MOOG VS OEM Front Sway Bar End Links

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Apr 5, 2009 | 02:34 PM
  #41  
Never mind, I found one. I thought there was supposed to be two rubber things with the links but I guess not.

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Apr 5, 2009 | 05:49 PM
  #42  
I installed mine last week. Just screw the fittings in.



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Apr 5, 2009 | 05:56 PM
  #43  
Quote: I installed mine last week. Just screw the fittings in.



Did you use hand tools? Did you have any problems removing the old ones?
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Apr 5, 2009 | 06:12 PM
  #44  
I installed those and new swaybar bushing on friday and man the car feels like it did when it was new. Not a sound over bumps. All you hear is the tires over bumps. Man my bushing and links were shot to hell. I used Moog end links but OEM bushings cause I was afraid that the ES bushing would transmit to much impact harshness into the car
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Apr 5, 2009 | 06:17 PM
  #45  
I had handtools, it took a little while but i finally got them off. Passenger side wasn't that bad but the driver side, I stripped the bolt and had used a cordless drill to get it off.
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Apr 5, 2009 | 06:21 PM
  #46  
How'd you use the drill to get it off? That's the only "power" tool I have but don't see how I could use it. And which nut did you do first, the top or the bottom? Both sides of mine seem impossible to remove.
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Apr 5, 2009 | 06:41 PM
  #47  
I started with the bottom nut on both sides, not sure if it matters though. I had the car on jack stands with both wheels off. the bottom bolts came out just fine with some extra torque. don't think it would have came off if I didn't use a breaker bar to give me more torque. That's the only drill I had also. didn't think it would work but it did. what i did was just drilled one side of the nut and when it was all messed up from doing it I used some vise grips and just turned the nut and it finally started to turn. here's why i thought it would work. "the nut has 6 sides if you take away one side that's only 5 sides holding that nut on, less holding power with only 5 sides" and it was the top nut that i had trouble with.

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Apr 5, 2009 | 07:19 PM
  #48  
OK, thanks asianstyle, I'll try that out. Guess I gotta buy a breaker bar.
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Apr 5, 2009 | 09:57 PM
  #49  
any body got a link or know where u can get a GD on moog's endlinks
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Apr 5, 2009 | 10:06 PM
  #50  
I found the best price at Advance Auto. Some places online were cheaper, but not after shipping costs.
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Apr 5, 2009 | 10:59 PM
  #51  
anyone of you guys know the spec torque in the sway bar links and sb frame bushing im about to doit but i dont know the torque spec thanks
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Apr 6, 2009 | 12:31 AM
  #52  
I would just tighten them butted and 1/4 turn the torque figures are reasonably low, some hit that crap with an impact....torques are as follows... top (swaybar end) fastener (37-44 ft-lbs), lower(LCA end) fastener(36-42 ft-lbs)!
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Apr 6, 2009 | 07:01 AM
  #53  
I got mine from Advance Auto Parts too...was under $40.
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Apr 6, 2009 | 04:09 PM
  #54  
Quote: OK, thanks asianstyle, I'll try that out. Guess I gotta buy a breaker bar.
why not save some money and do it the old school way.. throw a piece of pipe over your socket wrench.. what i do is half of my jack handle unscrews and it slips right over the wrench giving me like a 3 ft cheater bar.. talk about a tq advantage
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Apr 6, 2009 | 05:39 PM
  #55  
I'm about to order a set from Rock Auto, I have a 2k1 Max SE 20th ann, I found the following part number #
K90431 RH
K90432 LH

On the picture they show the adapter to grease it so I just want to make sure they are the one. Can anyone confirm if that is the right one.

Thanks

AA
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Apr 6, 2009 | 06:00 PM
  #56  
Quote: I'm about to order a set from Rock Auto, I have a 2k1 Max SE 20th ann, I found the following part number #
K90431 RH
K90432 LH

On the picture they show the adapter to grease it so I just want to make sure they are the one. Can anyone confirm if that is the right one.

Thanks

AA
Yes, those are the part numbers displayed on the ones I bought.
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Apr 6, 2009 | 07:54 PM
  #57  
Quote: why not save some money and do it the old school way.. throw a piece of pipe over your socket wrench.. what i do is half of my jack handle unscrews and it slips right over the wrench giving me like a 3 ft cheater bar.. talk about a tq advantage

That's exactly what I did.
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Apr 6, 2009 | 10:42 PM
  #58  
what is use for the bac??
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Apr 15, 2009 | 12:14 PM
  #59  
anyone know the front sway bar size on an 01 i30t? 22 or 23mm?
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Apr 19, 2009 | 05:09 AM
  #60  
Quote: anyone know the front sway bar size on an 01 i30t? 22 or 23mm?
I was advised by Energy suspension customer service that the best way to know is to measure the size. So i measured it with a vernier calipers from Harborfreight tools for $1.99. The size is 23mm, but it is for a 03 max.
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Apr 19, 2009 | 08:40 AM
  #61  
correct me if i'm wrong, but the SE is 23mm, the GLE and GXE are 22mm.
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Apr 19, 2009 | 04:26 PM
  #62  
You win a prize!!! You'rrrrre corrrrrrect Buddie!
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Apr 20, 2009 | 08:35 AM
  #63  
Quote: I started with the bottom nut on both sides, not sure if it matters though. I had the car on jack stands with both wheels off. the bottom bolts came out just fine with some extra torque. don't think it would have came off if I didn't use a breaker bar to give me more torque. That's the only drill I had also. didn't think it would work but it did. what i did was just drilled one side of the nut and when it was all messed up from doing it I used some vise grips and just turned the nut and it finally started to turn. here's why i thought it would work. "the nut has 6 sides if you take away one side that's only 5 sides holding that nut on, less holding power with only 5 sides" and it was the top nut that i had trouble with.

Do you think this method would have worked on the bottom nut? That's the one I have problem with...except space is very limited.

Also, I only need one nut for each side of a Moog end link, right? There should be nothing between the sway bar & the actual joint, correct?
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Apr 20, 2009 | 09:21 PM
  #64  
It should work also with the lower nut IF you can get the drill bit in there somehow, as for the one nut yes you are correct.
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Apr 22, 2009 | 03:03 PM
  #65  
MOOG
hands down the moog delivers!! I have the application on an 01 runnin on 2 yrs of agressive NY city streets, greased them once still running strong!
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Apr 29, 2009 | 07:31 AM
  #66  
Quote: I installed those and new swaybar bushing on friday and man the car feels like it did when it was new. Not a sound over bumps. All you hear is the tires over bumps. Man my bushing and links were shot to hell. I used Moog end links but OEM bushings cause I was afraid that the ES bushing would transmit to much impact harshness into the car
+1, I installed mine yesterday and it fixed the thumping sounds going over small bumps. This also took care of the steering play which was causing a steering wheel vibration at high speeds. Car feels much sturdier now and no more noises. I love Moog.
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May 31, 2009 | 07:05 PM
  #67  
Awesome
Did these yesterday and have got to say I wish I did these alot sooner (would highly recommend replacing when doing struts). Not only is the clunking gone over uneven pavement, but the car just feels alot firmer (alot of sloppiness is gone). Best $40 spent yet on the maxima.

If you have front end clunking & on the factory sway bars, highly consider replacing the endlinks.

One note is that living in the northeast made these difficult to remove.
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Jul 20, 2010 | 10:05 AM
  #68  
Bumping this up to ask...

What kind of grease are you guys using, and how often would you guys re-inject grease into the endlinks?

I was playing (pause) with my MOOG sb endlinks yday after the LCA was taken off and they seemed considerably looser (play wise) than how I remember when i first installed them, over 13k NYC miles ago. Wanted to know if I should grease them up before I shell out the $$ to get another set of these (not that they cost a lot) incase they fail.
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Jul 21, 2010 | 10:14 AM
  #69  
Cruzin', I did the same thing a week ago and agree it made a huge difference. I did the sway bushing and tie-rod ends at the same time, but my front end now feels almost as good as new - and maybe a hair tighter. 105k miles. 7 years of NE winters - I had to use a hack saw blade to take one off.

Dingle - did you grease them up when they were installed? coming (mostly) dry from MOOG they feel tighter than when you fill them with grease. I filled them up a bit off the car and noticed a big difference in being able to move them by hand. I got a grease gun and loaded it with red n' tacky, but if was to do it again I'd prolly spend another $4 for the tube of green grease.
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Jul 21, 2010 | 10:40 AM
  #70  
Quote: Cruzin', I did the same thing a week ago and agree it made a huge difference. I did the sway bushing and tie-rod ends at the same time, but my front end now feels almost as good as new - and maybe a hair tighter. 105k miles. 7 years of NE winters - I had to use a hack saw blade to take one off.

Dingle - did you grease them up when they were installed? coming (mostly) dry from MOOG they feel tighter than when you fill them with grease. I filled them up a bit off the car and noticed a big difference in being able to move them by hand. I got a grease gun and loaded it with red n' tacky, but if was to do it again I'd prolly spend another $4 for the tube of green grease.

no I did not :\ So green grease is what is used...thanks.

I read that using the wrong kind of grease can make it worse, thats why I inquired. I'll be ordering the following asap:

http://www.harborfreight.com/sta-lub...ase-40712.html

+

http://www.harborfreight.com/grease-...rip-66664.html
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Jul 21, 2010 | 10:49 AM
  #71  
Any EP rated grease will work fine; the only real argument seems to be to use moly or not. Look like you decided yes :-D

They are probably toast though, driving 13k NE miles with no grease. When you fill them up, I'd keep pumping until grease comes out the top of the seal - if it looks like metal paste is oozing out, you pretty much have your answer.
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Jul 21, 2010 | 10:58 AM
  #72  
Quote: Any EP rated grease will work fine; the only real argument seems to be to use moly or not. Look like you decided yes :-D

They are probably toast though, driving 13k NE miles with no grease. When you fill them up, I'd keep pumping until grease comes out the top of the seal - if it looks like metal paste is oozing out, you pretty much have your answer.

well it came pre-greased, it felt pretty sturdy prior to install.

but yea the real test will come soon. I dont have any knocking noises or anything, cars super smooth (just did new ball joints, had those prior to install greased) just wanted to be ahead of the game.

last question, can i do this with the links still bolted on and the car on jack stands or must they be removed (no stress on them).

and yes, moly is an iffy subject, but i read positives on them. Any reason why I shouldnt use it? Thanks for all the help.
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Jul 21, 2010 | 11:11 AM
  #73  
First off I am no expert; I credit this thread for having me take this on and search for my own answers. I have no opinion on the moly debate except to say I'm pretty sure it is 99% academic.

Pre greased? You mean the grease that MOOG puts in? That's basically just enough to let them sit on a shelf and not rust. When I pushed out MOOG's grease, I'd guess it was 5% of the volume you'd need to fill them - pretty much nothing.

As long as you installed the grease nipples, yeah grease them on the car. That's the whole idea of greasable chassis parts - easy access during oil changes. I'm probably going to drill and tap the sheetmetal ball joint covers with grease nipples to get to those as well during oil changes.
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Jul 21, 2010 | 11:14 AM
  #74  
Quote: First off I am no expert; I credit this thread for having me take this on and search for my own answers. I have no opinion on the moly debate except to say I'm pretty sure it is 99% academic.

Pre greased? You mean the grease that MOOG puts in? That's basically just enough to let them sit on a shelf and not rust. When I pushed out MOOG's grease, I'd guess it was 5% of the volume you'd need to fill them - pretty much nothing.

As long as you installed the grease nipples, yeah grease them on the car. That's the whole idea of greasable chassis parts - easy access during oil changes. I'm probably going to drill and tap the sheetmetal ball joint covers with grease nipples to get to those as well during oil changes.
Hopefully I dont have to replace them. Luckily its not expensive, IIRC I paid $27 for both sides.

Thanks again for all your help.
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Aug 8, 2010 | 01:06 PM
  #75  
QQ, did anyone add a washer to the lower bolt (inner side) of the end link? I noticed today my passenger side was sliding (probably loosened over the last few months). The kit did not come with washers and the backside looks like it could use them. Anyone?
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Aug 8, 2010 | 04:17 PM
  #76  
i'm wondering the same thing. replacing sway bar link now and noticed kit only comes with 2 "flange" nuts for the outside (also heard them called "Sway bar link nut" but it looks like a nut and washer combined). the old assembly used flange nuts on the inside and outside. if yours is unscrewing, it may be because we are suppose to keep the old flange nuts on the inside too... looks like moog kit only has a nut on the inside with no washer, not a flange nut. anyone who's successfully done this know? in the middle of replacing mine...all help greatly appreciated.
buck
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Aug 8, 2010 | 05:17 PM
  #77  
Quote: i'm wondering the same thing. replacing sway bar link now and noticed kit only comes with 2 "flange" nuts for the outside (also heard them called "Sway bar link nut" but it looks like a nut and washer combined). the old assembly used flange nuts on the inside and outside. if yours is unscrewing, it may be because we are suppose to keep the old flange nuts on the inside too... looks like moog kit only has a nut on the inside with no washer, not a flange nut. anyone who's successfully done this know? in the middle of replacing mine...all help greatly appreciated.
buck
I am sure you can't reuse the inside "flange nut" as you have to use an extra wrench to keep the inside nut of the moog end link from turning as you tighten the outside nut. The kit didn't come with washers, so I have it installed as is.

I do think a washer on the inside nut would help.
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Aug 24, 2010 | 04:39 PM
  #78  
Has anyone tried to adapt the 02 Altima rear endlinks to a 5th gen Maxima? They are adjustable & from the pix, they look like there is a chance they could work. http://racinglineperformance.com/sho...&idcategory=18
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Aug 25, 2010 | 06:39 AM
  #79  
Quote: Has anyone tried to adapt the 02 Altima rear endlinks to a 5th gen Maxima? They are adjustable & from the pix, they look like there is a chance they could work. http://racinglineperformance.com/sho...&idcategory=18
Why would you want to do this?

They are more expensive than the MOOG and may not fit........and its not like you see the part so there's really not much novelty to it.....

Just get the proper MOOG's for the maxima and be done with it.
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Aug 25, 2010 | 12:28 PM
  #80  
Just installed mine a couple weeks ago...should have took pics... they are real easy to install except when the bolts are rusted on and you gotta saw them off ... and yes i used moog and they are sweet
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