Swaybar links fixed the popping- YAY!!!

93NX · 06-20-2008, 03:13 PM

OK, I HAD to post this, as I have had the dreaded front end pop for a freakin YEAR OR MORE! I was thinking of selling the car it was so maddening, but no one would buy it because of the popping...

SO, after replacing both lower control arms, both CV shafts (unrelated), pulling 3 of the 4 motor mounts and thoroughly checking them, and taking it to 2 local mechanics, the third time was the charm, as a local mechanic identified it as...sway bar links!

Some of you would say DUH here, but I didn't realize it was them because they were still fairly tight- BUT the drivers one had a notch rubbed in it on the shaft (apparently from the bushings failing in the past) and the passenger one had a spot that allowed it to pop into, causing the sickening popping noise EVERY TIME it unloaded on that side.

It is like I have a new car! I had replaced the link bushings with ES peices a while back, and with the new links it is Peeerfect.

I also must add that the part was labeled "discontinued" via the local O'Reilly's, but I got on Rockauto.com and found a part number, which I then had O'Reilly's order locally- it is a Beck Arnley 101-4377; they were $12.50 per side, and included the washers and rubber bushings! The shop wanted $40 per side, so this was a STEAL. It took me an hour to change them (easy as pie) once I figured out to use my C Clamp to pull down the swaybar so I could start the lower nut and compress the ES bushings.

Thanks to all those that post about this stuff, cause I never would have known where to find the part numbers without you guys...

THANKS!!!

93NX · 06-20-2008, 03:14 PM

OH, they also had a Moog version that was TWICE as beefy and had grease zerks, but they were $24 per, and seemed like overkill with the factory swaybar, FYI...

kurtdaniel · 07-23-2010, 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 93NX

OK, I HAD to post this, as I have had the dreaded front end pop for a freakin YEAR OR MORE! I was thinking of selling the car it was so maddening, but no one would buy it because of the popping..

SO, after replacing both lower control arms, both CV shafts (unrelated), pulling 3 of the 4 motor mounts and thoroughly checking them, and taking it to 2 local mechanics, the third time was the charm, as a local mechanic identified it as...sway bar link!

Some of you would say DUH here, but I didn't realize it was them because they were still fairly tight- BUT the drivers one had a notch rubbed in it on the shaft (apparently from the bushings failing in the past) and the passenger one had a spot that allowed it to pop into, causing the sickening popping noise EVERY TIME it unloaded on that side.

It is like I have a new car! I had replaced the link bushings with ES peices a while back, and with the new links it is Peeerfect.

I also must add that the part was labeled "discontinued" via the local O'Reilly's, but I got on Rockauto.com and found a part number, which I then had O'Reilly's order locally- it is a Beck Arnley 101-4377; they were $12.50 per side, and included the washers and rubber bushings! The shop wanted $40 per side, so this was a STEAL. It took me an hour to change them (easy as pie) once I figured out to use my C Clamp to pull down the swaybar so I could start the lower nut and compress the ES bushings.

Thanks to all those that post about this stuff, cause I never would have known where to find the part numbers without you guys...

THANKS!!!

hey,,that was a good fix..you havent spent much with it..congrats man,,u did it..