I've asked this in the v6 section twice now, but no one seems to want to answer me, so here I am in the trusty Classics! I want to swap out my front sway bar bushings and endlinks for poly types, but am afraid that it will cuase a squeeking fit. Does anyone know if that would be a problem for my 98 3.8L coupe, or maybe poly bushings in other locations are the squeekers? I'm trying to fix all the rattles and noises on the car, so I don't want to create more to fix later...
Nic

 

I put poly bushings in the front of my 94 F150 and have had no squeeks. I have had them in there for about 7 or 8 years now.

 

Poly sta-bar chassis bracket and endlink bushings are about the least likely bushings to get noisy. It's usually the control arm bushings that get talkative, and that's due to a number of features partly related to the way the pieces in the kits are dimensioned and partly to the way they are contained within their brackets. At issue is the flat faces of the poly rotating against the bracket sides while under a fair amount of compression because the poly is longer than its inner sleeve and gets compressed when you torque the fastener running through it.

I know that this has been discussed in the 2005 - 2008, 4.6L Specific, Handling section at least once or twice over the last year or so, so you might try searching there for more details. I know that's not your chassis either, but that forum seems to be becoming the default place for discussions more related to cornering than straight line, at least for the non-Classics.


Norm

 

Thanks very much! Would the standard automotive store have these in poly, or will I need to order them via the net?

 

I've seen the endlink kits at Pep Boys most any time I happened to be in that aisle, and I got my last set there. Don't really remember where I got the chassis bracket bushings, though.


Norm

 

Ok, and 1 last question. When I recently installed my rear sway bar, I did it on a car lift, so there was no load on the hanging suspension. When I install the front, will it need to be full load bearing, or will it not matter?

 

If your rear bar bolts to the LCAs it can only go on one way and there is no way of adjusting out any preload (such as from unequal spring heights/settlement).

Up front, you can take out any preload if you want to be fussy. This probably matters slightly more with the stiffer poly endlinks than with the OE rubber pieces, but is not something that you absolutely have to do. In any case you can correct preload if the weight is on the wheels (and driver weight simulated) by either trimming or shimming one of the sleeves so that both arms of the bar contact their endlink bushings at the same time.


Norm

 

Oh and do not come back to this forum any more. We like to think we know it all. Or at least I do.LOL damn margaritas are getting to me. Happy Labor Day and I deserve it.