Front Sway Bar

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Robinson
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Front Sway Bar

Post by Robinson »

Ive just pulled out my front sway bar and after reading another thread about it i have a few questions. The car pulls to the right. (left hand drive on left hand side of the road in oz) The both iner rubbers on front of sway bar were worn. outer rubbers still looksokay. The left sleeve has a little play but not corroded and is loose on end of bar along with the plate washer where the right one is solid and joined togehter by what looks like a wheild around of bottom plate washer with no movement on the bar.. Im thinking i should wheild the loose collar to same as otherside to make it solid so to help stop wear of inner rubber and hopefully help pull in steering. Also some people have said they put in a rubber washer to help. Where does the which side does the washer go , ineer or outer side or both? Anyone had experience with this.?
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dlb
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Re: Front Sway Bar

Post by dlb »

pulling to either side is usually a sign that the car needs an alignment. it's easy to do at home, check this thread:

https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2273

pulling could also be due to a bent frame if the car was in an accident. i don't believe the sway bar would have much effect on pulling to one side unless it was bent or really, really worn.

in regards to the washer, collars, and rubbers: the washers are not fastened to the bar though most fuse to it over time due to rust. either way is fine since it gets snugged up tight against the thicker portion of the bar sway bar end nuts are done up.

the collar should fit fairly snugly on the bar. if a collar is really loose when you slide it into place on the bar, the bar is probably badly bottle-necked and should likely be replaced, like the one in this pic:

Image

when you say inner rubbers, do you mean the second bushings from the end of the bar? regardless, any badly worn bushings should be replaced. petros added rubber to his worn bushings as an interim solution but that is not recommended.

you may have already seen this sway bar thread but in case you haven't:

https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7481
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Petros
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Re: Front Sway Bar

Post by Petros »

I concur, pulling is not likely caused by sway bar bushings. the metal sleeve gets clamped up so slight movement is irrelevant, do not weld it, it sounds fine.

Check the tie rod ends and ball joints, and inner lower arm bushings for slope and wear. Also make sure all the suspension bolts are tight, especially the two 14 mm bolts on the bottom of the steering knuckle (right under the lower ball joint). Check your wheel bearings for play (jack up each side and shake wheel in and out, should be no movement). If all of this is good, than have the wheel alignment done (or do it yourself per the referenced thread). Usually if I have found a bad or bent suspension part, once I replace it the alignment comes back to normal. I have never had to have the alignment done on my Tercel, despite having the suspension apart and many parts replaced over the years.

When I installed the rubber washer in the sway bar bushing I put it right under the large end washer.

Good luck
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Robinson
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Re: Front Sway Bar

Post by Robinson »

Thanks guys. The link to the thread was great on how to remove sway bar as i should have used jack to support sway bar as threaded last bolt (lucky inside thread okay) with all tension on it trying to remove it. Also the inside hasn't been bottle necked but there was a little slop for the collar which i heard might add to bushes wearing faster. I cleaned painted and added a few small pieces of electrical tape and greased the shaft and now the collar sits solid with no movement. Thanks also for info on steering pull. There is movement when the wheel is woobled side to side. The mechanic told me it was coming from the rack so i would new rack ends stop this? Sounds like it can be from a number of things so i might have to start a new thread on this.
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rer233
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Re: Front Sway Bar

Post by rer233 »

most likley inner tie rod ends (they go bad frequently- no big deal to replace.) welcome to the list!
if it aint there, there's a good chance it won't break!
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Robinson
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Re: Front Sway Bar

Post by Robinson »

I ve got a whole new set of bushes for the sway bar ends from a company named Nolathane.

http://www.nolathane.com.au/product_det ... mber=45283

They cost me $49 oz for 2 of the biger ones and $39 for the two smaller ones. Hopefully they will last lonker and improve handling and will see about ride. The shape on the big ones looks different as not such a big area to sit against washer and groove sits closer to sway bar , other way round compared to old ones. (Asuming thats the right way they go in) I'll try do a bit more research. Also the bigger bush has a bit of play on collar not like bottom bush that fits snug.
Has anyone found the new bushes play alittle on collor as thinking this might make them wear out quicker.
Mabey the old collar has worn some? I will put a bit of electrical tape around collar and they say to grease up all friction parts when putting back in.
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dlb
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Re: Front Sway Bar

Post by dlb »

link didn't work. you should post pics of what you have so we can compare. i've only used sway bar end bushings from toyota.

the bushings should definitely be snug on the collar. the collar could likely be worn down but the non-OEM bushings could also be the problem, tough to say. like i said, take some pics and post them here. it will give us a better idea.

i've had to replace the collars each time i've done this job.
Robinson
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Re: Front Sway Bar

Post by Robinson »

Hear is a pick of those bushes. They make other bushes to with lifetime warranty. Said they trade under whiteline in states but dont do front end bushes there. Made from polyurethane. Next time might try with new collars but should be okay. That bushings kit Mad_Marx got from www.superproly.com looked good andcheaper than mine with new collars.
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Robinson
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Re: Front Sway Bar

Post by Robinson »

In they go.
IMG_20120607_103322.jpg
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Robinson
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Re: Front Sway Bar

Post by Robinson »

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IMG_20120607_100145.jpg
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SirNik83
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Re: Front Sway Bar

Post by SirNik83 »

I went to the Toyota dealer for these Bushings... they wanted $115 for all 4 rubbers and the sleves. I walked away.
I read this post and hopped on the AU ebay. this parts kit.
Toyota Tercel 4x4 83-88 Superpro Front ARB To Lower Control Arm Bush SPF1064K

I ended up ordering them from a seller in UK because the shipping rate was better.
Here is the link to what I bought
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI. ... OC:US:3160

Likely this link will die, so just search this part number in ebay, or ebayUK or ebayAU. SPF1064K

Kit comes with all 4 polyurethane bushings and the sleves. $53USA Shipped.
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ARCHINSTL
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Re: Front Sway Bar

Post by ARCHINSTL »

Interesting pricing - but I've encountered similar robbery prices from "my" STL Toy dealers - which is why I started buying from Butler Toy (note that others have had good luck from Conicelli and Village Toy).
The four OE bushings and two sleeves cost me $49 back in late '07; see https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=6438
Member SweetwaterJoe updated this in May of last year to $62.

Maybe copy your post and add it to the Part Numbers - OE and Aftermarket Forum?
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