Stabilizer "Pins" (what are they and how are they replaced?)

[ajrn]

My g/f's Explorer is driving like a Winnebago with a flat tire. I don't drive it much-- so I didn't realize it had gotten this bad..

I noticed the tires were about shot-- so I ordered shocks, then took it to WallyWorld for some tires..

The tire tech told me my rear brake pads were about gone, and my front stabilizer "pins" were broken..

Are these something that are easily replaced?? I did a quick look in my Haynes manual-- and didn't find anything that fit that description..

I'd like to do these while I do the shocks, if at all possible.. (hopefully in the next week) I don't want to find my g/f doing :roll: <--this!

 

[Heavymentill]

My guess is he was refering to one or both of the sway bar linkage.

 

[slpdave]

I have never heard of a "stabilizer pin" in person or on these forums. Also, search the forums for the 5th shock, some X's drive and ride horribly when it goes out.

 

[ajrn]

...I went under and took a look..

It was the swaybar linkage.

Autozone had ONE.. The other will be here tomorrow..

Dear GOD, they're awfully wimpy little things.. The swaybars are pretty beefy looking, but then ends (where the torque is!) are maybe 3/8" bolts that are realistically 8" long..

For the record, you wrench off the lower end (that ends in the control arm) and then smack them out with a 3# hammer-- the bushings on mine were pretty tight on the end..

The new one goes down thru the top-- it has a bolt head on it, but it's for tightening the other end! Slide it thru the stabilizer bar, down into the control arm-- put the bushings on both ends of the rod-- and the little slidie bar inbetween to hold them in place.. Mine ended in a 5/8" nut.. It took me longer to free the frozen nut on the end than it did to replace it..

I'm still startled that they're such thin bolts!! Are these designed to destroy themselves??

 

[Nocturnall]

Are those the polyurethane endlinks that are wimpy or stock rubber ones? I accidentally jumped my firebird once which caused one to break, never broken one otherwise.

 

[ajrn]

The stock ones looked like a 5/16-3/8" bolt, with rubber bushings, and some sort of plastic sleeve over it..

I bought "Moog" made replacements at Autozone-- they were the only place open that late on Friday.. The bolts are a smidge bigger- they use a bright metal "sleeve" instead of the plastic stuff-- and have urethane bushings.

My understanding-- is that urethane holds up better over time, so I wasn't unhappy about that..

So you think something snapped both at once-- or the absence of one snapped the other???

 

[gijoecam]

I suspect it's a fatigue issue. The OEM ones bolt down into the link... I suspect that over time, the thread corrodes and pops the bolt head.

I broke one last winter... replaced it with the AutoZone specials... they're a semi-universal fit, eurethane bushings, basically just a threaded rod with a metal sleeve. Still on there 40k later.

-Joe

 

[ajrn]

Well..

On the bright side.. They're an "easy" install (didn't even need to put a jack under the truck) and they're reasonably cheap (I think the pair was less than $30 at Autozone)..

I guess I'll just watch 'em.. It's not like you can't tell when they've let go!!

 

[pwbomb]

Tightening Sway Bar Linkage

How tight should the sway bar linkage be tightened? Is there a recommended ft//lbs or just until it can't be tightened more?

 

[Joe Dirt]

How tight should the sway bar linkage be tightened? Is there a recommended ft//lbs or just until it can't be tightened more?

Not that tight... 10-13 ft. lbs.

Check my replacement thread: Swaybar and End-Link replacement

 

[swshawaii]

Not that tight... 10-13 ft. lbs.

Check my replacement thread: Swaybar and End-Link replacement

Precisely. The 15-21 ft/lb torque spec only applies to the OEM links that use hard plastic bushings.
ES poly bushings require about half that torque, and Moog's blue thermoplastic rubber even less.
The benefit of the Moog end links is their larger 7/16" hardware, compared to others at 3/8" or less.

http://www.moogproblemsolver.com/_pdf_En/MOOG_PS_Bulletin_25471_K7275_En.pdf