sway bar end links

[whyme1985]

so i did my usual look under the truck today and noticed something strange, my sway bar was out of place. so upon further investigating i noticed that both sides were the sway bar bolts to the a-arm or whatever its called are gone. dont know when i lost them and never heard a sound. the sway bar itself is good as well as the mounting holes in the a-arm. so my question is how difficult will this fix be for me to do on my own? and what would be the best replacement part for it. thanks for the help

 

[guilateen]

Very easy. U need sway bar end links. It's a total of two bolts. While u r doing them I suggest replacing the sway bar bushings as well. That's the one that connects the bars to the body of truck. Find the search function,there is a write up with pics on the procedure.

 

[whyme1985]

Thanks a lot, how tight should they be?

 

[guilateen]

Not .sure on the specs. I did mine a year ago. But I know it was very tight. Go with the best brand u can afford. Moog generally make great suspension and chassis parts.

 

[guilateen]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=291968&highlight=end+links
I hope this helps.

 

[swshawaii]

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

 

[Exproblems]

so i did my usual look under the truck today and noticed something strange, my sway bar was out of place. so upon further investigating i noticed that both sides were the sway bar bolts to the a-arm or whatever its called are gone. dont know when i lost them and never heard a sound. the sway bar itself is good as well as the mounting holes in the a-arm. so my question is how difficult will this fix be for me to do on my own? and what would be the best replacement part for it. thanks for the help

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

You are looking for a "Sway Bar Link Bolt kit", but the Haynes Manual calls them a "Stabilizer Bar Links". The kit comes with everything you need and it's basically a long bolt, with a metal sleeve that goes over the long bolt in the middle of it, 4 bushings, 4 washers and a tightening nut. At Advance Auto Parts stores they cost $11.99 each for the Driveworks Brand or $19.99 each for the Moog Brand. The Moog Brand is the one I would suggest you buy, better quality part. On 2002-2005 Ex's, the front Sway Bar Link nuts should be tightened down to 18 Ft lbs of torque according to the Haynes Manual. You can get online coupons for Advance Auto Parts stores at www.couponcabin.com. You should be able to get coupons for $10 off a $30 order, $20 off a $50 order or $40 off a $100 order. The coupons from coupon cabin save you more money than the discount offers that the Advance Auto web site has on it's main page. Just order your parts online at Advance Auto's web site and use the coupon code from coupon cabin, then pick your parts up at your nearest Advance Auto Parts store.

 

[swshawaii]

The Haynes and Ford Workshop Manuals are referring to the OEM end links for the 18 ft/lb torque spec.
The blue Moog bushings are much softer thermoplastic rubber and require less torque than the stock links.

Sway Bar Link Installation Guide.
For the product to function correctly. Tighten the nut
until the bush starts to expand. Loosen the nut 1/4 turn.

http://www.amazon.com/Moog-K7275-Sway-Bar-Link/dp/B000C57YMK

 

[whyme1985]

Thanks a lot everyone for the good Info. Do they get put in , in any special way

 

[Exproblems]

Thanks a lot everyone for the good Info. Do they get put in , in any special way

>>>>>>>>>>

Try and find a photo of one installed on a vehicle, it will help you the best. It will show you exactly where each bushing and washer go over the sway bar bolt on the vehicle. Or maybe try a parts store web site that shows pictures of the parts. They may show the order in that each piece goes together. Basically the hollow metal sleeve sits in the middle of the sway bar bolt with 2 washers and 2 bushings above and below the metal sleeve, with the tightening nut on the end. Kind of hard to tell you here, better if you get a photo of one put together.

 

[Exproblems]

The Haynes and Ford Workshop Manuals are referring to the OEM end links for the 18 ft/lb torque spec.
The blue Moog bushings are much softer thermoplastic rubber and require less torque than the stock links. >>>>>>>>>>>>

I agree because the factory Ford sway bar links are much thicker and beefier than the aftermarket ones. I was simply giving him the factory torque spec. because he asked for that info specifically.

 

[swshawaii]

Problem with the OEM links are the plastic sleeves that flex and snap. The Moog bushings are notorius for blowing out due to over tightening and pulling through the cup washers. Ask me, destroyed three sets in two years. Also, Moog replacement bushings aren't available separately. Used the oversized and more durable polyurethane Energy Suspension 9.8103G, and shaved the nipples from 7/8" to 11/16" (3/16" reduction) to properly fit the sway bar ends and LCA's. Like poly body mounts they will slightly compress and must be re-torqued once after some time. 3 years later still perfect.

Three pics of the modified ES 9.8103G bushings used with the 7/16" Moog K7275 bolt and sleeve.

 

[Exproblems]

>>>>>>>>

Exproblems- Got it, thanks.
The Moog bushings are notorius for blowing out due to overtightening.
Ask me, three sets in two years. The bushings aren't available separately.
Used the "oversized" Energy Suspension 9.8103. Much bigger and more durable.

http://s1207.photobucket.com/albums/bb476/swshawaii/

>>>>>>>>>>>>

I recommended the Moog brand over the Driveworks brand because Moog makes the better part. The Driveworks parts look cheaper made. Moog is known for quality aftermarket car parts. I've got new Moog lower front ball joints(greaseable) from Napa, work just fine. These are the 2 main brands carried at Advance Auto Parts, with some TRW there as well. I guess if the Moog Sway Bar Links are not over tightened, they should work fine.
Back in February when I had a rebuilt tranny installed, the tranny shop also installed a new driver side sway bar link for me. I have no idea what brand it is or what parts supplier they got it from, but it looked like a cheap one and the billed price for it was $9.72. I just checked it a few weeks ago, one of the chincy bushings had already cracked in half and about to fall out. The metal sleeve for it isn't a solid tube of steel either, it has an open seam line up the side of it, so I'm not expecting it to last much longer.

 

[whyme1985]

nice pics hawaii, and thanks again guys for the info. im probably going to get the moogs unless there is a stronger brand. the money isn't really an issue seeing that they are not as pricey as i thought they would be. also i just checked the moog website and it seems like they dont have my year 2005, is it the same as the 03?

 

[swshawaii]

Same end link. Why can't they keep part listings current and updated? (Not only Moog)

 

[whyme1985]

Ya I wonder if they loose business from that, but thanks that's what I figured but had to be sure

 

[Exproblems]

also i just checked the moog website and it seems like they dont have my year 2005, is it the same as the 03?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Just order or pick them up from a parts store instead of trying to get them directly from Moog's website. At most parts store web sites, you select your vehicle year and make before searching for specific parts and their system will pull up a list of that specific part that fits your vehicle.

 

[glo81]

Problem with the OEM links are the plastic sleeves that flex and snap. The Moog bushings are notorius for blowing out due to over tightening and pulling through the cup washers. Ask me, destroyed three sets in two years. Also, Moog replacement bushings aren't available separately. Used the oversized and more durable polyurethane Energy Suspension 9.8103G, and shaved the nipples from 7/8" to 11/16" (3/16" reduction) to properly fit the sway bar ends and LCA's. Like poly body mounts they will slightly compress and must be re-torqued once after some time. 3 years later still perfect.

Three pics of the modified ES 9.8103G bushings used with the 7/16" Moog K7275 bolt and sleeve.

View attachment 255390View attachment 255391View attachment 255392

I know this post is from almost ten years ago, but I came across it after researching sway bar end link replacement. After changing out my front upper ball joints this past weekend, I noticed my sway bar links were dangling low and loose, and sure enough, multiple bushings were missing on each side. I ordered the Mevotech K7275 with blue bushings from RockAuto and after reading a lot about failed bushings here, I'd like to try the ES 9.8103G bushings. But I wanted to know what you used to shave the nipples down to 11/16" for proper fit. Your cut looks flawless and I'd hate to mess up when I do it.

 

[swshawaii]

I used a makeshift "lathe" from a 1/2" drill. Turning one bushing at a time used a short 7/16" bolt mounted in the drill chuck with a nut on each side of the bushing and shaved them down with a ******* file until reduced to 11/16". Tighten the nuts just enough to keep the bushing from slipping applying light, even pressure with the file. I have spoken to several people that found a way to install the end links without shaving the nipples without any issues. Getting the end link nut started is probably the hardest part. Would probably help a lot if you ditch the thick cupped washers supplied with the K7275 end links and find thinner 1-1/4" OD flat washers shown in the pics above. Glad to help if I can and will stay posted. GL

 

[glo81]

I used a makeshift "lathe" from a 1/2" drill. Turning one bushing at a time used a short 7/16" bolt mounted in the drill chuck with a nut on each side of the bushing and shaved them down with a ******* file until reduced to 11/16". Tighten the nuts just enough to keep the bushing from slipping applying light, even pressure with the file. I have spoken to several people that found a way to install the end links without shaving the nipples without any issues. Getting the end link nut started is probably the hardest part. Would probably help a lot if you ditch the thick cupped washers supplied with the K7275 end links and find thinner 1-1/4" OD flat washers shown in the pics above. Glad to help if I can and will stay posted. GL

Thanks for the details, sws. There's a local 4 Wheel Parts store near me that carries the ES bushings for $7.31 per four pack. I'll have to find something similar to practice on first to make sure I don't mess up. I guess if worse comes to worst, I'll just use the blue bushings and see how they hold up.