How hard is it to replace the front sway bar bushings in a 96 4runner 4x4?

 

well to answer your question completely..it is not hard. however I am unaware of your abilities with tools.

 

In my opinion it is very easy. You just need basic tools. Crawl under the truck and locate the front sway bar connection to the frame. The sway bar goes across just behind the steering rack. I believe you will need a 12mm socket. There are 2 bolts holding the sway bar to the frame via a rubber D bushing. One of the bolts is welded to the bracket. Just undo bolts, take down bracket, remove and replace bushing, then reinstall. Torque specifications are 14 lb*ft for the bolts holding the sway bar to frame and 14 lb*ft for sway bar connection to the endlinks.

A hint is not to remove both sides at the same time because nothing will hold the sway bar up and it will fall down. Remove one side at a time. The opposite side may need to be loosened to ease installation. Make sure the sway bar is centered before tightening everything down.

 

All this is assuming the bolts aren't completely rusty and snap off, it's a good idea to spray them with penetrating oil the day before.

 

I can attest to this. Make sure you do it!

 

or as i recommended in another thread, borrow a shop's air tools for a second and loosen, then manually tighten, go back to where you've been working on it and have at it

 

Nice writeup and thanks for the specs, cuz I'm getting ready to do this

 

It was very easy to do for me. You just need basic tools. I made sure to spray some PB Blaster the night before. Rest was cake.

The hardest part will be getting bushings that will fit. If you get them from the Toyota dealership, they'll fit no problem. If you're getting aftermarket bushings...well, I ended up throwing mine away, because they did not fit at all.

 

What difference do the bushings make in the ride quality? Or a better question would be, what are some symptoms of bad bushings?

 

Thanks.