My Max has 169K miles....and I've just replaced the struts which has restored the ride. However, I'm left with a "clunk" when going over good sized bumps (the clunk was there before the strut replacement). Based on some post searching, I'm suspicious of the sway bar end links. While it seems simple, I can't seem to find any instructions. More specifically, will I have any trouble removing the end links from the control arm? (I thought I read that this part might be troublesome).

 

I had to have mine torched out....rust is a *****....but if ur not in a rust prone area urs may just come right off...they are a bolt-in and out procedure if all goes right

 

I found the sway bar end links were no big deal. Mine had 140k of salty miles, but I do recall using some PB Blaster first to ensure minimum effort.

If you suspect them, I suggest you lift the front of the car and set it on jackstands, remove the wheel on one side and use your jack to lift that arm right under the balljoint. Lift it just enough to put minimum strain on the swaybar, then use a heavy bar or prybar to see if the end link has any play. No play, don't replace them. IME the bushings go bad much more often than the links.

Dave

 

Dave....Thanks for the feedback. Having tried to inspect them, I was wondering how to test them. Should I lift on both sides at the same time to relieve the strain?...or does it not matter?

MaximaSE96....What were your symptoms? How did you know you had to replace the end links?

This is why I love this forum....Thanks for your responses.

 

No, you can lift just one side. You'll see it in the bushings at the end link when the swaybar is unloaded on that side. You're looking for any play at all in the lower end of the link. Because of the pretension of the front strut assy and the weight of the components, the swaybar is under load when you lift the front end. So lifting the wheel to remove that load helps a lot to make it easier to show any looseness.

Dave

 

I had mine replaced a week ago..when I was going over bumps I was getting a crunch/snap sound.. After these were installed, the noise went away..you can order these at www.rockauto.com. You will need moog part # k9824.

 

I'll inspect them tonight, according to Dave's suggestion. Will report back to close this thread.

 

thanks for that part number!

 

no probs

 

I was inspecting my brakes for a long road trip and i saw they were broken

 

Well...I did the inspection and the end links look good. I checked out the ball joints, which also look good. The sway bar and end link bushings look ok, but a little dry...maybe compressed - maybe I should change them as an inexpensive test. Just replaced the struts and had the alignment, so I guess I'm back to square one.

I should also mention that the clunk is barely noticeable - much better than before the strut replacement, but there nonetheless. Also, I'm wondering if another symptom is related: Every once in a while during long high speed turns or acceleration (during the gear shift [automatic]), it feels like a slight pull or slip to the left....thus my thought that it was sway bar related. If I didn't know better, I'd say that the tranny was slipping on on axle.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

The pull sounds like torque steer. Throttle with the wheels turned = the car won't hold a consistent line.

Honestly, I'd not worry about the clunk until it gets either annoying loud or the car doesn't respond properly.

Dave

 

I'm with you on the clunk issue....It's not nearly annoying enough yet. Re: torque steer....I would agree if this was something that I felt in the past and if was consistent. But this is definitely something that I've only noticed in the past couple weeks and it's inconsistent. And the squirrely feeling during high speeds is unusual.