Snoopy

As the title mentions, I think I found another cause of the infamous clunk from the front end.

I had replaced both the sway bar end links (Moog grease type) and the sway bar bushings (Energy Suspension grease type) previously on different dates. Recently I noticed the cluck sound when hitting moderate type bumps.....and gradually was getting louder and more persistent.

Put the car on the lift and removed the wheels. After grabbing the sway bar and giving a healthy pull, I noticed it moved more than I thought was appropriate/acceptable.....maybe 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch. This caused the bar to shift the end link shaft and make contact with a small bracket, on the strut, that holds the ABS electrical connection. Had the same results on the passenger side.

At first I thought the Moog end links were the problem because of their extra diameter over the stock size (IIRC 10mm vs. 8mm) but I thought the bar shouldn't be sliding/moving that much......it has built in stops preventing (and probably engineered) the bar from sliding past a certain point in the bushing.

Cleaning the bushing and bar area I noticed quite a gab between the stop and the sway bar bushing. Rechecking the previous install revealed they are installed at the only location that fit to the frame/undercarriage.....which is exactly the same point as the OEMs.

I still have the OEM bushings and brackets, so they were measured with a dial caliper for outside dimension.....2.135 inches. Measuring the Energy bushings (the best I could will still installed on car) yielded something slightly less than 2 inches.

This allows the excessive gap between the bushings and the built in stops on the sway bar.........causing a well greased sway bar to move farther than intended and allowing the end link to contact the ABS electrical connector bracket.

Now my solutions....really asking opinions.

* replace the bar bushings with OEM
* replace the end links with OEM, or at least with a comparable size
* replace both bar bushings AND end links
* remove/relieve, by filing, some metal material from the ABS electrical connector bracket.

Each of these solutions has their own pros and cons...so what do you members suggest.

The car is still up on the floor lift and IF I can maneuver my body I'll try to take some pictures. .......Oops, just noticed the camera batteries are dead...will need to recharge.

Blue Beast (aka Boydie)

Number 4 below: Do you think enough metal can be removed to eliminate the bump and not weaken the bracket?

Boydie

Snoopy

Thanks Boydie...I'm leaning toward your suggestion as a start, since it is still on the lift. But as you suggested, I'll need to be concerned about the amount of material relief.

I need to admit, I'm disappointed in the UNIVERSIAL Energy Suspension sway bar bushings. Not in their intended performance or quality, but in the ACCEPTABLE size to fit. And Note....their website does not provide the dimension I am questioning. They only provide the metal strap size and the bushing overlaps each side.

I've had a standard, for a number of years, "Use OEM or the manufacturer of OEM parts". Came to this conclusion because of so many fitment problems previously. I used these because so many people mentioned they had success with them. Oh well, my anomaly!!

donbrew

I am not in a reading mode right now. Did you inspect the plastic stops that live on the inside of the bushings. Do you have 12 inch end links?

When I had the 2008, I first installed 12 inch end links and noticed the chafing on the LCAs then I looked a bit closer at the bushings while I replaced them with OEM. I noticed that there are plastic sleeve type stops on the bar that seemed to have moved inward, allowing the sway bar to travel more than it should.
I blamed this on the 12 inch end links, but maybe the stops get loose.

And I seem to remember that I argued against greased bushings a while ago.

Why is boydie always screaming? I can read everything that is not in bold.

Oldblue

I'll wait for those photos before weighing in on the solutions mentioned

Snoopy

Well the job is done and the car was driven approximately 10 miles with many intentional twisting and bumps. No clunking or knocking. So it MAY be fixed by the method number 4 as suggested by Boydie.

Had to remove the upper bolt of the end link of each side to gain access. Also I removed the ABS connector and tied it out of the way.

Couldn't find my bits for the Dremel so I filed the bracket down.....about 1/4 inch on each side, then reassembled and took it for the test run.

donbrew...no, I have the correct "9 inch" endlinks. Also, I may have NOT responded when you commented about the greased sway bar bushings, but I did agree with you. Of all the changes I made in suspension over the years, I have never had to grease them......other than a little at installation. It does sound counter-productive. These are the first and were selected because of owners responses here. AND my "bushing stops" (for no other description) appeared to be metal and I thought I saw a small "tack" when I did the initial install.

I think the main point is .......the Universal Energy Suspension sway bar bushings are not the same size, when measured, as the OEMs. Yeah they are for a 25mm diameter but lack the width needed to utilize the stops as intended. But one must remember, they are universal and would probably need to fit dozens of different cars as a selling point. That and the fact my endlinks are 2mm wider than OEM. And then the ABS electrical bracket on the FE5 strut MAY be located slightly different than the 2LT's FE3 strut.

Anyway, I'll go for a while and see if the encounter reoccurs. Will let you know.

Oldblue

So FE5 struts , ABS bracket, this might not have anything to do with the poly bushings, but everything to do with the combination of the modified suspension.
I have KYB struts, no ABS, Moog 9 inch sway bar end links , poly sway bar bushings and no clunk issues as you have.

donbrew

I never could tell if the stops were metal or plastic. But I really think that they moved when I had the 12" links, because the bar moved back and forth several inches. That car is gone now.