My drivers side endlink connected to the sway bar has broken off the arm. The passenger side looks like it is going to break as well. I didn't notice this until I did a small glance underneath. Driving and steering seems to be normal.

I am from Minnesota but currently living in NW Indiana for a summer internship. All I have is a scissor jack and a couple wrenches here.

How critical is the endlink. I plan on driving to MN in a couple weeks. Will I make it 8 hrs or do I really need to get raped on labor at a shop?

Just looking for some opinions here.

Thanks

 

Define "critical".

There is only ONE thing in all of creation that is "required", "inevitable", "necessary", etc. When the time comes for that ONE THING, all the "but... wait.... I was just...." won't accomplish anything. It will come, and you will have no choice.

Meanwhile, everything else, is just a question of options and consequences.



That said, your options are to spend about $15 - 20 and about 10 minutes if you're slow like me and if you stop for a cold one in the middle of each side besides; or, (consequences: ) enjoy a car that's all but undriveable, and perhaps lose control at some inopportune moment, which will be a sudden emergency evasive maneuver that renders the car out of control and crashes it into who knows what. Which option seems better? Hmmmmm........ [makes weighing motions with both hands] $15, die, $15, die, .... ,,,, ... I'm struggling here. Let me check with my spiritual adviser right quick and get back to you.



OK here's what she said:

Go to Da Zone and pick up a pair of Energy Suspension ones from the "Performance" aisle (yeah, you'll have to suffer through a bunch of poseur crap like skull-shaped shifter *****, poseur "braid" you put on your heater hoses, and other poseur stuff like that - did I mention, there's alot of poseur crap in that dept? but it'll be over quick, and all worth it in the end) of about the same length as what's there now. Exact length isn't critical. Look at how long the tubing thing in the middle is (that's how they're measured) and get the closest one, within an inch or so will do. 2 9/16" wrenches, a couple of minutes, and you're done. Tighten them until the squishy parts are about the same diameter as the big washers. Details are not real critical. Did I mention, details aren't real critical? In case not, the details aren't real critical. Just do it. Good new ones that are slightly different from OE are a WHOLE LOT better than wasted OE ones that are broken in half and falling off. Blee dat.

 

They arent that critical if you drive normal. I would take the other side off too if anything. My car has no sway bars right now and it doesnt drive that bad at all.

 

thanks sofa, that read made my evening, its good to see you back posting.

 

I wouldn't take the other side off, unless you remove the entire sway bar - nothing holding up the ends means that it'll fall downwards. Like a horseshoe, all your luck will run out if the ends fall down, and you'll definitely be in a wreck. Also, I suppose it's possible that the ends dragging the ground might catch on something and cause a wreck as well. If nothing else, get something to hold that sucker up and make sure it doesn't fall!

But as mentioned, end links are cheap, all you need is a couple wrenches and 20 minutes max.

 

Unless you have super stiff front springs I don't recomend removing your anti-sway bar as doing so will cause extra body roll during cornering leading to a flipped car. End links are cheap and worth saving your life for. If the car is only driven at a drag strip then removing the bar for weight savings is OK but please keep it hooked up on the street.

 

Its not that I want to remove the sway bar. I just have a scissor jack that I don't trust enough to get under the car with. I will be driving home next week (8hrs) and I can fix it then. I didn't know it was worth it for me to go buy a couple wrenches and a block to change them. I think I might just take the wheels off and I should have enough room from the side to work on it.

Thanks sofa for the interesting reply though

 

all you need is to take the wheels off to change the links. Personally, i say do it. Im sure you can make the drive without the bar, but if you have to swerve, for whatever reason, you run a good chance of loosing control and wrecking

 

I think driving w/o your sway bar might mess up your instant roll center or your ackerman geometry or something like that so you might want to wait until vetruck speaks up and set this all straight.

 

you dont even need to remove the wheel.
just turn to wheel to 1 side so you can see the swaybar. then start wrenching .

 

This is Vetruck (On a different computer).

Without the swayubar the car is just less balanced in lateral set (meaning corner balance). It just means you drive a little slower in corners and it will take alittle morte time and feffort to try and make more aggressive left to right or right to left transitions where the body will say more.

Just considr driving without sway bars (a broken end link basically means the swaybar is not functioning properly- might as well be missing) is like driving an inferior type of non-performance car like an old stock Volkswagon Bettle. You just go around a corner at 35 rather than 40 mph.

THe better performance a vehicle is the faster you can drive safely and still the car will react to emergencies. The more inferior the suspension the less resonsive and thus more dangerous it would be at the same speed. Just drive a litle more cautiously than you would with it hooked up.

Dean

 

drag racers n off roaders often remove them before an event.

and will install quick pin's for easy removal.