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How to Lube Sway Bar Bushings

31K views 47 replies 18 participants last post by  JoRoKa  
#1 · (Edited)
*EDIT* Be sure to read post #44 before you do this job. It is way easier to perform from inside the wheel well with the front wheels off.

Ever since the second week I had my sway bars installed, they have been squeaking loudly when the front end travels up and down. I am not sure if the shop that I paid to install the sway bars used the lube that came with them or not, but the grease that was on there looked white and thin like lithium grease. I figured I would put a How To together for those like me who paid to have their sways installed, or for those who would like to re lube their sway bushings.

This job made all of the difference in the world. My front end is whisper quiet now after re-lubing the bushings. You will need 2 jacks to do this job. I recommend doing one side at a time, starting on the opposite side after the first is done. Jack the car high enough to get completely underneath.

Next, remove the heat shield from the bracket. There are 2 bolts, one on each side.

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Next, jack up the the front wheel about an inch from its resting state off of the ground. Center the jack directly under the lower strut attachment point. It is the thick suspension part with the round edge facing down. This will relieve the tension on the sway bar and allow you to remove the retainer cap without the sway bar dropping down. You may have to readjust the jack to the correct height to relieve the tension.

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Next, remove the two bolts that retain the bushing cap. Remove the cap and the bushing retainer plate on the back side. Pull the sway bar toward the rear to allow adequate access. Remove the bushing by pulling it off of the sway bar. Clean and dry the bushing, retainer plate. bushing cap and sway bar where the bushing rides. Apply a heavy coat of synthetic grease to all of the internal surfaces of the bushing. (thanks for the tip, 2006TopBanana!) Open the bushing up and put it back on the sway bar.

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Replace the backing plate and retainer with the two bolts. Replace heat shield. Now you are done.

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Repeat for the opposite side. The second side went a lot quicker once I knew what I was doing.

Completed job:

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#2 ·
nice wrtie up mark! i havent looked at my stock sways in a while but is the setup the same? i have a creaking noise coming from the front drivers side wheel and i was thinking after seeing this thread that maybe my sway just needs lube.
 
#4 ·
That looks like something I might be able to do, if i had all the tools. Im coming over tomorrow Peno.. Awesome writeup though!
 
#8 ·
Great write up, Mark! Not sure how I missed this one! You have been busy! :D
 
#9 ·
Nice writeup Mark, I'm glad this fixed it for you.:TU:
 
#11 ·
Thanks! I really appreciate all of the advice that you gave me.

No problem at all, I'm always here for my Charger brothers and sisters.
 
#13 ·
I bought the greese and im gonna give this a shot tomorrow for my stock sway bar. I am bored out of my mind and I want to play with my Charger and since im broke as hell i figured a $6 can of grease should keep me happy for a while, lol.
 
#14 ·
I actually enjoyed this job, Joey. The hardest part was gettiing the bolts on the heat shields started when putting them back on. Good luck with the job. Don't try this without a second jack or you will be stranded until someone brings you another jack. LOL The sway bar drops down and you can't hold it there. Let me know how this goes for you.
 
#15 ·
I actually enjoyed this job, Joey. The hardest part was gettiing the bolts on the heat shields started when putting them back on. Good luck with the job. Don't try this without a second jack or you will be stranded until someone brings you another jack. LOL The sway bar drops down and you can't hold it there. Let me know how this goes for you.
Yeah I am looking forward to it. I do have a second jack, its a little bottle jack that im gonna use. Once i push up and raise the tire and then unbolt the bushing, the sway shouldnt move much right? I just dont want any surprises smacking me in the face, lol.
 
#16 ·
No, it will stay put. Just don't raise it any higher than it needs to be. All you are doing is raising the tire to put the sway bar in a position that matches the bracket. If you unbolt and it is too high or too low, just adjust it. It won't swing forward or rearward without you moving it there.
 
#20 ·
Nice write up. I am going to have to relube my hotchkis front bushings as well. I have had the sways on my Magnum for 2 years now and when it got really cold here recently. I noticed the front sway bushings were making noise when I went over speed bump or a dip in the road.

Hotchkis also sells there own lube for there sways. How is the Mobil 1 grease holding up?
 
#25 ·
How often should these be greased? And does the cold make the problem worse? I drive my Charger in winter, and while it doesn't snow, it can easily drop into the teens and twenties in Georgia. Also, I've been reading posts on the bushings failing on these Hotchkis bars. Any comment on that?
 
#26 ·
I found that on colder days the squeaking is far less when the bushings need grease. I attributed that possibly to the contraction of the metal when it is cold. As long as the bushings are adequately greased, they should not wear out. I noticed some slight chatter marks on the inside of the bushings, so I can see why they would fail if you don't lube them early and often enough. In my opinion, if you hear them squeaking, you should re-lube them. It depends on how much you drive as to how often that would be.