Easy lifehacks

How to install a new sway bar link?

How to install a new sway bar link?

Install the new link. Simple insert the lower part first, then the upper. Be sure it is installed the same as the original – the bushings are touching the sway bar – from the top: nut, metal washer, bushing, sway bar, bushing, metal washer.

How do you change the sway bar on a Dodge Caravan?

The vehicle featured is a Dodge Caravan 2002. Clean the floor, put something down on the floor so you are not on concrete. Raise the vehicle. Get lights placed. Get tools near by. Just unbolt the old bushings. There isn’t much tension on the sway bar. Take the bolts loose, take the bracket off.

How do you remove a sway bar from a car?

Support the vehicle with a floor jack. Locate the sway bar and the end link. Unbolt the end link from the sway bar by removing the nut that holds it on with a socket and a ratchet. Remove the other end in the same manner from the suspension. Pull the link off and install the new one in the reverse of removal.

How is a sway bar connected to a lower control arm?

Trace the sway bar to a sway bar link at one end, a metal component connecting the sway bar to the lower control arm. There will be one sway bar link on each end of the sway bar. Cut a vertical slit through the four rubber bushings on the sway bar link, using a utility knife.

How do you install a sway bar link?

Install the new sway bar link into the mounting slots in the control arm and the sway bar. Ball joint-type sway bar link: All you need to do is slide the studs into the slots. Bolt-type sway bar link: You’ll need to slide the sway bar link bolt through the sleeve and bushings, as well as the slots in the sway bar and control arm.

What’s the best way to replace a sway bar?

Use an open-end wrench, Torx-head screwdriver, or an Allen-head screwdriver (depending on the vehicle design) to hold the stud portion of the sway bar link. While holding the stud, loosen and remove the retaining nut using another wrench or a ratchet and socket.

Why are the links on my sway bar breaking?

In most instances, sway bar links simply wear out due to time, miles, and use. But the links can also break due to rust and corrosion, or metal fatigue. It’s also possible for worn control arm or sway bar bushings to over-extend the links, causing them to break. Sway bar links connect the sway bar to the control arm.

Where are the sway bars on a car?

Sway bars are usually located at the front of the car and are bolted to the suspension on your vehicle. Depending on the make and model of your car, you may have only front sway bars links, or front and rear sway bar links.

Can a sway bar control arm be removed?

Once the nut has been removed, the link can be taken out of it’s position. The bushing does slightly interlock with the sway bar from it’s age so the control arm will need to be dropped slightly. Now it can be removed. It might take a little force as the one rubber bushing is still stuck in place.

Use an open-end wrench, Torx-head screwdriver, or an Allen-head screwdriver (depending on the vehicle design) to hold the stud portion of the sway bar link. While holding the stud, loosen and remove the retaining nut using another wrench or a ratchet and socket.

How much does it cost to replace a sway bar?

Sway Bar Replacement Cost. Typical cost to change the front sway bar bushings and links range between $450 and $900 depending on make and model. The good news is that the parts themselves are very cheap, especially if you buy them online. The typical cost of front sway bar links and bushings is under $100.

What are the symptoms of a bad sway bar?

Symptoms of Sway Bar Problems. Some of the common symptoms of a bad sway bar bushing or sway bar links going bad are: clunking noise, rattling noise, knocking uneven noise road, lack of stability when driving and noise going over speed bumps. poor handling during turns.

What is a broken sway bar?

Because a sway bar helps the car’s suspension to put more pressure on loaded springs, a broken sway bar means that the car’s suspension will not be able to handle corners as well or as quickly. While it is possible to drive with a broken sway bar, as a precaution do not take corners with excessive speeds.

What is a sway bar and what does it do?

A sway bar is usually a torsion spring that resists body roll motions. It is usually constructed out of a cylindrical steel bar, formed into a “U” shape, that connects to the body at two points, and at the left and right sides of the suspension.

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Ruth Doyle