So I Broke a Rear Sway Bar Endlink - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

NotYetLegend · 01-20-2015, 10:13 PM

Hey guys, nothing fancy but I thought I would share. All winter my suspension has been making funky noises during slow speed/high deflection maneuvers (e.g. pulling into my sloped driveway).

Went to the bank last Friday and they have a really rough exit to the main road, it's like a brick sidewalk you drive over (perpendicular) and there are ~2" curbs so you drive over two of them in succession, it sucks. After that I noticed on the way back to work it sounded like I was dragging ten pounds of aluminum foil behind my car.

Stopped asap and found that the rear sway bar endlink bolt had fallen out of the endlink (passenger side). The wheel itself (inner hoop) stops the bolt before it can fully slide free of the hollow endlink so it was just dragging on the inside of the wheel (causing the noise).

Here's the endlink:

You can see on the left side of the link the rubber bush is totally separated from the endlink. This is not normal, the rubber bush actually has a composite inner core that is part of the endlink. So in short, this indicates it is broken.

A close up of the broken bit:

I do have BMR sway bars front and rear, and had the rear one set to the middle position most of last season (autocross) and about 15k of daily driving. So maybe I over-torqued the end link bolt (very likely knowing myself) or maybe having 2.5x the sway bar rate is too much for the oem endlink?

Doesn't matter, I ordered Detroit Speed's front and rear upgraded endlinks and will get them installed as soon as they arrive.

P.S. I have been driving the car with the passenger side endlink completely removed (so essentially the rear sway bar is disconnected), and while the car handles strangely it does ride waaay smooth, so kinda enjoying it for now.

Synner · 01-21-2015, 04:46 AM

Something probably loosened and then tore it to crap. Loctite the piss out of it and inspect all your suspension bolts every so often if you track or autocross it.

NotYetLegend · 01-21-2015, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Synner

Something probably loosened and then tore it to crap. Loctite the piss out of it and inspect all your suspension bolts every so often if you track or autocross it.

Yeah exactly, I couldn't agree more. I very much doubt that I used loctite the last time I took it apart because I was in a friends garage and not my own. But all things considered, if something is to back out or break etc... a rear sway bar endlink is a very easy one to fix and doesn't cause any dangerous situations even when it does fail. SO I consider myself lucky!

NotYetLegend · 01-21-2015, 07:19 PM

The new endlinks just showed up and damn are they nice! Sorry this is the worst picture ever but I can assure you the quality of these guys is apparent the second you touch them. Really excited about this upgrade, I will make sure to use some mild loctite this time around and I look forward to enjoying those BMR sway bars even more once it's all buttoned up.

Synner · 01-22-2015, 03:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotYetLegend

But all things considered, if something is to back out or break etc... a rear sway bar endlink is a very easy one to fix and doesn't cause any dangerous situations even when it does fail. SO I consider myself lucky!

In autocross or with a pothole maybe. On a road course it can be very dangerous as it would normally happen mid-turn under heavy load. Many courses have little runoff before tire or concrete walls are there to "assist" with deceleration.

NotYetLegend · 01-22-2015, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Synner

In autocross or with a pothole maybe. On a road course it can be very dangerous as it would normally happen mid-turn under heavy load. Many courses have little runoff before tire or concrete walls are there to "assist" with deceleration.

Yes that would certainly be uncomfortable to say the least

FRSTR90 · 01-23-2015, 05:41 PM

I think I may have a similar situation... Was one side sitting about 1/4-5/16 lower than the other??

sting808 · 01-23-2015, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotYetLegend

The new endlinks just showed up and damn are they nice! Sorry this is the worst picture ever but I can assure you the quality of these guys is apparent the second you touch them. Really excited about this upgrade, I will make sure to use some mild loctite this time around and I look forward to enjoying those BMR sway bars even more once it's all buttoned up.

Post some pics of the rear endlinks installed. How much difference in length are the DSE compared to OE?

Synyster · 01-24-2015, 04:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FRSTR90

I think I may have a similar situation... Was one side sitting about 1/4-5/16 lower than the other??

Don't tell me that, that's my situation too

NotYetLegend · 01-24-2015, 08:56 AM

You know guys, I'm not sure if the car was sitting out of level, and now that it's disconnected I can't really verify that. I would imagine that in my case when the stock end link bolt was resting on the inside of the wheel it is likely it limited the wheel travel on that side and could have caused a lean.

I should be getting around to the install tomorrow afternoon (weather forecast looks nice and warm) so I will take pics then. For now though here is a quick pic of the broken endlink next to the detroit speed link (I have not adjusted the length of the new link, this is simply how they ship). I assume I will need to adjust the new links to the length of the non-broken link once I get it out of the car.

NotYetLegend · 01-24-2015, 11:33 AM

Well shit, the hardwawre included with the detroit speed endlinks does not fit the holes in the BMR sway bar (rear). Sooooo, not really sure what to do now. Don't trust the OEM endlinks and I'm not too excited about selling the BMR bars and switching to detroit speed. Guess I'll have to try and find compatible hardware...

NotYetLegend · 01-24-2015, 11:50 AM

Started a new thread for the above issue: http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth...27#post8190227

01-20-2015, 10:13 PM	#1
NotYetLegend Drives: 2012 1SS/RS Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 344	So I Broke a Rear Sway Bar Endlink Hey guys, nothing fancy but I thought I would share. All winter my suspension has been making funky noises during slow speed/high deflection maneuvers (e.g. pulling into my sloped driveway). Went to the bank last Friday and they have a really rough exit to the main road, it's like a brick sidewalk you drive over (perpendicular) and there are ~2" curbs so you drive over two of them in succession, it sucks. After that I noticed on the way back to work it sounded like I was dragging ten pounds of aluminum foil behind my car. Stopped asap and found that the rear sway bar endlink bolt had fallen out of the endlink (passenger side). The wheel itself (inner hoop) stops the bolt before it can fully slide free of the hollow endlink so it was just dragging on the inside of the wheel (causing the noise). Here's the endlink: You can see on the left side of the link the rubber bush is totally separated from the endlink. This is not normal, the rubber bush actually has a composite inner core that is part of the endlink. So in short, this indicates it is broken. A close up of the broken bit: I do have BMR sway bars front and rear, and had the rear one set to the middle position most of last season (autocross) and about 15k of daily driving. So maybe I over-torqued the end link bolt (very likely knowing myself) or maybe having 2.5x the sway bar rate is too much for the oem endlink? Doesn't matter, I ordered Detroit Speed's front and rear upgraded endlinks and will get them installed as soon as they arrive. P.S. I have been driving the car with the passenger side endlink completely removed (so essentially the rear sway bar is disconnected), and while the car handles strangely it does ride waaay smooth, so kinda enjoying it for now. __________________ "Driving is the only thing I love about f1." (Kimi Raikkonen)

01-21-2015, 07:19 PM	#4
NotYetLegend Drives: 2012 1SS/RS Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 344	The new endlinks just showed up and damn are they nice! Sorry this is the worst picture ever but I can assure you the quality of these guys is apparent the second you touch them. Really excited about this upgrade, I will make sure to use some mild loctite this time around and I look forward to enjoying those BMR sway bars even more once it's all buttoned up. __________________ "Driving is the only thing I love about f1." (Kimi Raikkonen)

01-24-2015, 08:56 AM	#10
NotYetLegend Drives: 2012 1SS/RS Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 344	You know guys, I'm not sure if the car was sitting out of level, and now that it's disconnected I can't really verify that. I would imagine that in my case when the stock end link bolt was resting on the inside of the wheel it is likely it limited the wheel travel on that side and could have caused a lean. I should be getting around to the install tomorrow afternoon (weather forecast looks nice and warm) so I will take pics then. For now though here is a quick pic of the broken endlink next to the detroit speed link (I have not adjusted the length of the new link, this is simply how they ship). I assume I will need to adjust the new links to the length of the non-broken link once I get it out of the car. __________________ "Driving is the only thing I love about f1." (Kimi Raikkonen)

01-24-2015, 11:33 AM	#11
NotYetLegend Drives: 2012 1SS/RS Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 344	Well shit, the hardwawre included with the detroit speed endlinks does not fit the holes in the BMR sway bar (rear). Sooooo, not really sure what to do now. Don't trust the OEM endlinks and I'm not too excited about selling the BMR bars and switching to detroit speed. Guess I'll have to try and find compatible hardware... __________________ "Driving is the only thing I love about f1." (Kimi Raikkonen)

01-24-2015, 11:50 AM	#12
NotYetLegend Drives: 2012 1SS/RS Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 344	Started a new thread for the above issue: http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth...27#post8190227 __________________ "Driving is the only thing I love about f1." (Kimi Raikkonen)

01-21-2015, 04:46 AM	#2
Synner Drives: cars Join Date: May 2011 Location: Oversneeze Posts: 4,544	Something probably loosened and then tore it to crap. Loctite the piss out of it and inspect all your suspension bolts every so often if you track or autocross it.

01-23-2015, 05:41 PM	#7
FRSTR90 Drives: 2010 Camaro 1SS/RS, 1973 Corvette Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Springfield, IL Posts: 261 View My Garage	I think I may have a similar situation... Was one side sitting about 1/4-5/16 lower than the other??