sway bar problems, ome install

Okay tacomaworld...I started my lift install today. Ome 885 w/top plate spacers and light racing uca's. The driver side sway bar link loosened with no issues, and the installation of the control arm and coilover went fine. The passenger side was a different animal. bear with me I'm posting this using my phone, no internet at the house.



as shown in the pic, there is a bolt with an Allen wrench fitting, used to hold the bolt in order to loosen or tighten the 14mm nut to disconnect the link. Started to try loosening it and the hole the allen wrench fits into rounded off. We were able to work around everything and get the control arm and coilover installed, but now that sway bar link is loose, and I have no idea how to get it tightened back up, since its rounded out.



What should I do??

Next problem:

The mounting brackets that hold the sway bar to the frame have two bolts holding each bracket to the frame on either side. I was able to get 3 out of 4 of the bolts out, but the last one is just spinning. From what I can tell, there is a nut on the inside of the frame, which seems impossible to get to. This nut seems like it should not spin, but it must have broken free, and now it just spins with the bolt when I try to tighten or loosen. Everything's on so I just need to be able to tighten eveything up. Any ideas on how to get that problem nut and bolt tight again?



How bad have I effed this up? Suggestions and ideas please!

 

cut it all off you dont need the sway bar anymore

 

agreed

 

A pair of needle nose vise grip will allow you to grab the horizonal shaft going into the spindle. Grab it in between the rubber boot and the spindle. It will grip on to the boot a little but mainly on the raised collar area. If you are worried about the boot you can gain some more are by pushing it back, it is just in a groove on the shaft. You should be able to push it back another 1/4"

In all honesty most of the time they are pretty hard to tighten and loosen if you are not using a impact gun since they like to spin. Most of the time when using a impact you just toss a pry bar between the spindle and the end link vertical post and put tension on it while you zip it on or off with the impact.

As for the sway bar mounting to the frame, best of luck. This has happened to some people on here before.

I did not unbolt mine from there I just had the front of the truck up and rotated it out of the way during install when both the end links were off.

I kept my sway bar cause have urban traffic in my area.

 

When mine rounded out, I watched the other side of the link to see what was turning with the bolt. I took a vice grip and clamped it down, and titghtened the bolt. The torque spec is low, I think 19ftlbs, so just snug that nut. If no vice grips, channel locks work just as good. Just be sure not to damage the boot. You can scoot the boot back just a bit. Good luck.

 

Gawd I hate rust.

Probably have to cut off the offending bolt/sway bar link.

Locate a replacement sway bar from a member who has taken it off, or a new link from the dealer.

Not so sure about the stripped out missing mount point nut. Could weld a couple "wings" onto the frame there, then custom fab a new sway bar bracket held in place with three bolts instead of two, using the "wings" as attachment points for a bolt and nut, instead of the ruined hole.

 

Hey OP I got a swaybar and all the hardware calling you name if you need it.

 

Thanks for all the quick responses fellas. Feeling a little bit better about things. I guess as far as just taking the sway bar completely off, I don't know because I'm not really educated on the subject. For the most part its my daily driver, and sees 90% pavement most of the time, but it does see some offroad from time to time. I can't decide because I don't know how important it is, potential issues without it it, and how it'd effect things. I'm dog tired so i think I'm gonna sleep on all of this and start fresh in the morning. If I can't get things tightened back up per your suggestions, it will probably get removed, and possibly replaced with new parts down the road, if I decide to put one back on...will report back with my results

 

I am having similar issues. I took the sway off tonight while chasing a front end noise. I could not get the nuts off on the top of the links. I got the bottom nuts off no problem, and have them zip tied up. I do not want to leave them this way.....Will using the impact get it off? How will that work since I can't use the allen??

 

See post#5

 

Well I spent some time researching pros and cons of sway bar removal. I really wanna take it off for now, since I'm not gonna be able to fix the nut inside welded (was) to the frame. It sounds possible to do, but i think I'll give it a try for now. The only thing that makes me nervous is my daily driving. I guess i will just be consciencus of the fact that it will be more prone to body roll without it

 

This isn't going to help you OP, but others who read this thread need to know before they work on their trucks


At least a week prior to working on your truck and every day thereafter leading up the the install day hit every bolt you plan on touching with WD-40/Deep Creep/ Ect. so the chances of these issues is decreased.

This does help a TON so do it.

 

Thanks. I started on Monday hitting everything with liquid wrench, and everyday after. I definitely agree that it has helped alot with all the bolts I've removed so far. The only bolts i didnt think to hit were the bolts that hold the sway bar to the frame, and now I'm kicking myself. I live in the delmarva area and they dump salt on the road when it snows, so my 06 suffers from a lot of surface rust.

 

I didn't mean you, but if you cut them off I have my sway bar/links/bolts I'm not using I would let go cheap off my 08' for a local member in need. 35k on them and been stored in my house since removal.

I'm in dirty jerzy

 

I know, I was saying i agree with you that it helps to soak stuff down before you work on it, just make sure you hit everything! And thanks I'm on the eastern shore in MD, so youre not too far, I'll keep that in mind. Even if I got a different sway bar, I'd still be in the same boat because one of the square nuts that are welded to the inside the frame, which receives the bolt from the sway bar mounting bracket on the outside of the frame, has broken its weld. So now it just spins with the bolt when i turn it from the outside. There's no way to grab it, and really no way to access it.

 

We were able to get the sway bar link tightened back up using needle nose vise grips. Thanks for that advice! I dropped the truck off at the alignment shop and told them about the sway bar mounting bracket and the loose bolt/nut. They said they should be able to stick weld it, so hopefully that issue will be solved as well. Thanks again people!

 

Mine is a DD also, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to remove the sway bar because of my 280 mile/week commute. I knew it would be better off road without one & when I couldn't figure out a way to move it out of the way (for off wheeling) without removing it I thought I would remove it and give it a try. 2K miles later it's still sitting outside. The very slight increase in body roll is worth the smoother ride on & off road and improved flexibility (only one shock & spring reacts to bumps & dips instead of both). Anyone thinking of taking it off should try it & if they don't like it they put it back on.

 

cut it off.... or heat it up and try to run it out with an impact.... but cuttin is easier

 

This is what I was looking for...Thanks!