How to tell Your Sway Bar/Swing Arm End Links Are Bad

[andrewwynn]

Originally Posted by TiminIndy

I think I am going to have my sway bar end links replaced soon.
Questions:

1) Would the time/labor be less to do both pairs at the same time, as opposed to doing them separately?

2) Will an alignment be needed when replacing either of these, or both?

The sway bar links are an easy DIY job. There is no effect on alignment from these links; the whole reason for the link is to disconnect the moving aligned suspension from the sway bar.

Replacing the lower control arms however does require alignment.

symptoms: if you feel shaking in the pedal or especially the wheel during a moderate brake from 40-50mph, OR a shake in the wheel during a freeway speed lane-change, that is almost certainly control arms.

if you hear 'clunk' frequently while driving over mostly smooth surface, but over minor road level changes like concrete seams, that is for sure the sway bar links.

I changed my wife's SBL in about an hour. I lifted both sides off the ground at the same time so i could easily access everything, including turning the wheel left to right. I had my son use a 2x2 as a pry-bar to help push the sway bar up a smidgen to get it to fit on, also the replacements had a different style of 'flat' on the ball side of the threaded rod, which i could fold the rubber boot out of the way to get a normal wrench on which was nice.

trick; you can 100% verify if the SBL are shot with some electrical tape; I wrapped about 10 wraps of tape around the top and bottom of both SBL and the clunking was entirely eliminated; it gave me a week of peace while the parts were in the mail. I used some very low-cost parts considering the ease of replacing and that they don't influence the alignment.

If you can twist the SBL left and right by hand, they are likely shot, but the c-c-c—clunk that is at every tiny little road imperfection will be the solid evidence (other than the electrical tape test above)