[schnitz]

A co-worker of mine has a '96 Taurus with a broken sway bar. I need a bit of advice/ info from somebody who's seen or changed one. I need to know how long it would take to change one, and if I need to lift the engine (or bust loose the ball joints) at all to do it. I've never seen one like this before. (I've only got limited experience working on Fords.)


Thanks in advance, Chet.

[yesgo]

Let's see... I recently did a R&P unit on a 98 Taurus. The sway bar had to come out first, and IIRC, the subframe had to drop a few inches at the rear to get it out.

Been a while, but I did a front swaybar on an Intrepid, and I think it was the same deal.

[schnitz]

Thanks for info, I appreciate it. I'll tell her to find another ride home since it sounds like a more thatn 1 hr job. I've gotta do this one outside in my driveway. With a big floorjack and an equal sized hammer.



Thanks again, Chet.

[johnsongrass1]

You mean you posted at 5:30 in the morning and she still hasn't gone home yet?

Geez man, get paid early?

[MARTINSR]

I am the chassis tech at a large bodyshop and repairing damaged suspension is something I do on a regular basis. In reading your post something pops out like a neon sign, the sway bar is "broken"? Sway bars don't "Break", they bend (rarely) but they don't "break". Are you certain you are talking about the right part?

And, if one part is broken, WHY? Did the wheel hit something? If one part is broken, there are many other parts damaged like the sub frame, strut, etc.

Do you have a way of snaping a photo?

Brian

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by schnitz

Thanks for info, I appreciate it. I'll tell her to find another ride home since it sounds like a more thatn 1 hr job. I've gotta do this one outside in my driveway. With a big floorjack and an equal sized hammer.



Thanks again, Chet.

And by the way Chet, please, do not do this with only a floor jack holding the car. Be sure the car is on a solid, level surface and you have a few jack stands ALONG with the jack. Another safety tip that I started doing years ago, after removing the wheel, slide it under the car. You have to put it somewhere right? You might as well slide it under the car out of the way and it will help support the car if jacks should fail.

Brian

[yesgo]

Good advice. On the Taurus I did in my driveway, I used a pair of good stands, a big floor jack, and a little one.

Hollow sway bars can break due to rust. I see rears broken more frequently though. He lives in Wisconsin, you in San Fran, so he might see some like this where you might not I guess. I worked in a shop in the midwest for a while and saw quite a few... mostly rears though.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by yesgo

Good advice. On the Taurus I did in my driveway, I used a pair of good stands, a big floor jack, and a little one.

Hollow sway bars can break due to rust. I see rears broken more frequently though. He lives in Wisconsin, you in San Fran, so he might see some like this where you might not I guess. I worked in a shop in the midwest for a while and saw quite a few... mostly rears though.

There is no such thing as a "hollow sway bar", at least not in any factory made vehicle I have ever seen.

That car has forged iron lower contol arms and a spring steel sway bar, those items just don't break, I don't car what weather they are subjected to.

All I am saying is it is a red flag, a point of interest. To FULLY help him, we need to know exactly what he is changing.

Brian

[schnitz]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

There is no such thing as a "hollow sway bar", at least not in any factory made vehicle I have ever seen.

That car has forged iron lower contol arms and a spring steel sway bar, those items just don't break, I don't car what weather they are subjected to.

All I am saying is it is a red flag, a point of interest. To FULLY help him, we need to know exactly what he is changing.

Brian

Brian, I'm almost 100% certain of it being a sway bar. There's what I would say is an end link on each side, roughly 12" long hanging straight down from right next to the strut. There's a break in the solid bar, and over half of it shows rust, The remaining 1/3 or so hasn't even rusted yet. I told the lady to not drive it AT ALL, but she said her house is only a couple of blocks away from work, so she drove away. I know it's not a tie rod, but if it were something else in the suspension parts list, I would say it looks closest to a center link. I didn't get the wheel off, and as soon as I start on it, I'll put up a picture. There's about 8 inches of curved, rigid bar, attached by the use of what looks similar to a tie rod end setup. Whatever broke it must have been really hellish.



BTW, check out the sway bar on an original '98 Windstar. The stock bar was hollow on my inlaws van.


Also, on a safety note, I never go under a vehicle without at least 2 jackstands. No car is worth being crushed by.


Thanks, Chet.

[schnitz]

Originally Posted by johnsongrass1

You mean you posted at 5:30 in the morning and she still hasn't gone home yet?

Geez man, get paid early?

No, no, nothing like that... She'll just need to find a ride home from my house after she drops off the car. I'll be busy working on the car.



Thanks for the laugh, though, Chet.

[yesgo]

A lot of vehicles have hollow bars from the factory. Apparently that Taurus isn't one of them, at least not in front. What you describe sounds like the sway to me. I have seen quite a few broken bars, but like MARTINSR says, you should make sure there wasn't something alterior causing it.

The broken bars I have seen were all on cars made after 1996. I guess I didn't pay much attention to if they were all hollow, but I know some were. I haven't replaced as many as I've seen.

BTW, I think you'll need an allen wrench for the end links. 6mm if I recall, to hold the stud still.

[schnitz]

So, what are the odds of just being able to pull both tires off and then just wiggling the bar enough to get it out without dropping the back of the engine cradle? Slim to nill, or better? I'd like to do it as quickly as possible.


Thanks again, Chet.

[MARTINSR]

Ok guys first off, this is the sway bar (or "anti-roll" bar) that I am sure from the discription. How in the living h-e-double tooth pick it could get broken is beyond me. I fix cars that hit curbs at fifty miles an hour with the wheel pushed back eight or ten inches with the bar taking a good impact that don't have a bent bar let alone broken.

I will still stand on my comment that there is no hollow spring steel sway bar on any car made. If I am wrong, PLEASE let me send you money for a six pack. I have never seen it, there is no reason for it, and I just will not believe without proof. Not that I say you are lying but only mistaken. Mistaken that what you thought was a "sway bar" was really a "Locator bar", "control arm" or something. Like I said, if you prove it or if I find out (I will keep an eye out) I want to send you a six pack of your favorite cold stuff.

Chet, I looked at one of these cars today and don't see much luck in pulling it out one side.The ends are too long to pull out, I think. I wasn't able to look a it up on the lift so I can't tell for sure, but I think the sub frame may need to be dropped some in the rear.

Brian

[redlightning]

Chet are you talking about the sway bar links.They connect to the sway bar.You might call ford with the vin it might be a recall.I think it was the explorers that had a recall for the links.I found this sight,I entered the car and then front suspension.It has some pretty good illustrations.Let us know what you find.Carl



http://www.newfordparts.com/catalog.htm

[MARTINSR]

Red, he is talking about the bar "There's a break in the solid bar," not the links.

Brian