BE Aftermarket rear sway - bushing popping out - what to do?

[Markus]

Yo gang -

I have an '03 BE that I recently put a used aftermarket 22mm rear sway bar on. I believe it is an IPD unit for some reason, checking with the original owner to verify.

Problem: the driver's side bushing is popping out of the bracket.
- First time this happened, I thought maybe I just didn't have it seated right when I installed, so I made sure it was aligned and torqued down the bolts.
- Second time this happened, I thought...what the heck is going on?!? Took the bracket off, tried to squeeze it in a vice to make sure it was tight, triple checked everything, and retorqued.
- Third time this happened, I thought dammit why did I ever start modifying this car, swore, took a picture, decided to post on here to see what Huffer would do.

So what would people do?
1) Take off the bracket, try to bend it more so it fits tighter
B) Buy new bushings and/or brackets (and if so - from where?)
*) Curse alot, rip the sway off, bend into some odd shape and throw in a river

Picture of aforementioned bushing starting to slip side out the side.


http://markus.smugmug.com/photos/508587822_SzwLp-M.jpg

[KAG]

If I were you, I'd contact Rallitek for new bushings. They do look a little worn out but it's hard to tell from a single picture.

[rougeben83]

My IPD bushings were colored a light blue. Are you sure thats the bushings your bar originally came with? Make sure the bushing is the right size for the bar. If its too small for the bushing, the swaybar movement may be dragging the bushing to move out of the mount. Also be generous with the marine grease.

Finally, make sure the swaybar is centered. If the swaybar is offset, there may be some lateral movement with the swaybar going up and down. This happened once on my car, right after I put the bar on. Put the bushing back in the bracket with more grease on it, tightened the brackets and it never happened again in 3 years.

[Huffer]

It's a bit hard to tell, but the bushing really does look like it's the wrong size. Either too big like it's squeezing out, or too small so it's sliding out.

If you are near one, Murrays Autoparts carries Energy bushings now - a small selection but they might have what you're looking for. Not just the internal hole diameter of the bushing, but how it sits in the bracket.

[Markus]

So let's see....Energy Suspension makes a universal 22mm bushing/bracket set...it's $20 at Summit Racing...I work about 1 mile from Summit...and I have a $5 off card left over from when my buddy used to work there. Think I'll just try that out!

- Mark

[Markus]

Got the replacement bushings/brackets from Summit and installed today. When I was taking the old bushing out - I noticed it had enough of a tear in it to cause this problem (see picture below).

It's possible I could have dorked this up on my initial install, I was in a rush when I finished that side. Or it could have just been normal wear and tear - Subaru's are meant to be driven in all weather and often live in northern climates. The bushing on the other side didn't have a tear but it was also alot less firm than the replacements.

So I guess the moral of the story - when buying a used sway maybe consider new bushings just to be on the safe side.

- Mark

http://markus.smugmug.com/photos/509779978_dvSdV-M.jpg