[Speedingpenguin]

98 Eldorado, replacing the front sway bar links, got them out of where it mounts to the strut after about 5 mins each with a hammer, but can't get the stud to come out of the sway bar itself. Tried liquid wrench, hitting it with a torch, smacking it with a hammer from as many directions as I could manage, tried using a jaw puller, but NOTHING. I've gotta drive 16 hours away on tuesday morning and have to work tomorrow, any suggestions on how I might get these things out? Thank you!

 

[Ranger]

Put a pipe wrench on it and try twisting it loose.

 

[Speedingpenguin]

Put a pipe wrench on it and try twisting it loose.

tried with vice grips, no luck. Got one side out (driver side), but i've been heating up the passenger side and soaking it with liquid wrench probably 10 times by now, using a ball joint separator to try and pry it off but this thing just does not want to come off, and i'm getting TIRED OF IT!:want:

 

[Ranger]

Vice grips are like a BB gun. A BIG pipe wrench or a small one with a pipe extending the handle is like a 40MM cannon. Get out the big guns.

 

[Raze]

I made a special tool to remove them and it works great, basically a pulley puller that I removed the small thumb screws from and added longer bolts with adjustment nuts so i can clamp on anything from very small to very large and a C-clamp to support the arms, not just the origional size of the puller, then just attach to swaybar supporting the arms with a C-clamp to keep it latched on, and screw down on the remover and it should 'push' the end out.

 

[oldswrench]

Vice grips are like a BB gun. A BIG pipe wrench or a small one with a pipe extending the handle is like a 40MM cannon. Get out the big guns.

I know that this is an older thread, but I got out the "big guns" and rung off the stud flush with the sway bar!!! This one is a base 98 Eldorado so I guess I will consider replacing the entire sway bar with one from an STS or ETC arent they bigger? Has anyone else done this? And if so is it worth the effort or should I just get the broken stud out and press on. Thanks

 

[N*Caddy]

AHHHHHH, I hate this part too. I always struggle with the damn links, the strut end is fine, I get it easy with the press but the sway bar end...man is ahhh! :rant2:. Anyway try a ball joint pry fork, it worked like a charm last time I did it, two bangs on the hammer and it was out. You have to reach it from front (is relay close to the height sensor rod so be careful).

If that fails then brake the torches, once you get the sway bar end red hot, you can pull the link out with a set of pliers.
From my experience the AcDelco first line (sealed no grease required) are not as good as AcDelco second line (require grease).
Also make sure you grease the sway bar hole so you won't have the same bad experience next time.

 

[kcd1184]

I just did mine today, 98Eldo. They were tough also. I finally Blastered them and left for two hours. Blastered them again and left for another hour. Got my four pounder out and both strut ends came out with a little persuasion. You can't get a clean shot at the bottom studs but I took a piece of steel, it's called a bullpin in my trade, and went to whacking on the studs where i could make good contact. You don' have to hit it from behind for it to come out. Both popped out finally, but you have so make solid contact. The taper makes it popout like a zit. It is so nice to get rid of that front end noise.

 

[N*Caddy]

Oh yeah is like the most rewarding repair ever, instant result, no more noise!

 

[DJSG3]

This is what works for me - Pitman arm puller & a half inch thick piece of aluminum with a notch in it. Takes about 30 seconds to pop them suckers out.

DJSG3

 

[drewsdeville]

large c-clamp and the acetylene torch always works for me.

 

[basscatt]

large c-clamp and the acetylene torch always works for me.

------------
yep - love the FIRE-WRENCH -:flame::flame:

 

[N*Caddy]

This is what works for me - Pitman arm puller & a half inch thick piece of aluminum with a notch in it. Takes about 30 seconds to pop them suckers out.

DJSG3

That puller is almost identical with the one I am using, works great with the strut end but can't get it to work on the sway bar end (never thought about the aluminum piece). But since last time worked so great with the ball joint fork I will probably keep using that method. So far I only have like 6 months on my sway bar links so probably 1 more year I am fine.

 

[donavo]

hmm this thread makes me remember my issue. can anyone tell me just how important these links are? the reason i ask is that when i bought my STS from a used car dealer, they were disconnected. i obviously didnt know it untill i bought it. when i was test driving it, it drove completely fine. just when parking, after turning the wheel enough, the wheels started to rub in the wheelwells at one point. i couldnt repeat the problem in front of the dealer, and didnt make a big deal out of it so i just bought the car n e way. but after lifting it up i noticed the sway bar links are disconnected from the struts but still attached to the sway bar. this looked dangerous as hell. but drove just fine. the links were bad so i replaced them with these cheap aftermarket ones since i didnt think they were that important (i mean...i drove the car WITHOUT them and it drove fine...how important can they b?) im sure they are actually really important. thats y i ask. so how important are they? and could they cause problems if they arent the good originals?

 

[N*Caddy]

The sway bar links are very important in corners or on bumpy roads, it links the wheels (from the same axle) together so you don't end up with the car rolling and such. I definitely won't go on a HWY or on a twisty road with the sway bar links disconnected, the body will roll about all over the road.
The used car dealer disconnected the links because were bad and noisy, so you don't hear the noise when test-driving. In AcDelco are something like $80 or so each. Aftermarket will last 6 months if you are lucky.

 

[donavo]

how can i tell if theyre bad? would it cause unstability? which is what i got now? is that related in n e way?

 

[N*Caddy]

Sway bar links go bad by developing play into the joints (you basically have one ball joint at each end). When this happens you can hear noise when driving over bumps (especially small repetitive bumps). It is a knock but not quite a low pitch that you can feel into the floor like the one caused by lower control arm bushings, is more like too much noise for what it really is (similar as the one caused by bad tie rods when yanking on the steering wheel).
Eventually if not serviced will brake down (the ball will come off the socket), that will cause unusual excessive body roll, the car feels like is all over the road.

To diagnose a bad sway bar link you jack the car (preferably both front wheels as lifting just one side will put too much strength on the links masking the play). Then using a crowbar resting on the subframe (or lower control arm) try to push the bottom side of the link (or the end of the sway bar). If there is a play you will see it. Actually if both wheels are off the ground (or somehow you can get underneath the car while the car sits on the wheels so basically there is no tension on the sway bar) you can just grab the end of the sway bar and try to move it, if there is play in the sway bar links will be obvious, no need of crowbar.

Mechanics disconnect sometimes the sway bar links to diagnose a suspension noise (eliminate the sway bar out of the equation).

 

[donavo]

ahhh i c i c. thanks alot. this will help me further figure out y my car is feeling so unstable. especially on freeways...feels like...umm...how should i put it...imagine as if all 4 wheels were not bolted in all the way. like...imagine the bolts on the wheels were not even there. but the studs had locks on the tips so the wheels dont fly off. now imagine driving like that. thats how it feels (my wheels are torqued down tho...lol)

 

[DJSG3]

That puller is almost identical with the one I am using, works great with the strut end but can't get it to work on the sway bar end (never thought about the aluminum piece). But since last time worked so great with the ball joint fork I will probably keep using that method. So far I only have like 6 months on my sway bar links so probably 1 more year I am fine.

I used to do it with a pickle fork too until one day all it did was seperate the bolt from the link, leaving the bolt still lodged in the sway bar. So thats when I fashioned the metal plate for the puller to have something to grab onto.

DJSG3