway bar.

Id say get a steel bracket. you must put it through some abuse =)

 

[Rhett]

Abuse, yeah. I guess I can get a steel bracket made at a metal fabricating shop?
I'm not sure if I want to contact EE about a new bracket or not.

 

[Lee S.]

I'm no expert but if I'm not mistaken, I believe there were problems with the front stock sway bars on 1st gen X's. I know the stock front sway bar on my brother in law's 94X fell off and I think I've seen similar threads about it here. I'd say there is probably a lot of stress that the EE bracket could not handle. I'd let EE know.

 

[Creager]

Abuse, yeah. I guess I can get a steel bracket made at a metal fabricating shop?
I'm not sure if I want to contact EE about a new bracket or not.

I think you can get those brackets from Autozone... they have greaseble ones too i believe. They might not fit though...

contact EE first, see if they can sell you one for cheap

 

[CDW6212R]

Question, is that a 1st gen. Explorer? Do all of the 1st gen. Explorers have the same anti-sway bar bracket, etc? My 91 and 93 four door Explorers both have brackets which extend about three inches down from the frame.

Is that the same design as the original brackets? There isn't supposed to be a ton of stress on anti-sway bar brackets. All of the forces are in one plane, up or down. The bolts and frame are very strong. If the parts are the appropriate ones, I'd be worried.

Compare the original brackets to those. Typically you can use the factory brackets with aftermarket bushings. Consider using factory brackets, good luck.

 

[CDW6212R]

At rest, is the anti-sway bar level? It should be level at the normal ride height. If not, too much side load(front to back) is created at the mounting points. Good luck,

 

[410Fortune]

oh well jsut get a new one, looks to be the factory strap part, correct?

 

[blueox]

Looking again.....I think I see a possible reason. The factory bracket is stepped for the extra thickness on one side for the factory crossbrace up front. If you used a different sway bracket without the offset I wonder if this would have left a small amount of play and as the bar cycles hundreds of times I wonder if it fatigued the metal and well the picture shows the rest.

I hope this doesn't come off the wrong way because I'm not trying to be a smart### ( I was looking at some of my posts and I was a d*ck.... it must come natural??) but I think maybe this isn't the right bracket. The bracket doesn't have to be factory but it will probably need the offset in order to make the bushing sit flush, without any play.