Poly bushing for front sway bar and end links

The installation of the front sway bar poly bushing and end links is relatively simple.

I ran the truck up on ramps to gain more room under the lowered Explorer.

Liquid Wrench was sprayed on all the nuts that need to be removed and allow to do it thing while I ate breakfast.

I decided to install the sway bar bushings first. The 4 bolts that hold on the bushing brackets ( 2) were removed as were the rubber bushings. The new poly bushings were installed and their support brackets reattached. The poly bushing were a very snug fit and had to be persuaded to fit in place.

Next, the end links were removed. This was easily done by cutting them in two and pulling out ( you use no parts from the original links, spacer, bushing or buts ). The new end links with their poly bushings and spacers were then installed and tightened.

I am thoroughly amazed that Explorer Express does not include the front sway bar poly bushings and the end links/bushings with their X Spec suspension kits nor do they install them on their test truck, the Explorer X.

I then took the truck out for a test ride to see what effect these new additions had. The front immediately felt tighter and was a bit harsher on bumps. However, the cornering was vastly improved; I was able to easily go through a sweeping, banked curve 10 MPH faster than before. I felt glued to the ground.

Conclusion: this is a MUST add on.

 

[aldive]

,,,, and the new end links with poly bushings.

 

[Fischer]

Grease??

I just recieved mine yesterday. I hope that these don't affect the handling off road in a negative way.

So did you grease your bushings? The directions say to grease them but they don't really say where to apply the grease or what kind of grease to use.

I have a nice grease with a memory though I am not sure if the Poly bushings need a special type of grease. I am pretty sure that they wont deteriorate with any type of grease.

The grease I have is for bicycles, headsets, cranks and the such. Very thick and stringy (memory).

Also what do you torque the bolts at?

Thanks for the info. And any tips are apprec.

 

[88vert]

Aldive is right on {must have}

There should be a grease in the kit,I did my front and rears last week and it is like night and day the rears kind of sucked,I had to sawzall all the bolts out

 

[aldive]

I used the greece that was included with my bushings.

The torque specs are as follows:

Front Stabilizer Bar Link Nuts 21-29 Nm (15-21 ft. lbs.)

Rear Stabilizer Bar-to-Link Nut 68-92 Nm (50-68 ft. lbs.)

 

[Fischer]

Rear LInk bushing removal?? Impossible?

aldive,

How did you remove the bushings in the rear drop links?
I can't seem to get them to budge. WD-40'd them and let soak, but to no avail.

Can't really cut them.

Advice?

 

[aldive]

Re: Rear LInk bushing removal?? Impossible?

Originally posted by Fischer
aldive,

How did you remove the bushings in the rear drop links?
I can't seem to get them to budge. WD-40'd them and let soak, but to no avail.

Can't really cut them.

Advice?

I have not replaced these since I cannot find poly replacements anywhere.

 

[Sethro]

Explorer Express told me that I would have to use a press to get the end links out on both the front and the rear. Does anyone know if this is true. I know Aldive cut his front links in half but it seems like they would still need to be pressed out.

 

[X24]

Aldive, Where did you pick up the parts? How much? I would like to since most of the roads near me are curvey and the speed limit is 55.

 

[aldive]

I got mine from Explorer Express out of their printed caralog. They can't seem to figuer out it is easier to update the online catalog. Sorry. I don't remember the price.

 

[Sethro]

Do you have to press them out?

 

[aldive]

Originally posted by Sethro
Do you have to press them out?

No. There is a write up of the install ( the first post in this thread ).

 

[CBoug76]

I just Ordered my Front sway bar links and bushings....
I will try and do a Detailed Project write up when I swap these in Next weekend.....

 

[CBoug76]

AL, Do you have any idea on the Diameter of the Link?
Say if I wanted to make it a Quck Disconnect, what inside Diameter should the shaft I use have?

Thanks!

 

[aldive]

Sorry, I do not know.

 

[aldive]

Three years later…. I had a front sway bar end link ( drivers side ) break.

Maybe break isn’t the best word. Actually what happened is that the metal “cap” ( that goes over the bushing ) split and slid up the inner tube and brought the bushing with it. This resulted in a gosh awful noise emanating from the driver’s front upon hitting rough places in the road.

I went to Auto Zone and purchases a set of replacement poly ( red ) bushings and the metal caps for $9.95.

A 16 mm box end wrench, a 15 mm socket on my air ratchet and about 10 minutes and the job was finished.

The front end definitely felt tighter after the installation and the sound was gone..

 

[aldive]

I had some spare time today and changed the passenger side front sway bar end link bushings.

The old ones looked perfect, however, since I had new ones, I replaced them.

This side took less than 5 minutes.

 

[17Mark71]

My Passeneger side one just plain broke. The top bushing,threaded portion and nut are gone!

 

[storlied]

You and red... lol.. =) (Yea, I'm talking about you Al)

 

[kerstingm]

Three years later…. I had a front sway bar end link ( drivers side ) break.

Maybe break isn’t the best word. Actually what happened is that the metal “cap” ( that goes over the bushing ) split and slid up the inner tube and brought the bushing with it. This resulted in a gosh awful noise emanating from the driver’s front upon hitting rough places in the road.

I went to Auto Zone and purchases a set of replacement poly ( red ) bushings and the metal caps for $9.95.

A 16 mm box end wrench, a 15 mm socket on my air ratchet and about 10 minutes and the job was finished.

The front end definitely felt tighter after the installation and the sound was gone..

I tried to do this last night I had the same thing happen, but what I thought
was going to be a 20 to 30 min job wasn't. I couldn't get the old links out
what was your secret? Is cutting them out the way to go also do you need to jack up the truck to take the weight off of the front end.