1990 L300 swing arm bushing?

north54 · Post by **north54** » Mon Oct 14, 2013 11:27 am

Hey all, I've got a bad clunk in the front end and I'm sure its associated with this:

You can see the bolt separation and I can literally shake this piece. Worn same on both sides.

I'm trying to find the OEM part # but I don't even know what this rubber bushing is called.

Please help out a newb..

Cheers

TieMyShoe · Post by **TieMyShoe** » Mon Oct 14, 2013 11:55 am

Thats a sway bar end link.

fozzie · Post by **fozzie** » Mon Oct 14, 2013 6:36 pm

fozzie wrote:You can find sway bar bushings at lordco part #9.8101R (for red). You'll need 2 packs I think. Get some 2 1/2" x 5/8'' Grade 8 bolts with nuts and washers while your at it. Use some locktite if you got any. Jack up the front end to do it. Doesn't take long, can do it over a couple of beers.
Matt

gezzza · Post by **gezzza** » Tue Oct 15, 2013 1:33 am

I had that bolt fall out over the weekend after changing those bushes a few months ago. So i took the whole sway bar off in preparation for land cruiser 4x4 park this weekend.

ChuckBlack · Post by **ChuckBlack** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 2:11 pm

Oh by he way for all of you out there wondering what where to buy sway bar end links, Napa sells generic ones. Similar to an old chevy type.
1" Dia, 5/8 thick, 5/16 I.D. Generic 3" Grade 8 SAE bolts will do with Ny-locks! I replaced mine on my 1993 L300 yesterday, cost me $10 and took me 1/2h!

Post by **FalcoColumbarius** » Wed Mar 16, 2016 11:52 am

I replaced my black rubber bushings for my stabiliser ends with the red polyurethane ones but looking at your picture ~ your's look in pretty good shape, my original ones were ratty. According to the Russek manual there should be ten to twelve millimetres of bolt show beyond the face of the nut. I'm reciting from memory so don't take what I'm saying as gospel but if memory serves me, to start with you need to jack her up on chassis stands and remove the front wheels. It is in this position that you tighten the bolts. Double check with the Peter Russek manual, I purchased mine at Japanoid but one can also buy them at Russek-Publications.com for sixteen quid. Also, this manual was originally written for the Euro Delica so there will be some differences, use your discretion but it can be handy.

Falco.

sealica · Post by **sealica** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 12:02 pm

fozzie wrote:
fozzie wrote:You can find sway bar bushings at lordco part #9.8101R (for red). You'll need 2 packs I think. Get some 2 1/2" x 5/8'' Grade 8 bolts with nuts and washers while your at it. Use some locktite if you got any. Jack up the front end to do it. Doesn't take long, can do it over a couple of beers.
Matt

I'm wondering why you need to jack up the vehicle when doing sway bar bushings.

I broke one sway bar link on a recent logging road trip (I snugged them up a little toooo tight - live and learn) ...

So I drove home with the sway bar clunking because I was in the bush on Sunday. Just wondering to remove do I need to jack the van up? It seems easy enough to access these with the van on the ground, but perhaps there is something I'm missing ...

Post by **Growlerbearnz** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 3:22 pm

With the van on the ground there's a bit of force pushing the sway bar backwards. If you jack the front up a bit the sway bar holes magically align with less effort. The clever way to do it is to remove the nuts, then jack the front up until the bolts move easily.

sealica · Post by **sealica** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 7:45 pm

I wish I had a picture, but alas no camera!

But it seems like, perhaps, my passenger side front sway bar is a tad bent upwards ... I removed the bar today in my employer's parking lot. I didn't jack the van. Just wondering if driving with one sway bar link attached, the other broken, would have caused that (big obvious clattering over any kind of bump: manhole, pothole, etc.) kind of damage.

I feel like it was bent before hand though ... which led to my overtightening with the van's weight on the ground. I was trying to get both side's sway bar bushings looking equally tight, but yes I cranked on the passenger side much more (with a block of wood against the tire to hold a wrench holding the nut in place + 1/2" breaker bar)

sealica · Post by **sealica** » Thu Jun 08, 2017 5:14 pm

Speaking of the forward sway bar - to clarify I've seen pictures with two or three bushings per link.

The kit I got from CCA has two bushings per bolt (link).

The end link (original) came off with two bushings, one on top of swaybar, one under sway bar touching top of control arm, and just a washer on the bottom of the control arm.

I've seen pictures where there is also a bushing between the bottom washer and bottom of control arm.

...

Post by **Growlerbearnz** » Fri Jun 09, 2017 3:08 am

Factory is two (like in your picture above) but it just feels wrong.

sealica · Post by **sealica** » Sat Jun 10, 2017 4:18 pm

I have a few pictures hoping to post, but replacing these bushings was an astronomical task. I'm no expert mechanic, and there was probably some kind of tool I could've used or a method I didn't think of, but my arms are sore like weight lifting or something!

As I kinda previously mentioned I removed the sway-bar after driving home with it clanking (after 1 link broke on a logging road) for ~80km. Retrospectively speaking I should've probably removed the bar knowing that it broke (I looked under the van and noticed after first hearing the sound). I only removed the bar once I got home and was waiting for the parts which I ordered from CCA instead of going to Lordco for generic energy suspension bushings + bolts + nuts + washers.

I got a poly sway bar link kit from CCA (Coombs) ~$50. The bolts were too short [55mm] to fit the bushings without significant compression which I was unable to find the method to achieve. So I made a run to several auto parts stores in search of M10x1.25 at 75-80mm. I ended up with M10x1.5 (plus 2 new nuts) at 70mm as it's all I could source ... checking the original bolt it's 70mm, presumably OEM.

I tried attaching everything both with the van on jackstands (front wheels in the air) and on the street and it was only possible without the jack-stands.

I managed to improvise using woodworking bar-clamps, jack stands (to hold the bar in place), and sometimes the OEM bottle jack to hold things in place lightly while balancing all the parts. I also ended up asking my girlfriend and neighbor separately to stand on the passenger side bullbar to get the nut on the bolt enough to wrench!!! After quitting temporarily I used a bar clamp plus girlfriend standing on bullbar to finally get the nut and bolt attached enough to tighten and compress the poly bushings.

I was seriously underestimating this job and the replacement radiator now feels like a breeze in the park!

I wonder if my sway bar is bent, or thicker than OEM, or there are various OEM? But I'm happy to have it assembled and while the bushings are bit dusty it rides great for a spin around the block.

I have a few pictures that I'm going to edit and perhaps share in case they're useful ...

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