Rattling Front End On My '99 - Sway Bar End Links? - Corolland: the Toyota Corolla Forums

The front end on the old '99 rattles when you hit a bump or hole, but not at freeway speed. At this speeed, the car sails smoothly. I asked a counter guy at Advanced Auto what his first guess was, and he said "sway bar end links" . As he knew what fittings I needed for the master cylinder on my Triumph Spitfire without even looking it up, I think he knows a little about cars default_wink .

I was changing the oil Saturday and reached up to feel them. They moved around very easily by hand, and I could hear a little rattle within them. My question is how much SHOULD they move, and do you agree that this is the cause of the rattle.

Finally, they look like an easy job to replace, but as I've found over the years, looks can be deceiving. Any tips?

g'day,

the way you describe the situation, i am positive that the sway bar link is defective. anyway when you are in the process of changing them i would recommend you have to change the sway bar bush too.

the process of changing is very straightforward, when you remove the links, you have to undo the sway bar bush clamp and slid the rubber bush towards the end of the sway bar where the link is located. the assembly is the opposite of disassembly. by the way its best to change them in pairs (left and right).

rey t

I was changing the oil Saturday and reached up to feel them. They moved around very easily by hand, and I could hear a little rattle within them. My question is how much SHOULD they move, and do you agree that this is the cause of the rattle.
Finally, they look like an easy job to replace, but as I've found over the years, looks can be deceiving. Any tips?

Do the links that connect the anti-sway bar to the axle utilize Ball Joints at the end touching the AS bar? If so, then there should be NO play. If there is, then replace them.

The best way to pull a ball joint is to remove the castle nut, then use a Pickle Fork (or tie rod end puller) and a hammer. Also, you can always just back off the castle nut a bit (so that it extends beyond the threads) and smack it with a hammer until the ball joint pops free.

Hope this helps.

g'day,
the way you describe the situation, i am positive that the sway bar link is defective. anyway when you are in the process of changing them i would recommend you have to change the sway bar bush too.
the process of changing is very straightforward, when you remove the links, you have to undo the sway bar bush clamp and slid the rubber bush towards the end of the sway bar where the link is located. the assembly is the opposite of disassembly. by the way its best to change them in pairs (left and right).
rey t

Thanks! I will change the bushings, too

One other question: (I've done plenty of work on cars, but not this particular job) - Are the links under stress as they sit normally? In other words, do you just unbolt the old ones and bolt on the new, or do I need something like a large C clamp to hold the works together as I take off the old ones?