Repair Question

"Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen" (sportwagen)
02/09/2015 at 11:50 • Filed to: None

How would I tighten the end links for my rear sway bar? I think one of them was knocked loose a couple of days ago.

That and there are no repair guides online or on the forums...

DISCUSSION (30)

505Turbeaux > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/09/2015 at 11:52

not something that really gets knocked loose without breaking. What is the symptom?

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > 505Turbeaux
02/09/2015 at 11:54

*clunk* when I go over bumps... I reinstalled the old sway bar to make sure it wasn't the bushings in the new one. Yet it is still happening...

Leon711 > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/09/2015 at 11:54

I'd look into replacing the links, they break rather than loosen.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > Leon711
02/09/2015 at 11:54

*sigh*

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/09/2015 at 11:55

Buy new ones

crowmolly > 505Turbeaux
02/09/2015 at 11:55

Yup. Usually they don't come loose, and some of mine even had nylock or prevailing torque nuts on them.

Leon711 > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/09/2015 at 11:56

I'm not familiar with Jetta rear ends but it should be four bolts.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
02/09/2015 at 11:58

Damnit... how will I explain it to my dad? He'll think I broke them when I installed the new sway bar... (he's not the most rational guy).

Hell, I'm the only person who drives the car yet he gets all pissy cause I changed the rear sway bar! WTF dad? You're giving me the car when I go to college!

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > Leon711
02/09/2015 at 11:58

Well, I'll see for my self soon enough

505Turbeaux > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/09/2015 at 11:59

look for a broken spring (run your finger down to the bottom of the spring and make sure the flat end is still there, if it is angled or sharp there is your issue), or check the bushings in the upper control arm back there. Pretty much just crab a crow bar and start moving stuff around. I bet it isnt anything to do with the sway bar

Leon711 > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/09/2015 at 12:00

if you feeling ghetto, some threaded bar with heim joint at either end gives you an adjustable drop link. also some bolts to go in the original holes for the joints to attach to.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > 505Turbeaux
02/09/2015 at 12:01

I already checked the springs, they are good. The control arm bushing? Not sure...

CalzoneGolem > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/09/2015 at 12:01

They probably are cheap and easily replaceable. You can usually use a wrench to hold a nut and a socket to turn the shaft or something like this.

Kinja'd!!!

NBD just change them.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > Leon711
02/09/2015 at 12:02

LOL that's something Murdersofa would do... and he lives nearby... *ghetto mods intensify*

505Turbeaux > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/09/2015 at 12:03

they were notorious on some generations for failure, though I havent wrenched on many gen 6 VW's, I know never to trust bushings back there on them

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > 505Turbeaux
02/09/2015 at 12:04

So how exactly would I check to make sure the bushings are good?

Leon711 > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/09/2015 at 12:04

it's not really too ghetto, people sell them for real life racing use.

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/Product.do?met…

Jake should do it!

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > Leon711
02/09/2015 at 12:06

lol

505Turbeaux > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/09/2015 at 12:09

get something up in the flex point - carefully so you dont pinch a brake line or something - and exert force. Pry bar, crow bar, whatever fits in there that is 3-4 feet long. If it is knocking there is going to be alot more play in that bushing than the others. Also, and I remember this from other VW's, check the subframe bolts are tight. I remember seeing one or 2 that the front subframe bolts had backed out enough to bang over bumps. Especially if you cant find any other play in there

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > 505Turbeaux
02/09/2015 at 13:17

Nothing was loose... :(

I think my VW is just being a VW now... THE ACCURSED BRAND

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > 505Turbeaux
02/09/2015 at 13:21

CRAP

Guess I know what I'm doing later...

505Turbeaux > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/09/2015 at 13:22

yeah, you checked every single connection point back there? bounce test the shocks maybe to see if there is a dead one.

Does it sound like it is one wheel over the other making noise?

505Turbeaux > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/09/2015 at 13:23

yup, those were the subframe mounts I was talking about. Totally check em out, should be super tight

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > 505Turbeaux
02/09/2015 at 13:26

Shocks aren't dead (if they were my dad would put up a fight about it...) but I think it is the subframe. I do live on a dirt road afterall... I'll get it up on ramps later and check them out. I'll probably buy new ones and LocTite them on

505Turbeaux > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/09/2015 at 13:29

buying new ones is a waste of money usually. Just loctite the current ones in there for sure. Sounds about right though

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > 505Turbeaux
02/09/2015 at 13:30

Okay, I'll do that later today

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > 505Turbeaux
02/09/2015 at 18:20

After 2 hours of wrenching and three stripped sway bar bolt holes and two stripped bolts... and tapping and dying said bolts and holes... the subframe is tight and the new sway bar is back on.

Three of the rear subframe bolts (the rears and the passenger side front) were loose enough to be turned with some effort via a breaker bar. I just torqued all of them to 84 foot pounds with a torque wrench. Now it drives like normal! NO MORE CLUNKING!

505Turbeaux > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/10/2015 at 07:26

woohoo! Although damn what year was it, those bolts shouldn't be that rusty to strip like that! Glad to hear you solved it

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > 505Turbeaux
02/10/2015 at 07:58

IDK how they stripped... it's a 2011 with almost 85k miles (and none in the rustbelt or snowbelt states...)

I don't really care how they stripped, I'm just glad my dad had his tap and die set.

505Turbeaux > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen
02/10/2015 at 09:05

a handy set of tools to have! Good stuff