HELP Rear Sway Bar/ Endlinks

[shanewdude]

So, I stripped the hex bolt on one of my end-links trying to take off my rear sway bar. I tried cutting a slot in the bolt, but I still can't hold it while I try to loosen the nut.

I think I'm going to put it back together and pay to have my rear sway bar installed. IS IT BAD TO DRIVE WITH A LOOSE ENDLINK on one side?
:mfrown::mfrown::mfrown:

[EPSU3]

just buy new endlinks, corsport has good ones. I installed an 21mm sway bar the other day. my friend did most of the work, but it only took 15 minutes. Just find a way to get the old one off and buy a new endlink.

[civictype_r04]

I agree just cut the b**ch off and get new ones.

[oneglory]

http://www.ephatch.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45475

[siver-SI]

Happend to me when I went to install my progress rear sway bar. I had to take my dremel and cut off the OEM end links and I installed new ones. I had one OEM one that was loose for 2 days before I cut it. You will hear a clunking noise when you take a turn but you should be ok just take it easy on the car.

[JohnnyTavo]

doood your car is going to be an ultra-extreme plow monster with a loose endlink in the rear

[shanewdude]

Yep. Buy new ones it is. I will tighten the loose nut tomorrow when I have more time to go to the shop and get more of my tools. :frusty: Shouldn't have done it without all my stuff handy! :redface: So much for posting a diy on a CTR rear sway! :ohwell:

[shanewdude]

Happend to me when I went to install my progress rear sway bar. I had to take my dremel and cut off the OEM end links and I installed new ones. I had one OEM one that was loose for 2 days before I cut it. You will hear a clunking noise when you take a turn but you should be ok just take it easy on the car.

I clunked along easy on the way home :crutch: (cruised with a really nice 08 Si, black, HID's, dropped and nice wheels) (also some tool in a Sunfire with exhaust (two different mufflers, too!) and a trailer hitch; he kept wanted us to race then when it became one lane drove REALLY slowly in front of us when neither of us took the bait!).


doood your car is going to be an ultra-extreme plow monster with a loose endlink in the rear

Yah, kind of the opposite to what I wanted! :mmph:

[ohdamngetit]

I just installed my Corsport endlinks today and lemme tell ya, vise-grips FTW!!!
It was a biotch cause my EP is an 02 and the bolts were rusted but I eventually got them off.

Check classified's, there is a member selling a pair for $45 shipped I believe and they are from corsport.

[oneglory]

yes...


actually corsport are from mine.

[shanewdude]

Endlink problem solved :rockon: ! (for now). I put a small set of gator nose vice grips between the sway bar and endlink, then a larger set of vice grips on the nose of the gators so it had more purchase. Spun the nuts off with electric impact gun. New bar is great!

I still may need new endlinks eventually; who knows if I damaged the little rubber boots or not but I will keep an ear out. I should have searched the forums better... after reading ALL the threads on sway bars, I now see that many others have had this problem over and over (as far back as pre-2004, too!).

What I learned (and many before me if you SEARCH!) is GET NEW ENDLINKS when you upgrade your bar, and just cut your old ones off.

Mods: please feel free to close this!

[civictype_r04]

yes...


actually corsport are from mine.

They took your style?:meek:

[tdman77]

I had the same problem with mine. I was able to hammer a torx bit into the hole and it held good enough to get the new sway bar on.

[05silversi]

What I learned (and many before me if you SEARCH!) is GET NEW ENDLINKS when you upgrade your bar, and just cut your old ones off.
Or move to Cali.:mbiggrin:

[kontron]

Hey guys, how do i remove the other end of the end link that is attached to the trailing arm? I held the joint pins with an allen key but there isn't enough space to maneuver the combo wrench to remove the tight nut. I hammered the thing with an impact wrench but without holding the joint pin the freakin thing just kept spinning. Any advice would be great.

[Twisted-X]

I had the same problem with one of the front endlinks. It wasn't stripped, but I could tell it would be if I reefed on it. Just before I started, I sprayed all the nuts and threads with PBlaster, and immediately started working on one. Well I should have waited for the PB to do its magic. I more of less had to clean the threads with the bolt on its way out. It sucked. Turn the bolt out, turn it in a little, turn it out some more, repeat. Took me a good 45 mins for just the first one. The rest came out in 5 mins, because I let the PB do its thing. BTW this is on an '05 that has never seen winter :ohwell:

[shanewdude]

Since this was bumped... here's my update. I THINK I'm starting to notice a small knock on the rear that may be my endlinks. I did a pretty good number on them trying to change the sway, and it was hard to get them tight again... I suspect one nut is just a little loose. I think it's time to order new endlinks before this gets worse (IF that's what it is).

IF YOU CHANGE YOUR REAT SWAY BAR:
1. PB or Liquid wrench the hell out of your endlink bolts well in advance of the job.
2. Clean off the threads REALLY well, and clean out the hex wrench hole too.
3. Really consider having new endlinks to install with the bar... then just cut your old ones off if necessary.

But first SEARCH for sway bar and endlink threads... there's lots more information here.

MODS: Feel free to lock thread... kind of redundant considering this has been discussed...

[rd02SiR]

I clunked along easy on the way home :crutch: (cruised with a really nice 08 Si, black, HID's, dropped and nice wheels) (also some tool in a Sunfire with exhaust (two different mufflers, too!) and a trailer hitch; he kept wanted us to race then when it became one lane drove REALLY slowly in front of us when neither of us took the bait!).



Yah, kind of the opposite to what I wanted! :mmph:

Was it a green sunfire? I saw the exact one your describing in ottawa a few months ago. I have picture on my old cell phone but its broken.

[SiR R8TD]

I got a set of the Hotchkis endlinks(new version) & they're mint.

[Twisted-X]

Also, if you change your bars and want to reuse your old endlinks, I found out that Honda used a special oblong compression nut on these things. Basically they're meant for one use only. So if you reuse them apply some thread locker so you don't have to keep re-tightening them.

[soncep]

Use a pair on needle nose vise grips in the back! The is a large "washer" surface on the other side of the link where you can clamp a vise grip.

When i looked at the 5mm Alen hole, i grabed a vise grip and did not even try the allen wrench. What a stupid idea! Mitsubishi uses dual 14mm wrenches, now that is intelligent!

Any how, if your end links are not loose, reuse them and do the vise grip trick!

[Dorachagi]

Just a piece of advice it took me a while to realize about adjustable endlinks and rear sway bar install. With links attached to the brackets but not the bar compress your suspension, then adjust the bar and endlinks and bolt it all down very tightly. My car is not lowered, so I can reach the area without jacking up the car, and since the wheels are still on the ground I just have a bit over 200lbs worth of people or something sitting in the car while I adjust or tighten (I weigh about 145lbs, so this puts some preload on the bar and keeps it from rattling, as well as making it's effect felt earlier in the turn). If you need to put the car on jack stands just put a jack under each control arm and raise the arms til the suspension is compressed, and raise both before attaching the endlinks. A warning with this method though....if you have your car on the ground you can add just the amount of weight you want and tailor the preload, but if it's on the stands you can preload it more than you probably want to by jacking the arms too far. Too much preload feels pretty nice actually and gets rid of the rattle, but it also made the nut on one of the endlinks tear off under hard turning after a few days (using CorSport V2 adjustable aluminum endlinks).
I had my sway bar for quite awhile before realizing that without preload taken into account during the install it's mostly just a piece of metal hanging off the under-ass of your car doing nothing most of the time...and it gets rid of the rattle...mostly....


P.S. Just realized how old this thread is, I think I'll just make this a new post in suspension so no one else goes for months with a loose rear sway wondering why it isn't as noticeable as they'd hoped....