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A FOREWORD. |
STEP 1. |
The following outlines
the procedure for replacing and/or lubricating
the front sway bar bushings on a MKIV Jetta and
Golf/GTI. Dry and/or worn-out sway bar bushings
are often very noisy, producing a loud creaking
noise when going over bumps or turning.
Replacing and/or lubricating the bushings will
almost always eliminate the noise.
The procedure below was based on a 99.5 Jetta
GLS VR6 - it may be slightly different on
later-models cars and those with the sports
suspension package. Please do these procedures
at your own risk and be ready to make small
adjustments while doing them. Also, please be
observant while removing parts so that they go
back together correctly.
Please read the following carefully if you
are REPLACING your front sway bar bushings with
OEM (not aftermarket) bushings. This does not
apply if you are only LUBRICATING your existing
bushings:
It appears that VW uses two different front
sway bars (at least) on the MKIV cars - one has
a diameter of 21mm and the other has a diameter
of 23mm. I'm not sure which cars come with which
bar, but I suspect that the 21mm bar may be used
on early model year cars with the regular
suspension and the 23mm bar may be used on later
model year cars and those with the
sport/special-edition suspensions. (EDIT: Since
originally posting this, it has been discovered
that some/all 2000 VR6s use 23mm sway bars.) My
1999.5 Jetta VR6 came with a 21mm front sway
bar. The original bushings for this sway bar (#
1J0-411-314-C) have been replaced with an
updated part (# 1J0-411-314-R). Due to the
slightly different shape of the new bushings,
the original brackets that secure the bushings
to the subframe (# 1J0-411-336-C) have also been
updated with new brackets (# 1J0-411-336-D). The
23mm front sway bar uses bushings with a
slightly larger diameter hole (original version
- # 1J0-411-314-G, updated version - #
1J0-411-314-T) and the same 'new' brackets as
the ones used for the 21mm sway bar bushings (#
1J0-411-336-D). Prior to purchasing any new
bushings, I recommend that you either (1)
measure the diameter of your front sway bar or
(2) remove one of your existing bushings and
look at the part number. If the part number for
your bushings ends in 'C', purchase 'R' bushings
as replacements. If the part number for your
bushings ends in 'G', purchase 'T' bushings as
replacements. If the part number for your
bushings ends in either 'R' or 'T', purchase the
same bushings as replacements. Finally, verify
the part #s with your parts supplier before
ordering any parts. I am not responsible if you
purchase the wrong parts for your particular
car.
I purchased the replacement OEM bushings and
brackets from
http://www.1stvwparts.com. The bushings
(both 'R' and 'T' are the same price) were
$11.25 each and the brackets ('D') were $5.03
each (all prices were quoted online on 8/20/03).
You need two bushings and two brackets to do a
complete replacement, however, you only need to
buy two new bushings if you already have the new
'D' brackets on your car.
Finally, the entire replacement job should take
somewhere between 1 and 2 hours, depending on
ability and experience. The first time I removed
the bushings to lubricate them, it took around 2
hours. I've removed the bushings 3 or 4 times
now to lube, and most recently, to replace them,
and now it takes me closer to an hour.
VW TECH BY: Gary Thompson |
The replacement /
lubrication of the front sway bar bushings can
be done without lowering the subframe (luckily -
lowering the subframe would add significant time
and cost to the procedure). The procedures below
can be done with the car on the ground, on ramps
or on jack stands, but is significantly easier
if the car is on stands. This allows the front
wheels to be turned, giving better access to the
sway bar bushings. Removing the front wheels
also makes the procedure significantly easier,
and I recommend that you do so if the car is up
on stands
As always, do this procedure at your own risk. I
am not responsible for any mistakes that you
make.
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STEP 2. |
STEP 3. |
If you are going to
perform the following procedures with the car on
the ground, proceed to step 6. If you are going
to use ramps, drive the car up on the ramps and
proceed to step 6. If you have experience
jacking your car up and placing it on stands, do
this as you normally would and proceed to step
6. If not, you can consider using the method I
used below.
WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PUT YOUR CAR ON
STANDS IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE DOING SO. IF
NOT DONE CORRECTLY, THE CAR MAY FALL, POSSIBLY
CAUSING SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. ONLY WORK NEAR
OR UNDERNEATH A CAR THAT HAS BEEN PROPERLY
SUPPORTED ... DO THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURE AT YOUR
OWN RISK!!! |
Jack the car up using the
pinch rails near the edge of the underside of
the car. The pinch rail is indicated by the
yellow arrow in the picture below and is the
place used by the stock VW jack for raising the
car. Make sure that the jack cup is centered on
the jack point on the rail (indicated by the
small indent on the lower side valence just
above the yellow arrow). It is a good idea to
place a thin piece of wood or hard rubber
between the jack cup and pinch rail to help
distribute the load and protect the underside of
the vehicle from being marred. If you look
closely at the picture, you should be able to
see the jack on the far side of the car
underneath the pinch rail. Note the 6" x 6"
piece of plywood sitting on top of the jack cup. |
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STEP 4. |
STEP 5. |
The jackstands should be
placed directly below the major frame rails of
the car, indicated by the red arrow in the
picture above. Make sure that the stands are
placed towards the very front of the frame rails
- this is where they are strongest. If you place
the stands too far back from the front edge, you
run the risk of crushing the frame rail. Don't
get too close to the curved front edge of the
rail, however, as there is a risk of the jack
stand slipping and the car falling. I placed the
jackstands just below the small hole in the
bottom of the frame rail (see picture above for
approximate location of stands relative to the
front of the frame rail). This seemed to me to
be the best compromise between safety and rail
strength. Again, it is a good idea to place a
protective barrier between the jack stand and
the frame rail - I used a double-thick piece of
regular cardboard. |
Slowly lower the raised
side of the car onto the jack stand. Repeat the
above procedure (steps 3 and 4) on the other
side of the car.
WARNING: MAKE SURE THE CAR IS
WELL-SUPPORTED BY THE JACK STANDS BEFORE DOING
ANY WORK NEAR OR UNDERNEATH THE CAR!!! |
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STEP 6. |
STEP 7. |
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The general location of
the sway bar bushings is indicated by the green
arrow in the picture above. There are two
bushings, one on each side of the car. |
Disconnect the sway
bar endlinks (both driver's and passenger's
sides) from the front of the control arm by
removing the lower 16mm bolt (indicated by the
red arrow in the picture above). The endlinks
are situated just on the inside of the front
tires/brake assemblies and are
visible/accessible from the front of the car.
The disconnecting of the endlinks allows the
brackets that secure the sway bar bushings to
the subframe to be removed more easily - it
would be extremely difficult/impossible to
remove the brackets without performing this step |
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STEP 8. |
STEP 9. |
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If the car is up on
stands (i.e., not on the ground or on ramps) and
the front wheels are removed, turn the steering
wheel all the way to one side. Perform the
following steps on the same side of the car
(i.e., if you turn the wheels to the right,
perform the following steps to replace/lubricate
the right (passenger's side) sway bar bushing
and vice versa). Turning the wheels in this
fashion will move the tie rod boots out from
behind the bushings and provide significantly
more room for doing the below procedure. |
The sway bar bushings and
retaining brackets are located just in front of
the tie rod boots and are indicated by the
yellow arrow in the picture below. The brackets
are secured to the subframe by a single 13mm
bolt on top (red arrow in picture above) and a
curved tab on the bottom (can be seen in some of
the pictures below). |
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STEP 10. |
STEP 11. |
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Remove the 13mm bolt
using a small socket wrench (the space is very
tight - a large socket wrench may not fit), as
shown above. |
Once the bolt is removed,
disconnect the bracket from the subframe by
pivoting the top of the bracket towards the rear
of the car (1) while at the same time lifting up
on the sway bar (2), as shown below. It is
somewhat difficult to remove the curved
retaining tab on the bottom of the bracket from
the subframe due to the tie rod boot being in
the way. It may take a few minutes of wiggling
the bracket back and forth while moving the sway
bar around to get the tab out. Don't give up if
it's difficult at first. It took me at least 10
minutes to get the bracket completely out the
first time. Now that I've done it a few times,
it takes less than 2 minutes. (This is where
lowering the subframe would make the job easier,
but that would create many other headaches and
is not worth it). |
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STEP 12. |
STEP 13. |
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Once the bracket has been
completely removed, remove the bushing from the
bar. The bushing is split on the front edge for
easy removal. |
The picture above shows
how the sway bar bushing and retaining bracket
fit together. The red arrow indicates the
location of the 13mm bolt hole and the yellow
arrow points to the curved tab that secures the
bottom of the bracket to the subframe - now you
know why the bracket is so difficult to remove!
The green arrow indicates the location of the
split in the bushing. |
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STEP 14. |
STEP 15. |
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If you are only
lubricating your existing bushings, do so now. A
variety of water-proof lubricants should be good
for this job, but I recommend (and have used) a
multi-purpose silicone lubricant. You can buy a
can of it at PepBoys or the like for around
$3-4. After the bushings are lubricated, proceed
to step 18 (skip steps 15-17 - I recommend that
you read them though, even if they do not apply
to your procedure). |
The picture above shows the difference between
my old (# 1J0-41-314-C, with 137k miles on it)
and new (# 1J0-411-314-R) sway bar bushings.
Note the extreme difference in the diameter of
the hole in the bushing. I'm fairly certain that
the difference is solely due to wear and not to
a difference in design. Although it cannot be
seen in the picture, the interior surface of the
old bushing is extremely dry and cracked while
that of the new bushing is soft and supple. No
wonder the old bushings were so noisy!
Note: The white stuff on the surface of
the new bushing is some type of silicone
lubricant that is applied to the rubber to keep
it soft, supple and noise-free. It is very
fragile - do your best to keep it as intact as
possible during the install. |
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STEP 16. |
STEP 17. |
The picture above shows
the differences between the old (#
1J0-411-336-C) and new (# 1J0-411-336-D)
retaining brackets. The brackets are actually
very similar, except for a bulge on the new
bracket to accommodate a bulge on the side of
the new bushings. I tried using the old brackets
with the new bushings - it doesn't work. If you
are using the 'R' or 'T' bushings, you need to
use the 'D' brackets. |
The picture above shows the new sway bar bushing
and bracket together. Note how much smaller and
compressed the hole in the bushing is compared
to that of the old bushing. This actually makes
the installation of the new bushing not just a
straightforward reverse of the above steps. This
will be covered in detail below.
Note: Also notice the correct orientation
of the bushing in the bracket. There is a small
nub on one of the front (split edge) corners of
the bushing that needs to be on the bottom. Use
the picture below (and others above,
particularly the one of the old bushing/bracket
combo) to help orient the bushing correctly. |
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STEP 18. |
STEP 19. |
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Begin the reinstallation
of the sway bar bushing by spraying some
multi-purpose silicone lubricant on the sway bar
to help the new bushing slide into place. Open
up the split edge of the bushing and install it
onto the bar (make sure the orientation of the
bushing is correct - it's described above if you
skipped steps 15-17). Slide the bushing into its
approximate final location on the bar. There is
a lip/stop on the sway bar just to the inside of
where the bushing should sit - slide the bushing
in along the bar until it makes contact with the
stop. The split edge of the bushing should be
towards the front of the car - it should rest
against the rear edge of the subframe member. |
The next step is
definitely the most difficult of the DIY -
getting the bracket into place around the
bushing AND on the subframe at the same time. To
do this, manoeuvre the bracket into position
behind the bushing and try to catch the curved
tab on the bottom of the bracket in the slot on
the subframe while lifting the sway bar up and
down (similar to the procedure used to get the
bracket off, but in reverse). Once the curved
tab on the bottom of the bracket has caught,
push the top bracket towards the front of the
car as far as possible to seat the bushing in
the bracket.
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STEP 20. |
STEP 21. |
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After seating the bushing
in the bracket, see if you can push the top of
the bracket against the subframe member. If you
are able to do this or get it within less than a
cm or so, reinstall the 13mm bolt, tighten to 18
ft-lb (25 Nm) and then proceed to step 24 (skip
steps 21-23). If you are not able to push the
top of the bracket to within less than a cm or
so of the subframe member, or if you have
attempted to reinstall the bolt and the threads
don't catch, continue on with step 21. |
If you are installing new
bushings or you're reinstalling bushings that
are not very worn, you may encounter the
situation where the top of the bracket cannot be
pushed to within a cm or more of the subframe
member. This is illustrated in the picture
above. This is due to the fact that the hole in
the new bushing is approximately 2mm smaller
than the diameter of the sway bar. This cause
the bushing to expand, making it difficult to
seat the bushing in the bracket completely. The
stock 13mm bolt that is used to secure the
bracket to the subframe is a 20mm long
self-tapping bolt with tapered threads toward
the end. Because of the type and length of bolt
used, it may not be possible to get the threads
of the stock bolt to catch with such a large gap
between the bracket and subframe. This is the
situation that I ran into. Unfortunately, it is
not possible to just use a slightly longer bolt
(25mm) since the longer bolt will hit a part of
the subframe before threading in completely.
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STEP 22. |
STEP 23. |
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In order to get the top
of the bracket close enough to get the threads
of a 20mm bolt to catch, do the following. Go to
Home Depot or Lowes or any other hardware store
and buy three (3) bolts - two (2) M8 x 20mm and
one (1) M8 x 25mm. Thread the 25mm bolt into the
hole in the subframe as far as it will go (until
it hits something). This should pull the top of
the bracket toward the subframe member and seat
the bushing in the bracket more completely. |
Carefully remove the
25mm bolt - try not to pull back on the top of
the bracket or the bushing may squeeze out of
the bracket. The gap between the top of the
bracket and the subframe should be much smaller
now. It should be possible to get the new
(regular) 20mm bolt to thread into the hole. If
it does, tighten the bolt to 18 ft-lb (25 Nm).
You can also try to thread the original 20mm
(self-taping) bolt into the whole, but the
threads may still not catch since the end of the
bolt is tapered. I ended up using the new 20mm
bolt and didn't bother trying to see if the old
20mm bolt worked. The picture above shows the
new sway bar bushing and bracket installed with
the new 20mm bolt.
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STEP 24. |
STEP 25. |
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Turn the steering wheel
all the way to the opposite side and then repeat
steps 10-23 to replace and/or lubricate the
bushing on the other side of the car. |
After both front sway bar
bushings have been reinstalled, reconnect the
sway bar endlinks to the control arm. Tighten
the bolt to 33 ft-lb (45 Nm).
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STEP 26. |
STEP 27. |
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If the car was raised
during the above procedure, lower the car using
the appropriate steps for the lifting method
used. |
The front sway bar
bushings should now be noise free!!!
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