useyourbow

How difficult is it to change front sway bar links?
Do I need anything special to do so?
Do nuts need to be torqued?
Do I need to lift the truck?
Bushing is missing on one side. How long can I drive before serious damage is done?

Thanks for any and all help.

texansport

I just did both sides on my 2005. It was relatively easy to do, you'll need 4 different sized wrenches though, (I tried using standard instead of metric and it caused me a headache). It was also very cramped on the bottom side.

Keys:
Make sure you undo the links on both side, otherwise the bar wont give you enough clearance to slip the old one out or put the new one back in.

On the very bottom, there's a ball joint that will spin when you tighten the nut on the bottom. The end of that piece looks like a bolt, but if you examine it, it is actually a hex head for you to prevent it from moving. I spent 2 hours trying to figure out why the bottom nut wouldn't come off because if you put a deep socket over the end, you cant tell that the entire thing is moving. (The portion above the A arm wasn't moving at all, it's independent) I did one side without even taking the wheel off, if you're a small guy and can fit under the truck, or have ramps you can drive it on, there's no need to take anything else apart.

2 wrenches to undo the top nut, two to undo the bottom, don't try and do it with a socket wrench/ratchet. Torque it very tight or you'll hear it rattle. Not aware of a torque spec for it.

I heard the sway bar rattling around for 4-5 months without replacing it. Shop said side-to side control would just feel spongy, but even if it broke, it wouldn't be "dangerous" unless you did something that could roll the truck.

After replacing both, ride quality/handling was night and day different.. 16$ per link and it only took an afternoon to do... I would knock it out if you have a few hours.