SWay bar end links? Options

[bufferdan]

Any techniques for taking a rusted one off? Also, if you have to destroy it where is the best place to get them? I see autozone can order them for about 60$ each. Anywhere else?

I love the way toyota mounted it to the strut...its fun!

[ConeTrouble]

I have come up with a pretty good method for removal.

Tools you are going to need:

7mm Allen wrench
14mm Box-end wrench
Claw Hammer
Large pair of Vice-Grips
Some kind of penetrant (Liquid Wrench, PB Blaster, etc.)

First thing to do is spray the whole joint with penetrant and let it sit for an hour or so. Overnight would probably be best if you are worried about this.

Use the box-end wrench to break the nut loose. You aren't too worried about whether or not the inner part spins (it might), but you are wanting to break the rust-weld between the nut and the sway bar/strut housing. A couple half-turns should do. Remove the wrench.

Now, take your Allen wrench insert the short part of the 'L' into the end-link. If yours was as rusted as mine was, you won't be able to get it in too far.

Take the hammer and tap the Allen wrench in real good. I mean make darn sure it is in there. Put it this way, when I finally got the nut off, I had to use the ViceGrips and the hammer to get the wrench out of the bolt. That hard.

Slip the box-end wrench over the Allen and position it so you can loosen the nut. Now take the ViceGrips and clamp them down hard on the bend in the Allen Wrench, I angled it so that the tip of the jaws wre at the 'L' and the base of the jaws were farther up on the long end of the 'L'.

Okay, the Allen thing is the weak link in the chain, so to speak, so I made an effort not to try and turn the blot with the ViceGrip/Allen wrench combo. I only used that contrapion to make sure the bolt didn't spin. All the turning was done with the box-end wrench.

Take your time. If you feel the Allen wrech coming out, don't hesitate to remove the Grips and use the hammer again. Make sure that thing is in there good. This method worked well for me, though it took a little bit of time.

Things to have handy if something goes wrong. One spare end-link for each end of the car (unless you are in there to replace the b@stards, and then you have them all anyway, sooo. Also, you want to have new nuts. These are cheap from Toyota. Part # is : 90179-10183 ($.71 each... I replaced all 8). When replaceing, I used some anti-sieze on the threads. Hopefully that will prevent the disaster the next time around.

What I used to cut the one I screwed up on was called a Junior Hacksaw. Looks like this:



It uses different blades than a regular hacksaw, but I found it to work better than even one of those half-hacksaws that you insert a regular hacksaw blade into and screw down. I kept bending the end of those. Just too floppy for this application. You should be able to get a junior hacksaw at a Lowe's or HoneDepot or Ace.

Good Luck. Take it slow. They will come off (one way or the other )

This post has been edited by ConeTrouble: Mar 11, 2004 - 11:19 AM

[97GTinKC]

Small cut-off wheel in a Dremel tool works great too, if the above method doesnt work. Dealer removes them with a cutoff wheel in a die grinder. (but they're usually in a hurry)

[bufferdan]

I already used the technique you said with the allen wrench and vice grips. I didnt try the other side because i ended up stripping the inside of the bolt for the allen wrench. WHY didnt toyota put a fixed nut on the back side of the rod end so you can grab both ends with wrenchs??? This was a dumb design.

[kevstir]

just get a grinder witha cutting disc and cut the buggers off takes 10 secs to get them off using that method lol

Kevstir