Help with installing sway bar disconnects

TJScott

TJScott

TJ Enthusiast
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Feb 4, 2017
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522
Location
Waterloo, ON Canada
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The passenger lower bolt will not break free. I can’t hold the star bolt head tight enough to break the nut free. I tried a hammer impact tool, that just spun it like I was doing by hand. I lubed it, maybe that will help. Do you think I would have any success with an electric impact wrench? My buddy has one I can borrow. I really don’t want to cut it off if I can avoid it. Anything I do, cutting it off or whatever, I will have to go buy the tools. I only have wrenches and such. I could take it and have it installed but it seemed such an easy job. Seemed.
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Another question. It states 10 degrees on the sway bar with the new hardware. Doesn’t state which way. I’m almost positive it ramps up from front to rear. Is that right?
I lifted the Jeep with the sway bar disconnected, with the tires just clearing the ground the brake lines weren’t strained. Is there something I’m overlooking in that area as far as how I’m checking it?
As always thank you for your expertise.


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TJScott said:
View attachment 32442

The passenger lower bolt will not break free. I can’t hold the star bolt head tight enough to break the nut free. I tried a hammer impact tool, that just spun it like I was doing by hand. I lubed it, maybe that will help. Do you think I would have any success with an electric impact wrench? My buddy has one I can borrow. I really don’t want to cut it off if I can avoid it. Anything I do, cutting it off or whatever, I will have to go buy the tools. I only have wrenches and such. I could take it and have it installed but it seemed such an easy job. Seemed.
View attachment 32443
View attachment 32444

Another question. It states 10 degrees on the sway bar with the new hardware. Doesn’t state which way. I’m almost positive it ramps up from front to rear. Is that right?
I lifted the Jeep with the sway bar disconnected, with the tires just clearing the ground the brake lines weren’t strained. Is there something I’m overlooking in that area as far as how I’m checking it?
As always thank you for your expertise.


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Click to expand...

I’m no expert, but have you tried sticking the torx bolt in a ratchet and laying it on the drag link while using a longer ratchet and socket on the nut and pulling down? Maybe with a cheater bar if needed.


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Actually I did. It wants to wander out of the hole, falls to an angle to more quickly strip it. If they had a standard bolt on there, I think I would stand a chance.


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If you have vice grips with the thinner jaws, you could grab the bolt head with that. Kroil or PB Blaster should help, though, if you want to give it a good soak and try again.

I'm guessing your torx bit must be getting a bit worn if it won't stay in the bolt head...do you have someone who could help by putting more pressure on the torx bit to keep in in the bolt head while you turn the nut?

Worse come to worse you could put a tack weld on the bolt head to hold it while you take off the nut, then cut the weld.
 
take it out of the 4 in 1 handle and get a 2 or 3 ft piece of pipe and hold back on the nut and it should loosen right up . if you stripped the bolt you will have no choice but to cut the head off
 
Have you tried just breaking the nut loose, without holding the Torx bolt? Or does it just spin the bolt? Sometimes it’s the bolt that’s seized in place, allowing the nut to come loose.

Maybe you said the bolt is spinning. Not quite clear on that.

Be sure your using the correct size Torx bit. One that’s a size smaller may feel ok, like it’s going to bite. But it won’t take any torque. Reason I say that is because the Torx bolt doesn’t look bad in the picture.

Just a thought.
 
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So...I hate to be that guy, but you mentioned that it was just spinning, but the torx head looks fine. You do have a wrench on the nut, while you are trying the impact, right? I know...not trying to be insulting, it's just that we don't know the level of mechanical expertise. Same reason the help desk ask if your computer is plugged in :)
 
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Sometimes I have to walk away and have a meal and a beer or both and I just get relaxed until I’m ready to go back to issues like this and usually I can reassess and either get innovative and/or nasty with it and usually that works and I’m a level 2 out of 10 in mechanical skills but I’ll try almost anything.


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As I was thinking about what Jay P had said and what I had tried. I came out again with a slightly different approach. Put the closed end of the wrench on the bolt head and trap that, it would give me two hands available for the star wrench. It fought me every thread of the way, but I got it off. Didn’t t realize it was supposed to be completely removed. Cutting wouldn’t have been bad ultimately. It was the steel sleeve causing most of the issue.


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TJScott said:
As I was thinking about what Jay P had said and what I had tried. I came out again with a slightly different approach. Put the closed end of the wrench on the bolt head and trap that, it would give me two hands available for the star wrench. It fought me every thread of the way, but I got it off. Didn’t t realize it was supposed to be completely removed. Cutting wouldn’t have been bad ultimately. It was the steel sleeve causing most of the issue.


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Click to expand...

Victory!! Sometimes you gotta dig deep down for that extra strength.


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I actually measured the old ones and installed the new at that length. I thought 10 was nuts too. And which way it was supposed to tilt is not mentioned. I was out of time and light so I didn’t complete the install but it’s able to be driven at least.
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The same idea just a tad different approach, a socket was useless there, it had to be a wrench. It at least gave me two hands on that star. One slip and that thing will strip. The bracket was bent, fixed it with a BFH, and to make it so I could remove it by hand, one disconnectable is a tad shorter by about a quarter inch than the other. Not sure if the sway bar is bent or not. But I’m guessing you don’t force them on there to keep that same length or you could never get them off at the trail.
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When they say 10*, 5* or whatever, that would be the link end that many degrees above horizontal.
 
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Ranger_b0b said:
So...I hate to be that guy, but you mentioned that it was just spinning, but the torx head looks fine. You do have a wrench on the nut, while you are trying the impact, right? I know...not trying to be insulting, it's just that we don't know the level of mechanical expertise. Same reason the help desk ask if your computer is plugged in :)
Click to expand...

Problem was lack of hands. I was trying the impact from the nut side, only way to have room to get a swing. But, couldn’t hold the star wrench. I thought if I could just break the nut free.
Speaking of computers. I do work in IT. Years ago had a gal call and say her computer was dead. I asked if it was plugged in. She says, I can’t see under my desk because there’s no light, the power is out. DOH!!!!!


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I hate to beat this horse. What are the thoughts on the disconnects being essentially two different lengths? Not by a crazy amount but say a quarter to half inch. I have to install the parts that hold the disconnects out of the way and up on the frame. But, that’s a one time install, so I want to make sure it’s right. Right now I can hand remove the disconnects from the pins with then being off a hair. I’m sure if I made them the same length, I would have to force them on and that wouldn’t allow me to take them off by hand.
And the other question. Is there a reason for the sway bar to have the angle to it? I doubt mine has but a couple of degrees to it at best. It has always driven great at this setting. Thank you again for everyone’s great suggestions getting it apart.


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TJScott said:
I hate to beat this horse. What are the thoughts on the disconnects being essentially two different lengths? Not by a crazy amount but say a quarter to half inch. I have to install the parts that hold the disconnects out of the way and up on the frame. But, that’s a one time install, so I want to make sure it’s right. Right now I can hand remove the disconnects from the pins with then being off a hair. I’m sure if I made them the same length, I would have to force them on and that wouldn’t allow me to take them off by hand.
And the other question. Is there a reason for the sway bar to have the angle to it? I doubt mine has but a couple of degrees to it at best. It has always driven great at this setting. Thank you again for everyone’s great suggestions getting it apart.


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Click to expand...

I’ve never worried too much about them and maybe I should, but like I said before I did ram the sway bar into the fender and bend it a little with them connected. Also once I lifted mine the disconnect studs that I mounted to hold them up are off a bit for some reason so I use a BFH to beat on them. I doubt I’m helping you much but my whole point is that I despise my disconnects because they are a PITA for as much as I use them and I am ready for some Anti Rocks ASAP. Hopefully your experience is better but if you plan on disconnecting frequently I’m betting you may feel the same. But having adjustables would help. I think the Teraflex are garbage and I wasted my money.


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TJScott said:
I hate to beat this horse. What are the thoughts on the disconnects being essentially two different lengths? Not by a crazy amount but say a quarter to half inch. I have to install the parts that hold the disconnects out of the way and up on the frame. But, that’s a one time install, so I want to make sure it’s right. Right now I can hand remove the disconnects from the pins with then being off a hair. I’m sure if I made them the same length, I would have to force them on and that wouldn’t allow me to take them off by hand.
And the other question. Is there a reason for the sway bar to have the angle to it? I doubt mine has but a couple of degrees to it at best. It has always driven great at this setting. Thank you again for everyone’s great suggestions getting it apart.


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Click to expand...
Are you on level ground? Just checking. Not trying to be an a—
 
TJScott said:
I hate to beat this horse. What are the thoughts on the disconnects being essentially two different lengths? Not by a crazy amount but say a quarter to half inch.
Click to expand...

It's normal. Mine are like this as well. They aren't exactly the same length, but close enough! They shouldn't have any fight or resistance when taking them on or off, so if that means one is slightly longer, it's no big deal.

TJScott said:
I
And the other question. Is there a reason for the sway bar to have the angle to it? I doubt mine has but a couple of degrees to it at best. It has always driven great at this setting.
Click to expand...

The angle of the swaybar is irrelevant to a point. The rate of the bar does not change just because of the angle. Now there does come a point when the effectiveness of the bar is diminished. But it would be an extreme angle. I would venture to guess 40-45 degrees. You could change the effectiveness of the swaybar by moving the links towards or away from the swaybar. As you move the links towards the swaybar, you would diminish the effectiveness of the swaybar because the links no longer have the leverage that they had before.
 
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