Rear Sway Bar End Links undoing

Doug86

Forum Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2013
Messages
110
Location
Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Car Year
2006
Car Model
Forester XT
Transmission
Manual
Hey all,

This has happened twice now and while not catastrophic by any means it does rattle like hell and I would like to know what the cause is.

The top bolt on the driver side rear sway bar link slowly loosens itself. It only ever gets to the point of being slightly loose as then the knocking gets too annoying and I pull over and tighten it. Seems to need tightening every 1000kms or so.

I have had a lot of trouble with the RSB, I have broken an end link, broken both mounts to the chassis and now the bolt is loosening. I do have the Whiteline aftermarket one and I do offroad without disconnects (haven't got round to doing them yet :( ) though, that said i have not done much off roading in the last 3-4000kms.

Any thoughts...or is it just get some lock tight and glue that sucker up!
 
Currently it is only lifted by the tyres (BFG 215/70/16 lt) I do have some lift blocks that will be going in soon, Just gotta get all my tools back from a mate.

I do have the strengthening end link braces and I have thought about the upgraded sway bar mounts but when I got the busted ones replaced they replaced them before I realised they had them. split lock washer might be a go but I was more interested in the cause...im a big believer in treating causes, not symptoms ...where budgets allow :)

I am realising now that there is a price to pay for having the best of both worlds. Weapon on the roads, great fun and capable off road...RSB issues. I have the 22mm Whiteline one and its great on the road, if not a bit tail happy. Once I get around to it the Quick disconnects will be the order of the day but finding time and money is a bit tough as every penny is going into the savings fund for a house.
 
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Are you replacing it with stock endlinks or whiteline ones?


I am looking to get a thicker RSB for my car which will obvs be used offroad and onroad, do you find it limits articulation at all?

Would a thicker FSB be a complete no go for offroad??
 
Mine has the thicker front one and a front strut brace as well.

It does limit articulation, though not as much as you might think. It just means that you really have to choose the right line and accept that there are limits on your car. Quick disconnects will be very helpful, though, given the rattles that this has when its a bit loose I am slightly concerned about that.

I am not sure if these are the OEM ones of the Whiteline ones. All of the modification work was already done when I bought the car, it was set up for maximum street handling.


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Assume I am looking at the right rear of an SG as the brake calliper is trailing. The sway bar link is after market either Whiteline or Nolathane. They are owned by the same company but operate as separate groups. I have Kings raised springs and 1 inch lift blocks. I am yet to change my end links but will put these in given that one front and one rear are stuffed.

Nolathane make sway bar links that can be cut to the appropriate length.

https://www.nolathane.com.au/product_...t_number=42790

which could be used on the rear. They also make a longer fixed length link that is suitable for the front.

https://www.nolathane.com.au/product_..._number=42703S

I don't know if anyone else has looked into these. Repco and Autobarn stock these.

I think these are a better option than the adjustable link.
 
They would be Whiteline, as everything else on the car is whiteline, and the guy I bought it off worked at S&J automotive in Adelaide, which is a Whiteline stockist.

yeah, prob should have said that. this is the end link in question, drivers side rear. the car is a 2007 SG XT.
 
^^^ Gidday Doug, to my eye that Nyloc nut looks as if it passed its use-by date about 20 or 30 uses ago.

I agree with others - get some new Nyloc nuts, and I reckon that your problem will miraculously vanish.

Personally, I prefer ordinary nuts with spring and flat washers for most applications. With critical Components (like trailer axle U-bolts), I also double-nut them. I have never had one of these come loose ... yet ... :biggrin:.
 
Winner! Cheers fellas :rock:

I will give that a swap over when I throw the lift kit in as I have to take them off anyway, may as well do all of them, as I suspect if one is past it then they all will be and, like most people, I like my suspension to be in good working order :D
 
Im yet to break anything on my SF, surprisingly!
Ive got a whiteline 22mm rear swaybar, endinks and hd mounts.
up front stock swaybar with upgraded endlinks.
 
I've noted the HD mounts of yours Taza. I think if I break one again I will be telling the service guys to get them rather than the stock ones. Hopefully the lease will cover that as 'replacement parts' :ebiggrin:

Do you find the upgraded hardware at the back makes it a bit tail happy Taza?
 
Yes I do... especially if you give it a little throttle in the wet or on a dirt road. Tail happy in a good way though...
Before it would understeer which in a fast situation was very disconcerning. It made me feel quite disconnected.
 
Yep, def aftermarket links.

Prob with the 22mm Whiteline RSB is its SOOO stiff compared to stock. Stock on the SG I think is 15mm but hollow. Yours is 22mm solid. way stiffer lol.

As you stiffen up the RSB, it loads up the links & will break them. If you strengthen them, next it will break the RSB mounts on the lateral arma, which I see have the strengtheners. Next it will break the mounts. So if you have a 22mm RSB, you need all of those strengthened, so get the HD mounts lol :iconwink:

I only have a 20mm RSB but I find that makes it very tail happy in the wet, esp with my muddies on lol
 
Yeah, Having broken two mounts already it seems that that force keeps going until it finds the weakest point...Nut came undone again over the weekend after some gravel road driving. Need to get this nut changed over ASAP.

Will have to see what happens first, get the quick disconnects or break the mounts...good thing I donthave much proper off road stuff planned for the next month or so...:'(
 
Thought I would throw an update on this. The nuts are yet to be replaced due to me not having found the time to get to the shops to get them.

Initially it was just the drivers side undoing but after getting the breaker bar onto those ones, the ones on the Passenger side started to loosen. Really annoying.

I have found a shop not far from me that stocks high tensile bolts and fittings so I think I will head there on Thursday to get some.

What should I be going for? More lock nuts or should I just double nut it..or double lock nut it?
 
A quality lock nut with washers shouldn't come loose. Either the nylock style or the crimped nut style, just make sure the nuts are high tensile as well as the bolts. Bolts 8.8 min, nuts 8 min
 
What about locktite as you suggested in your first post?
 
We used to use Loctite on knock-off splined hubs when splinetite wasn't quite tough enough.

It can be removed using an oxy spanner, or other reasonably hot heat source.
 
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