Front sway bar bushings

MoparDan

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Please tell me the sway bar isn't bent
IMG_20201203_122628.jpg
IMG_20201203_122617.jpg
 

Sub03

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Hard to tell and I don't have my car here to compare, but It looks like you're missing the bottom bushing.
And remember the bolt through the bushings(s) should be torqued down with the LCA at what Chrysler call "ride height":

Torsion.gif


PS! 2 7/8 inch is not 63 mm like the picture says, it is 73mm, but i reckon you go by inches in FL.
 

MoparDan

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Yah the bottom bushing was broken almost looked like part of it was cut off, and a few days ago I made a U-turn and something sounded like it broke, I looked under and the bottom bushing was missing car now pulls to the left, I'm hoping to have all the sway bar bushings replaced this month just need to make sure the sway bars ok first
 

MoparDan

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The sway bar is fine. A broken sway bar link won't cause the car to suddenly pull left though.
Good to know the sway bar is fine (thank you thats huge load off my mind) What about the "inner" bushings: the round bushings towards the middle (not sure the right name is) both the left and right bushings are dead-I can move them with my hands, could that be causing the left pull? Its been pulling left ever since
 

Mr C

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Inspect your UCAs for bend/ twist. They like to gather dirt which then rusts, weakens the metal and leads to this:
1916645_100305529991473_2106962_n.jpg
 

Aspen500

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You mean the center pivot bushings for the sway bar, yes? No, they won't cause a pull either. The sway bar will not cause a pull. I feel you have another issue going on.
This is only possibility but a good possibility: Since you say you heard a clunk and then the car pulled left, my first place to look is the upper control arm adjustments. Pulling left would point to the RIGHT control arm. If the nuts came loose, or were not torqued properly during an alignment. the upper arm can "slide" in the adjustment slots suddenly (clunk or crack type sound). It will move to negative camber and make the car pull to the side with less negative camber. If you don't know, these are the large nuts that bolt the upper arm shaft to the control arm brackets. Take a look and see if there's evidence of movement. There would most likely be witness marks.

Sway bar reference:
DSCF0001.JPG


Alignment adjustment nuts:
b481b435_205809.jpg
 
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MoparDan

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The control arms were taken off when the new ball joints went in, the bushings looked bad I would've gotten new bushings if I knew they were even there. The clunk first started maybe 3 months ago it would only happen once in a while and it only happens at a very low speed like pulling out of a parking lot, I had it looked at when it first happend but even thing underneath seemed tight so was told to keep driving until it got more consistent about a month ago it did, but it still it only happens when being driven slowly-it won't happen if you turn the wheel while stopped so we can't see what's happening with the wheels off the ground. That clunk from a few days ago sounded a bit stronger, felt it a little more in the steering wheel too and ever since then she pulls to the left
 

MoparDan

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I forgot to mention the clunk sound is definitely coming from the right side, this is the side where the ball joint had to be welded to the control arm
 

Mikes5thAve

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Maybe it's something screwed up with that then.
That last pic doesn't look like the boot is sealing right.
 

Mr C

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Agree...why was it welded? I can't recall if these are press in or thread in...either way welding should not be required.

This area is probably the issue.
 

MiradaMegacab

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Since you say you heard a clunk and then the car pulled left, my first place to look is the upper control arm adjustments. Pulling left would point to the RIGHT control arm. If the nuts came loose, or were not torqued properly during an alignment. the upper arm can "slide" in the adjustment slots suddenly (clunk or crack type sound). It will move to negative camber and make the car pull to the side with less negative camber. If you don't know, these are the large nuts that bolt the upper arm shaft to the control arm brackets. Take a look and see if there's evidence of movement. There would most likely be witness marks.

Ive had this happen to me..............
 

Aspen500

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Agree...why was it welded? I can't recall if these are press in or thread in...either way welding should not be required.

This area is probably the issue.

He had it welded for a temporary fix, until the control arm can be replaced.

The upper joints are "threaded" in and his popped out. I had mine do the same thing waaaaaaaaaaay back around 1989 and did the same thing, welded it in. Embarrassed to say, I never replaced the arm until doing the total rebuild of the car from 2002-2012 and it never caused a problem up until 1996 when the car sat with a fried trans in the garage for 6 years. Of course, my car wasn't driven in winter from the day I bought it in 1987 and I made sure to grease it more than normal. Not a permanent fix though!:eek:

I didn't know FF had sway bar brackets.
 

MoparDan

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What Aspen 500 said. If this means anything when the clunk started I had mechanic check everything underneath: nothing was even remotely loose, he checked the control arms a couple times after that and still seemed tight. He'll be checking the right UCA more closely in the next day or two, the camber isn't right at all (too dark to take a picture)
 
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