For about 2 months now I had noticed a strange and alarming thumping sound coming from the front passenger side of my 95 when going over abrupt bumps (not mogul-like, even when the suspension got exercised in full travel). It was driving me INSANE.. All the bushings looked to be in good shape, no crushed or frazzled ones I could see. So I did my best to ignore it. Then yesterday it got MUCH worse as I was driving home for lunch. When I got home, I turned the wheel full left, got out of the car, and proceeded to inspect.
As I examined the suspension, I had a full-on "hey wait a damn minute" as I noticed something missing. The sway bar link bolt on the passenger side had completely sheared off, and the upper bushings were totally gone. I imagine the 1.5" lift I had cranked on the torsions had aggravated the situation, but the long bolt had broken slightly up from the middle of the shaft. After visiting the dealer and shelling out $29.03 for the new 'improved' parts, I was informed by the counter guy that these links break quite often. Apparently the OEM links are not galvanized. They are shielded by a plastic sleeve that also tends to accumulate any water/gack you drive through or get sunk into. When I yanked the old bolt/sleeve remains off the lower arm, I found it was COMPLETELY corroded and swollen, holding the sleeve on the arm with rust. Yuck.
Anyone who still has the OEM front swaybar on their Explorer would be well-advised to thoroughly examine their links for any signs of decay. Unfortunately, since the link bolt is shielded by the sleeve, it means pulling it off to look at it. Given the condition of the passenger-side link, I'll also be replacing the driver side this weekend, for no other reason than my piece of mind.
Scott Brawner
As I examined the suspension, I had a full-on "hey wait a damn minute" as I noticed something missing. The sway bar link bolt on the passenger side had completely sheared off, and the upper bushings were totally gone. I imagine the 1.5" lift I had cranked on the torsions had aggravated the situation, but the long bolt had broken slightly up from the middle of the shaft. After visiting the dealer and shelling out $29.03 for the new 'improved' parts, I was informed by the counter guy that these links break quite often. Apparently the OEM links are not galvanized. They are shielded by a plastic sleeve that also tends to accumulate any water/gack you drive through or get sunk into. When I yanked the old bolt/sleeve remains off the lower arm, I found it was COMPLETELY corroded and swollen, holding the sleeve on the arm with rust. Yuck.
Anyone who still has the OEM front swaybar on their Explorer would be well-advised to thoroughly examine their links for any signs of decay. Unfortunately, since the link bolt is shielded by the sleeve, it means pulling it off to look at it. Given the condition of the passenger-side link, I'll also be replacing the driver side this weekend, for no other reason than my piece of mind.
Scott Brawner
