Sway bar links

[85MercPark]

I noticed my Mark 7 seemed a bit loose so I took a look under the front end.
I quickly noticed my sway bar links looked loose. How is that possible I thought.. Maybe the bolts came loose.

So I crawled under and proceeded to try to tighten them up. The six inch 3/8 ratchet wouldn't budge them so I grabbed the 12 incher and tugged away. Nothing... so I pulled for all I was worth and suddenly it seemed to be tightening up. Ten or so pulls later, wow that's too easy... Stripped the nut threads right off. So I guess they were as tight as they go.

So I cut them both off and go to install the new set. I lay them beside the new set and here the old set is a good 1/2 to 3/4 inch longer than the new set.

Could they have stretched that much and not broken? They don't look deformed at all.

I wonder if someone installed a wrong set at some point or if they came that way or what happened.

Any way, if the rain ever stops I'll be able to see if there is much improvement handling wise. I would think there has to be a huge improvement as loose as they were..

Anyone else ever seen this?

The pics show the bolts, the bushing as they were and the new made in USA bushings

[Ghorneck]

They take quite a beating as far as bushings go. Pulled pushed and tweaked sideways. The rubber just gets all compressed on the molecular level eventually and they shrink. Changing sway bar bushings should be regular maintenance, and not just the end links. Even the ENG premium poly bushings are pretty shot after 5 years of the abuse a sway bar dishes out.

[85MercPark]

Wow, that there was the problem...

Never handled so well.

I am still perplexed by that long bolt.

The bushings I took out where still soft and not dried or cracked. Exactly the same size as the new ones. They did not shrink.

My guess is someone replaced the link with an incorrect size at some point or maybe from the factory, though I doubt they would look so good after 20 some years.

[mrltd]

those weren't originals...the factory ones are stamped to hold the washer where it needs to be, they don't use collars.

[gadget73]

yup, aftermarket with too-long bolts or too-short spacer tube. The ends of the sway bar should be parallel to the ground with the car at normal trim height. Ditto with the lower control arms.

[85MercPark]

That's what I figured, the bolts where longer on the old set..

It seems tighter and that rattle up front is gone.

Now to track now the vibration and slight pull to the right...

The vibration is more noticeable now with the tight sway bar...