Rocklobster

Well as the title says, I am interested in removing my front sway bar. In the front of my truck I am getting a banging noise and I believe it is coming from the sway bar end where it goes into the lower control arm. The bushing on mine has come out and now just slides up and down above the control arm so there is basically no bushing. Instead of having someone fix this I was thinking about just removing it. Obviously the IFS should flex better but what can I expect while driving it on the road?

dragon564

ALOT of body roll in corners...almost to the point of being unsafe......any quick avoidence moves will result in wrecked nerves and could result in a roll over depending on speed....I would not recommend this on a daily driver....

Rocklobster

looks like i will just put up with the banging lol

dragon564

Why not look in to getting the bushings replaced, I replaced mine with poly bushings and was rewarded with a much better ride.....I then replaced the whole thing with a thick aftermarket bar and the runner now handles like a stock mid grade sports car.....which is just great for a SUV......

dragon564

Forgot to put in there that with the bushing missing it is not functioning to its best level any way......

Rocklobster

Well I am not to concerned with tightening up the front end of the truck, I have my SS Camaro for track days. I will most likely just deal with the noises, so far I havent noticed all that much body roll.

dsm59

dude spend 11 bucks and replace the ˟˟˟˟˟˟ bushing....it takes like 5min to change.....most of the sway-bar bushings are universal....autozone sells 2 Energy suspension bushings for llike 22bucks....or pay 11 dollars to your local Toyota dealership and hell order one for you....stop being cheap

jon_7248

Well if you are wanting it removed souly for getting rid of the noise... replace the bushings and see if that does the trick. Now if you want more flex, then get quick disconnects or leave it off! I just removed mine when I got my lift on my '87 4runner. Body roll was more noticeable...but not bad. It was hardly noticable till you hit the highway... and even then, very navigatable. And that was on my 4runner with 6" lift and 33s. But when it comes down to it... it's your wagon, paint it how you like and dont blame anyone if it turns sour on ya, you painted it!

94x4

It sounds like you've snapped your sway bar "end link", which you really should replace to avoid the possible catastrophies listed in this thread...or...remove the bar altogether and keep the ride for strictly off road use.

Mickdady

I agree with everyone else, spend a minute to inspect the links and bushings. If it needs new bushings they are really cheap and pretty easy to install. If one of the endlinks is broken, definately get that fixed as it is not safe on the road.

Don't just let it go till it breaks something else...fix it!

Flamedx4

ditto the "just replace the bushings" answers. 10 minutes and 20 bucks - geez.

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

Some folks notice very little difference w/o the front bar, others find it on the verge of being undriveable.

One option is to disconnect it and see what it feels like to you. I've not had a sway bar on my 4Runner in about 7 years now. It leans in the turns, oh well, I've gotten used to it. But yes, it is easy to repair, if you can't find bushings, I carry some end link and sway bar mount bushings in polyurethane.

Tofer

i havent run a front sway bar for about 4 months, and no sway bar front or rear for about month. there is body roll but if you know the limits of your rig and dont push them you will be fine. i have even driven it pretty hard and sports car like w/o any problems.

JML

I must be the biggest wimp. My sway bar end links are shot. The bushings are rotten and not where they should be. I followed this thread and bought a new set of endlinks and bushing.

For the life of me, I can't get those endlinks off. Either one of them. I have the right wrenches but the bolts are super rusty after 200K miles and 14 years.

I squirted some silicone spray in there. Any other tricks to try? As far as the 10 minutes goes, I've spent over an hour and can't get either one of them loose.

What to do?

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

A few tips:

#1. Use a real penetrating oil, something like PB Blaster, Kroil, etc., not WD-40 or silicone spray. A good penetrating oil will soften the rust and work it's way into the threads given some time to work.

#2. Blue wrench (that is a propane torch's blue flame). Heat up the nut as hot as you can and then try removing it either hot or after it cools.

#3. One good trick is to heat the nut up fairly hot and then melt some candle wax (parafin) and let the heat suck the wax into the threads.

goretro77

I had my 96 4Runner's front driver side endlink snap too. I heard it come off about 2 days ago and now I finally got a chance to peek under there and saw what's left of the end link. The remnants of the end link is there, the lower 2/3 is still connected to the lower control arm, the upper 1/3 of it is gone.

I plan to order new endlinks and bushings from either Toyota or somewhere else and replace 'em - since I have not changed endlinks before, can someone detail the steps? Is it easier to drive the truck up on Rhino ramps or just go under it and get the end links loose, take 'em out and replace? Any tricks to know about?

Any help would be most appreciated.

GSGALLANT

You can do it really easily with all the wheels on the ground. Just remember that you have to disconnect both sides before you can rotate the sway bar out of the way. Work on both sides together to make it easier (i.e: Take both endlinks off, then when you're putting them back on, put one in and loosely put the nuts on. Put the other one on, tighten the nuts and torque to spec, then go back and tighten the nuts on the first one and torque to spec.)

wjwerdna

if you can finally get the bolts undone without damaging them, get ONE new endlink kit for any gm car, it will come with 4 rubber bushings, a bolt/nut, and a rod, toss everything cept for the rubber, and you will have a cheap fix ($2-3 most)

uberhahn

Fix it. One of my sway bar links is still broken. As my truck is a DD, I plan on fixing it. The body roll is unnerving. I tried an "evasive manuever" (basically a quick lane change) alone on an empty road...scarry. I could swear wheels were off the ground.

Fix it before you flip.
uberhahn

goretro77

I agree, I ordered a wab fab quick disconnect front end links.