sway bar links help

[7echo]

I have been doing maintenance on the truck since I got it. A few weeks ago I ordered sway bar end links. Decided to change them today and found they had broken. It happened recently, I am always crawling around under there and just saw it today. My truck lived in Indianapolis for for 14+ years so it has some rust. Nothing like some of the disasters we see on here though.
I put one of the studs through the sway bar holes to show the slop.

I assume I need a new sway bar?

 

[Chuckles89]

When you tighten down the bushings, there won't be any play. You're fine!

 

[rossgoldie]

When you tighten down the bushings, there won't be any play. You're fine!

To add onto this, don't tighten down too hard. Sway bar links only need to be tighten down till about 2 threads are above the nut. If you want strong endlinks that last, I would consider hitting up [MENTION=98153]MStudt[/MENTION] for a set of beefier ones.

 

[foo]

When you tighten down the bushings, there won't be any play. You're fine!

I'm no expert, and, in fact, I never heard of an (anti) sway bar until my bushings went bad this weekend.

However, I can read, and I've read everything I can find on the Toyota 4Runner front swaybar bushings.

It seems that a LOT of people are getting sway bar endlink bushings that are too large in diameter, so, be careful about that.

I'm still confused, but it seems that the OEM swaybar endlink bushings are different id sizes for the doughnuts depending on the vehicle.

The $15 kits polyurethane from Prothane (p/n 18-1115) and Energy Suspension (p/n 8.5118R or 8.5118G) containing both the two swaybar body bushings and the four endlink bushings are apparently problematic in the respect that they don't come in different sizes.

There's apparently a bit of confusion because there are 26mm and 27mm 4Runner sway bars, and there are different diameter endlinks - but the kits only come in one size.

So I'm gonna measure my sway bar and endlink diameters to be absolutely sure before ordering the sway bar bushings kit.

BTW, the dealer out here charges more for one sway bar buna body bushing than the entire cost of the complete kits.

My recent thread is here:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...r-my-4runner-makes-noise-now.html#post2298187

To add onto this, don't tighten down too hard. Sway bar links only need to be tighten down till about 2 threads are above the nut. .

That adds a third method so far, of tightening the swaybar endlink nuts.
1. Tighten the 14mm Stabilizer bar links top nut to 14 ft-lb
2. Tighten just until the bushings bulge, then back out 1/4 turn
3. Tighten until 2 threads are above the nut (presumably ust to hold the nut on)

Some use locktitet removable (blue).

Note that the 19mm steering rack bracket bolts are tightened to 123 ft-lb but some say you' may be hard pressed to get a torque wrench in on the passenger side.

 

[MStudt]

Get Energy Suspension bushings. The kit with black bushings is part number 9.8105G, and the red is 9.8105R.

They have about a 3/8" diameter hole going them.

 

[foo]

Get Energy Suspension bushings. The kit with black bushings is part number 9.8105G, and the red is 9.8105R.

They have about a 3/8" diameter hole going them.

It might be that simple, and I certainly WISH it were that simple, but if you look at the thread I referenced (and quite a few others), neither the Prothane #18-1115 kit nor the Energy Suspension 8.5118R kit seems to fit most of our 4Runners.

It seems that quite a few people have had to buy BOTH kits, and then take just 26mm swaybar bushings from the Prothane #18-1115 kit
and just the 9.5mm (3/8-inch or 0.375 inches) endlink bushings from the Energy Suspension 8.5118R kit to get a decent fit.

More details in this thread:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...er-part-under-my-4runner-makes-noise-now.html

Bear in mind, according to Domenic at Prothane, the bushings should have a 20 thousandths (1/2mm) "preload", which means they should be smaller than the actual diameters of the rods by that much.

Given that "my" swaybar midpoint was 1.042 inches (roughly 26.5mm), then only the 26mm swaybar bushings from the Prothane #18-1115 kit make any sense.

And, given that "my" endlinks are 0.395 inches (roughly 10.0mm), it seems only the 3/8-inch (0.375 inches or 9.5mm) endlink bushings from the Energy Suspension 8.5118R kit may make sense.

It's unfortunate that this is far more complex than it should be, so, to iron out the discrepancies, I will call technical support at both companies tomorrow, now that I've made the diameter measurements on my own vehicle (which I know to be absolutely OEM original stock).

 

[MStudt]

It might be that simple, and I certainly WISH it were that simple, but if you look at the thread I referenced (and quite a few others), neither the Prothane #18-1115 kit nor the Energy Suspension 8.5118R kit seems to fit most of our 4Runners.

It seems that quite a few people have had to buy BOTH kits, and then take just 26mm swaybar bushings from the Prothane #18-1115 kit
and just the 9.5mm (3/8-inch or 0.375 inches) endlink bushings from the Energy Suspension 8.5118R kit to get a decent fit.

More details in this thread:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...er-part-under-my-4runner-makes-noise-now.html

Bear in mind, according to Domenic at Prothane, the bushings should have a 20 thousandths (1/2mm) "preload", which means they should be smaller than the actual diameters of the rods by that much.

Given that "my" swaybar midpoint was 1.042 inches (roughly 26.5mm), then only the 26mm swaybar bushings from the Prothane #18-1115 kit make any sense.

And, given that "my" endlinks are 0.395 inches (roughly 10.0mm), it seems only the 3/8-inch (0.375 inches or 9.5mm) endlink bushings from the Energy Suspension 8.5118R kit may make sense.

It's unfortunate that this is far more complex than it should be, so, to iron out the discrepancies, I will call technical support at both companies tomorrow, now that I've made the diameter measurements on my own vehicle (which I know to be absolutely OEM original stock).

Buy this kit, and be done with it. If you're going to replace the sway bar link bushings you might as well replace the sway bar bushings too.

Trust me, I know a little about sway bars.

 

[foo]

Buy this kit, and be done with it. If you're going to replace the sway bar link bushings you might as well replace the sway bar bushings too.
Trust me, I know a little about sway bars.

Since I didn't know anything about swaybar bushings just this past weekend, your expertise is badly needed in this thread, where we discuss how to get the right kit, but where NOBODY has yet suggested this supplier.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...er-part-under-my-4runner-makes-noise-now.html

To follow up on your suggestion, as soon as I saw your post, I immediately called Dan at wheelersoffroad at 541-474-2879.

Dan was very helpful, and he explained that the picture is actually wrong on that web page you noted, but the part number is correct.

He said that picture is for the Tacoma parts kit (95-2000 TAC SWYKIT & 01-04 TAC SWYKIT) where they ship BOTH the 26mm and 27mm swaybar body bushings to the customers (who may require either the 26mm or 27mm swaybar body bushings - but not both).

The Toyota kit comes with two body bushings (not four), in addition to four endlink bushings, 4 bump stops, and silicone grease.

The Wheelers Offroad part number for the 4Runner kit is WHE 4RUNSWYKIT, but it only comes with the two 26mm swaybar body bushings.

I gave Dan all my conflicting information from Prothane and Energy Suspension, in addition to my own personal measurements of 26.5mm OD and 10.0 mm OD respectively for the sway bar and endlink midpoint diameters (which correspond perfectly to the 0.5mm preload on the 26mm ID Prothane body bushings and to the 9.5mm ID 0.5mm preload on the Energy Suspension endlink bushings).

Dan didn't think the preload was all that important, but he did mention that both Prothane and Energy Suspension specialize in chassis bushings, whereas his supplier, Daystar doesn't specialize in that area.

Nonetheless, despite the picture being wrong, Dan says he hasn't heard reports of his kit being the wrong size (which we know to be the case with both the typical Prothane and Energy Suspension kits).

Dan kindly said he will measure the ID of his bushings and he will let me know his results. I'm expecting 9.5mm (0.375 inches, or 3/8-inch) which would give us the 20 thousandths (1/2-mm) preload that I would expect, in addition to the height preload.

So that all the relevant information is in one spot, I will update the current thread with any updates that Dan provides me.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...er-part-under-my-4runner-makes-noise-now.html

 

[csp]

Online retailers often use a "stock" photo for multiple part numbers. Don't read into pictures on the web too much when buying parts.

 

[foo]

Online retailers often use a "stock" photo for multiple part numbers. Don't read into pictures on the web too much when buying parts.

Sometimes that's true and sometimes that's not true.

In fact, it's both true and not true in that very photo!

TRUE: The parts kit pictured is for the Tundra, even though the part and pricing is for the 4Runner, where the Tundra kit contains BOTH 26mm and 27mm sway bar body bushings, while the 4Runner kit only comes with the 26mm D bushing.

NOT TRUE: Dave at Energy Suspension pointed out the name of his company on the tube of silicone grease in the picture. Upon questioning the technical team, it turns out that they do throw in an Energy Suspension tube of lube with the Daystar bushings. Turns out they have a big barrell of the lube, and they do use exactly what's in the picture, even though the bushings aren't from Energy Suspension.

Anyway, I figured it all out, and ordered the right parts (we hope).

I find it funny though, that the EXACT TWO KITS NOT TO BUY are the two kits that are most often recommended on this forum!

That's not good news.

However, the good news is that all the detail necessary is in the thread below:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...er-part-under-my-4runner-makes-noise-now.html

 

[csp]

Umm, that's why I selectively used the word "often" in that statement.

 

[foo]

Umm, that's why I selectively used the word "often" in that statement.

I was agreeing with you.

 

[dtederick65]

Follow up question

Would poly bushings be a better option instead of rubber bushings? Is it more of a preference than any benefit?

 

[spartacus]

Would poly bushings be a better option instead of rubber bushings? Is it more of a preference than any benefit?

Preference, I went poly but have been going back to rubber. I had to grease the poly every so often because of squeaking.