-
Replacing Sway Bar bushings
Hey all, my clank in the front end that the prior owner told me about and Prevost Mira Loma diagnosed as a bad shock (not) and tried fixing twice came back with a vengenace on my last run….super annoying.
Finally I had time to get the front end up in the air a bit, turn the wheels and have a look. Driver side has one bushing completley gone. You can grab the connecting bar and bang it back and forth. New bushings ordered.
This looks like a straight ahead job, any tips or advice to look out for? I will probably replace the offending one now and others when I spend some time at one of our respected service providers updating air bags and brake chambers etc this winter.
-
8 Replies
-
If it has the red urethane bushings they seem fine except when they start to disintegrate they go from working fine to almost totally gone in a very short distance. When I notice any bushings, and especially the red urethane ones showing signs of needing replacement I do it immediately using the black hard rubber ones. Both are available from Prevost.
-
Two pieces 3/4 inch plywood abot 6 inches square. Piece of allthread with big washers thru middle. Tighten nuts on all thread and it will press bushing in. Clean hole of all old crap before pressing new bushing in. I did all of mine. Bob
-
Thanks guys, Jon you are right, basically all was ok, then bang on a section of I-10 in Tx it started making noise, so whatever little bit was left wore itself out.
Robert, can I do this without removing the wheels, is there enough acess?. (For top bolt of link arm) I will start lubing down the nuts/bolts with PB blaster today.
We have a press, I can get the new bushings installed once the links are out no problem. Just wondering if enough room to get on things with wheels slightly off the ground and turned.
Thanks
-
G-man……….just to be sure I think you are talking about what looks like and is called the dog bone and it is attached to the sway bar? I am assuming you are not taling about “drag” links. The difference is size. The sway bar related bushings are about the same size as shock bushings and the drag link or other suspension bushings are about the same as a donut.
-
I had assumed he as talking about drag link—prob more likely the sway bar if he didn’t notice any handling changes.. Much less work.. I re-read and he refers to being able to grab it and move . Bob
-
Hey guys, yes the dog bones coming off the sway bar that mount vertically. Looked closer at the curb side and those are pretty bad too so going to knock all of them out at one go. Hopefully enough room to get good levrage on the bolt/nuts to get em free.
-
They come off easily and if you use the black rubber bushings you can have the choice of a single bushing that has to be pressed in (I use my vice) or the two halves which when held together look like a single bushing.
New bushings will probably not present an obvious change in controlling leans around a curve, but the clanging from a lost or damaged bushing will stop and that is a good thing.
-
Easy job, 20 mins got both sides done…not sure if I will get a handling improvement but noise will be gone and things will be as they should!
As usual, thanks PC for the help and info! Good people!
Log in to reply.