Series 1 owners, check your sway bar end links
#1
Senior Member
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Series 1 owners, check your sway bar end links
This is just a heads-up for Series 1 owners to check your sway bar end link bushings.
A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a rattling noise coming from the front left wheel area on my '92 SSE (supercharged). The noise only occurred when the brake wasn't applied, so I assumed that something was loose around the rotor. I took a look last weekend and found that 2 of the front left sway bar end link bushings were completely gone! I don't mean that they were old and damaged, I mean they were nowhere to be found! The end link bolt was flopping around and that'* what was making the rattling noise.
I then looked at the front right side, and some of those bushings were split and ready to fall off, too.
So I went to AutoZone and bought the Energy Suspension bushing kit (9.8105RC) for $10. I didn't buy the 9.8120RC kit because the bolts didn't look quite long enough and the inner sleeve was longer than the original sleeve. My original bolts and washers and sleeves weren't rusted or otherwise damaged, so I reused them but installed the new polyurethane bushings. Installation took about 15 minutes on each, and I'd never done this job before.
I took a look at the front sway bar end links on my '93 SSEi, and some of them are cracked and ready to fall off too, so I'll take care of them this week.
A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a rattling noise coming from the front left wheel area on my '92 SSE (supercharged). The noise only occurred when the brake wasn't applied, so I assumed that something was loose around the rotor. I took a look last weekend and found that 2 of the front left sway bar end link bushings were completely gone! I don't mean that they were old and damaged, I mean they were nowhere to be found! The end link bolt was flopping around and that'* what was making the rattling noise.
I then looked at the front right side, and some of those bushings were split and ready to fall off, too.
So I went to AutoZone and bought the Energy Suspension bushing kit (9.8105RC) for $10. I didn't buy the 9.8120RC kit because the bolts didn't look quite long enough and the inner sleeve was longer than the original sleeve. My original bolts and washers and sleeves weren't rusted or otherwise damaged, so I reused them but installed the new polyurethane bushings. Installation took about 15 minutes on each, and I'd never done this job before.
I took a look at the front sway bar end links on my '93 SSEi, and some of them are cracked and ready to fall off too, so I'll take care of them this week.
#3
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I recently did mine. We used the full kit from energy suspension for the front, and the universal for the rear. BillBoost37 picked up bolts from a Tractor Supply store for the rear.
They looked like this afterwards:
It really made a huge difference in the car'* suspension, even though the fronts looked like they had been done by the previous owner (the bushings were still rubber).
One other thing I want to add: I had the fortune of doing this after Bill attempted it on his so we knew already to have a jack handy for the fronts. It really made life easier to jack up the arm into position with the swaybar rather than to force it by hand.
They looked like this afterwards:
It really made a huge difference in the car'* suspension, even though the fronts looked like they had been done by the previous owner (the bushings were still rubber).
One other thing I want to add: I had the fortune of doing this after Bill attempted it on his so we knew already to have a jack handy for the fronts. It really made life easier to jack up the arm into position with the swaybar rather than to force it by hand.
#5
DINOSAURUS BOOSTUS
Expert Gearhead
You guys should have heard Aaron swearing because he couldn't get the fronts off. When I did it in under a minute...lol...his face was precious.
I played it off like it was only because he was a noob that he struggled for 45 minutes and couldn't get the old ones off.
I played it off like it was only because he was a noob that he struggled for 45 minutes and couldn't get the old ones off.
#7
Junior Member
Posts like a Ricer Type-R
I took it the hard way on my SSEi a couple years ago. Took a couple hours.
I did all 4 on the SLE in 20 minutes flat. Friend timed me. Lessons learned. I cut all 4 corners.
I did all 4 on the SLE in 20 minutes flat. Friend timed me. Lessons learned. I cut all 4 corners.
#9
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My end link bolts came off rather easy....just had to brush the layers of dust off
<-------- *is thankful he lives in the desert where no snow or road salts corrode the bonnie*
<-------- *is thankful he lives in the desert where no snow or road salts corrode the bonnie*
#10
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i see no point in doing the endlinks(going against everyones experience and opinion) untill i do a suspension upgrade.......I have no problems with the links that are on there now