Just replaced sway bars - with photos

[butundo]

Wow, it’s nice to have a vehicle that drives like a luxury car again. No more noise when I drive over bumps. Originally, I thought that my exhaust was loose. The noise was unbelievable. The entire car felt like it was going to fall apart. After reading this forum, I just purchased a set of sway bar links from FCP Groton. They have very fast shipping. The install was so easy, I should have done it months ago. You must take off the wheels. You only need a few tools. An 18mm socket and 18mm wrench made the job very easy. I would advise having a skinny wrench for the install. I did run into a problem at first with a standard wrench. The wire that holds on the rubber boot came off. This was from the wrench being a little too wide. When I tightened the bolt, it pushed the wrench into the boot and knocked off the wire holder that is used to secure the rubber boot so the grease doesn’t escape. Once I repaired the wire, it was very easy to install. Please let me know if anyone has any questions or needs help.

[butundo]

The photos are the drivers side. The wet spots were from the PB Blaster, there is nothing leaking. And yes, the CV boots are bad. I will be replacing both front axles in the near future. If you look carefully at the next photo, to the left of the green paint is the nut you must stop from spinning while removing the main nut. This is where you should use a thin wrench for the install. Also, I do like removing the top first. It just made it seem easier to work on.

[butundo]

Photo of bottom

[ZsX5o3]

woah cool pics. you're inches away from being a DIY tutorial

about how long did it take you?

[butundo]

Originally Posted by ZsX5o3

woah cool pics. you're inches away from being a DIY tutorial

about how long did it take you?

It took about an hour for both sides. But, I was also getting ready to change the rear brakes and rotors as well. I also have complete access to my friends garage, so I get to use his lift and tools as necessary. I wanted to add the photos since the DIY photos was taken with a camera on a cell phone. Hopefully this can help the other members.

[Bimmer Ese]

Yeah, the sway bar links are pretty to install. Now the half shafts...that's another story. Have fun with those

[rjs1222]

Looks like you have a torn CV boot.

[flyingmachine]

Originally Posted by butundo

It took about an hour for both sides. But, I was also getting ready to change the rear brakes and rotors as well. I also have complete access to my friends garage, so I get to use his lift and tools as necessary. I wanted to add the photos since the DIY photos was taken with a camera on a cell phone. Hopefully this can help the other members.

WOW! Nice inground lift. Too bad it's the cross type which doesn't give you access to the tranny.

There is some thinner wrench that you can use to counter hold when you tighten up the nut. Those wrenches are cheap. You won't believe where I got mine - dollar store.

Or you can use a crowfoot wrench and use some clamping plier to counter hold the bolt.

Why don't you just replace the CV boot? Is the joint shot?

[butundo]

Originally Posted by flyingmachine

WOW! Nice inground lift. Too bad it's the cross type which doesn't give you access to the tranny.

There is some thinner wrench that you can use to counter hold when you tighten up the nut. Those wrenches are cheap. You won't believe where I got mine - dollar store.

Or you can use a crowfoot wrench and use some clamping plier to counter hold the bolt.

Why don't you just replace the CV boot? Is the joint shot?

The other style lift is in another bay. I could just replace the boots, but they have been torn for a while, and I would rather not take a chance. I haven't heard any clicking, but being it is a difficult job, I would rather just install new axles.

[CaliColin]

Thanks for the pics. I'm about to replace the sway bar links soon too. And for $40.86 a pair at www.fcpgroton.com, it's a cheap fix. Thanks!