I was on my way home from church and I looked at my front end and saw that something was loose. On the passenger side the stabalizer bar came off the rubber bushings. It's really hard to explain cause I don't know anything about it, but the driver side part of the bar is connected to the rubber bushings. Could a piece have fallen off to disconnect it from the rubber bushings? And I can grab it and push it up to the engine compartment and pull it down to the street. Is that right? How easy is it to fix? Would it be something to just put it back together or get a new set of stuff? Thanks in advance

 

Very simple fix, but you will need to get some new bushings. I'd recommend Energy Suspension bushings rather than putting the OEM rubber bushings back in.

 

Thanks a bunch. I'll take a look at that tomorrow.

 

Yea I gotta do mine real soon. Mines been squeaking really bad for a while..noticed the past few days my front end is a little jumpy. I can take turns and I get a split second of sway then its grabs and stops the sway (nice little jerk to accompany it)...wayyyy to much play on my drivers side end link.

Although you shouldnt really be able to push it up into the engine or down, unless the other side is off too...it is still a metal bar...

 

I didn't think so. Is there a nut that is supposed to hold it in place? Is it supposed to be attached to something? I cant tell from the pictures in my book.

 

The sway bar end links are attached with a bolt that runs down through the center of the bushings and spacer. That bolt typically breaks and, well, you know the rest.

 

Ok, I got it fixed. It wasn't easy. I had one side where the bottom of the end link popped off, and the other side had the top fly off. So I really had no guide of how to put it back together. The kit I bought came with 4 rubber pieces and 4 washers and a small round metal piece. Can someone post a picture of how it is supposed to look when its finished? Thanks

 

What kit did you buy? If you only have 4 bushings, it sounds like it is only for one side. Oh, I see... Looks like everything now is only one side. Never mind.

The end link kits that are available now should have the following components:
qty 4 - bushings
qty 4 - washers
qty 1 - spacer
qty 1 - bolt
qty 1 - self locking nut

This will only do one side, but both sides should be replaced at the same time.

The arrangement of parts goes as follows:

1. Take the bolt and put a washer, with the cup portion facing the threaded end of the bolt.
2. Put a bushing on with the tapered end facing away from the washer.
3. Install the bolt up through the lower control arm.
4. Put another bushing on with the tapered end facing the lower control arm.
5. Washer, cup facing the bushing.
6. Spacer.
7. Washer, cup facing away from spacer.
8. Bushing, tapered end facing away from washer.
9. Sway bar end.
10. Bushing, tapered end facing the sway bar.
11. Washer, cup facing the bushing.
12. Self locking nut.

I like to put the bolt up from the bottom (threaded portion on top) to keep the threads cleaner if it needs to ever be removed during the course of other repairs.

Now, some kits do not have cupped washers and in that case, you do not have to worry about washer orientation during assembly. The kit that I used on my old Bravada came from Advanced Auto and had polyurethane bushings (nice flashy red ones - +5HP[:-]) and included enough parts to do both sides, but that was some time ago.

Some bushings are difficult to figure out which end to put towards the control arm or sway bar end. It is always the end that is more tapered that goes towards these two parts. To help figure out which end has more taper, you can put two bushings onto the bolt and just compare tapers. If they look the same, flip a bushing over and compare again.

 

I got MOOG kits. Sounds like the one you got but my bushings were blue. So the spacer goes in the middle of the four bushings? So it would be 2 then the spacer then the last 2? Is it going to make a big difference where the spacer is? I think I did it as follows: Bolt end (not the threaded side) washer, rubber bushing, sway bar link, bushing, washer, bushing, washer, then the spacer, control arm, bushing then washer and then the self locking nut. I did both sides the same way.Mine came with cupped washers.

 

That is definitely the wrong way. I am surprised that it even holds fast. The spacer fits through the hole in the control arm doesnt it... It is simply preference to have the threads up for me. It is based off of having to pull an old one apart to make repairs.