Sway Bar Bushing
The sway bar bushing in your vehicle will wear down over time and will affect the control that you have over the steering of your vehicle. The most noticeable symptom of a worn sway bar bushing is the loud clunking sound that you will hear in the front of your vehicle. The bushings are attached to the sway bar which is connecting the left and front wheel together. When you turn the vehicle, a worn sway bar bushing is likely to make the noise. The bar is attached to the wheels as well as the undercarriage of your car with bushings and brackets. The location of the brackets and bushings will vary depending on the vehicle that you are driving, so you can check your user manual to find out where your sway bar bushings are located.
Before you begin to replace your worn sway bar bushing, you should make sure that the vehicle is parked on a level surface. Put the parking brake in place and open up the hood. For safety, you should put a chock block behind the rear tires of your vehicle. Opening the hood is a way to shed some light on your subject. The bushings are located under your vehicle.
Lift the vehicle with a jack and put a jack stand in place to secure the car. Lift both front quarters of the car and place stands on each. You will now be ready to get under the vehicle and begin to replace your worn sway bar bushing. Bring the tools and replacement bushings with you when you get under the vehicle. You can find your sway bar bushings by locating the sway bar and find where it is attached to the undercarriage of the vehicle. If your vehicle is equipped with a heat shield, you should remove it to find the bushings. Locate the bolts that are attaching the bracket to the sway bar.
Find the sway bar bushing and remove it from the sway bar. They might be difficult to remove, so you will have to pry out the bushing in many cases. Put the new sway bar bushing in the same location that you removed the old one. Keep in mind that the old bushing was worn and likely to be easier to remove than the new one will be to put in place. Put the bushing back in place on the sway bar and put the brackets back on the bar. Tighten all of the bolts that you removed.
If you have had to remove any items from the underside of your vehicle to reach the sway bar, replace them and tighten any bolts that had to be removed. Lower the vehicle and you have successfully changed your sway bar bushing. Remove the chock block before moving the vehicle. You should notice that the clunking sound has stopped after replacing the sway bar bushing. If you are still experiencing the same problem, you should take it to a mechanic for further diagnosis of the problem.
Taking these kinds of repairs into your own hands will save you a great deal of money over time. Many people have discovered the tremendous benefit of doing their own repairs on their vehicle. Maintenance work as well as small repairs is fairly simple and you should not need anything more than basic tools. As you begin to work on larger problems on your vehicle, you may need some special tools. Pick these up as you go along and soon you will have a great collection of auto repair tools at your disposal. Shopping online is a cost effective way to find all of the parts and tools that you need to do your own auto repair.
