How the F. Do you remove/install the Swaybar?!

[lexdiamondz10304]

Im in the process of lowering the LS and replacing the damn swaybar and its way more harder than I though. I got the old one off by cutting the damn thing, but trying to fit the new one is proven to be a major pain in the a... If anyone could please help thanks in advance!!

 

[Outkast]

from 4 threads down...


milehighmikey
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Nashua
Posts: 65 Quote:
Originally Posted by mrshl13
End links look original and I can grab the sway bar next to them and move it an inch or 2. I can't recreate the popping but my little sissy arms are probably too weak. Found some on ebay reasonably priced.

I'm not really sure what you mean there, but I was going to tell you to check the 4 bolts that hold the cross member to the mounts on the inside of the fenders. The cross member holds the sway bar and represents an easy way to change the sway bar, by unbolting and dropping it down. I did my bar that way, and I am not sure, but I may have never fully torqued the bolts (2 on each side). I had this strange groan when I would back out of the garage in the morning and never found it for a good 8 months. When I did find it, I was a bit surprised that all 4 bolts were around a turn from tight. The noise went away after I tightened those bolts back down. You may have to drop the engine lower shield to see those bolts.
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2000 LS Getrag
Eibach pro kit
stock 17" sport wheels with Falken 235/50
poor man's air box mod
XM Ski-Fi 2 on Pro-fit VSM

2003 Mercury Marauder
Tuned by Torrie
Dropped 1 full coil off front springs, rear air suspension adjusted to match



hope this helps....

 

[milehighmikey]

Hey thanks there!

One thing to add is that is you choose to go that route, by dropping that cross member, be aware that it supports your cooling system's heat exchangers and air movers. You will need to support those items, which is not a trivial task, but is doable. I used #12 thhn stranded copper wire with insulation to create a supported suspension from over the top and fixed to something on the front of the radiator area. The whole stack dropped an inch or two, which was harmless, but further downward travel would be costly. The access that doing that provides to the bar is amazing. If you go by the manual, you're going to be working from above and below, working on sliding the dccv heater valve around, pulling the air box out, etc, just to get a wrench on the 4 sway bar bolts. By dropping the cross member, you can do all the work from below (IIRC) and save a whole load of time.

 

[02V8Sport]

I did mine w/o moving anything out of the way except for the air box and tubing. Get your self a 13mm ratcheting box end wrench.

It will be a life saver getting those sway bar bolts off around the bushings.

 

[lseguy]

I did mine w/o moving anything out of the way except for the air box and tubing. Get your self a 13mm ratcheting box end wrench.

It will be a life saver getting those sway bar bolts off around the bushings.

I gotta ask. How exactly DID you get to that forward bolt on the passenger side bushing bracket? The curved part of the hose from the valve is literally 1/2 inch (or less) directly above the head of that bolt. Too tight for a socket, and it's so tight up in there I couldnt even finagle a box wrench on the head of that bolt. Even if I could, there would be no room to work.

 

[02V8Sport]

I believe that is the one I used the 13mm ratcheting box wrench on from under the car. It was tight but would not be able to do it w/o that ratcheting box wrench.

 

[lseguy]

I'm guessing the setup at that point is a bit different on yours (03+ I believe you have) than mine (2002). Because the DCCV or heater valve or whatever, makes it impossible to get anything on that forward bolt unless that DCCV is moved out of the way. But I count what I think are 3 bolts holding the DCCV on, and even with those bolts gone, Im not sure there would be enough play to move the DCCV out of the way, to hit that front bushing bracket bolt. Either way, off to a local independent shop in the morning to let them tackle it for me.