Crna Mechka

Hey all,

I know this topic has been covered numerous times but I personally have never come across an incident such as mine where the bushings were replaced but continued to squeak (even worse than before) after replacement.

Since the stealership does not stock the old bushings for my vehicle any more and instead recommend to replace the entire sway bar with a newer revised model (with bushings pre-molded) I was not able to get the exact same OEM bushings that originally came with the vehicle.

Instead I found a set of bushings by Febi Bilstein on APWH which are marked as direct fit at 21mm size. They do in fact fit very nicely into the bracket but there seems to be maybe 2-3mm of rubber sticking out from the bottom of the bracket which makes it difficult to properly tighten the bracket and bushing to the sway bar.

I'm wondering could this be the issue at hand or are these bushings just crap? If anyone has had any experience with them please let me know, would like your opinion.

Worst comes to worst I will have to replace the entire sway bar with the newer revised version.

hcoronado

remember that there are other components in the suspension.
check the end links, check the springs, check the shocks / struts, check the control arms.

I would not mind the upgrade of the bar but I do recommend to check everything else before spending another $150 bucks plus installation just to come to find out that there was another element causing the noise.

I had a problem with the car making a screeching noise so i swap the end links and that took care of it. However, during the process I also found why my car was shacking when power braking, it was an old control arm bushing that had developed cracks in it.

see picture that someone else posted on Benzworld.

Boom vang

I bought new bushings for my AMG sway bar at the dealership and had a very squeaky and creaking joint; it was very noisy. There is a lube that MB makes for this, it is a very sticky, thick, waxy light grey colour grease. They have them by the bin and just scooped out and put in a little cup for me. After coating the bushings and bar and 2 years later I have not had any issues since. Newer sway bars (2004+) have the moulded in bushings to prevent this problem, but since I was putting in a 2003 C32 set I had to find a solution

Crna Mechka

Thanks for your replies.

hcoronado - fortunately I know a guy (buddy of mine) who is very knowledgeable with Benz's and we usually do the work ourselves so no worries on labor costs, just parts.

The entire suspension system has been inspected and I'm pretty sure the sway bar bushings are the culprit. So to make a long story short, I ended up ordering the newer (2004+) sway bar with the pre-molded bushings but failed to realize that I also need a new pair of brackets for them since the old brackets do not fit these pre-molded bushings...far as I can tell. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

The only problem I'm having now is getting the old sway bar out! It's off the endlinks and just sitting loose but I can't for the life of me figure out how to get it out...let alone how to get the new bar IN. Any tips on this? Do I have to take one of the wheels off and pull it out that way?

Thanks and I appreciate the feedback.

Boom vang

I take it that you are having problems with the rear as the front is a piece of cake. You have to take the wheels off to get it out, the easiest is to undo the exhaust system and let it hang and get the bar out however if you are good at Tetris it will come out without undoing the hangers for the exhaust. I did it with mine and took a couple of tries to re&re it but it is possible.

You need new brackets for the new style bar. I have an extra set of mine which fits the molded in bars as I had to buy the old style for the AMG bar

Crna Mechka

Actually it's the front I'm working on. I've read up about having to take a wheel off for the rear and assumed the same method can be used for the front. Like I said, the bar is loose I just can't seem to figure out how to get it out as there is not much room to "wiggle" it our on either side. How did you accomplish this? Any tips would be appreciated...

Far as those brackets - I'd be more than happy to take them off your hands since you have no use for them although it would probably take over a week for them to reach my doorstep...not sure I can wait that long.

Boom vang

not sure why you are having problems with the fronts, they are a piece of cake to get out. Undo the brackets, take off the nut on the link at the strut and a tap of a hammer will push the ball joint out



As I posted on the Tein Springs post https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...g-springs.html :

you will have to drill out the tabs on your struts to fits the sway bar links for the AMG bar as the bolts are 10mm and not the 8mm on standard links. Also the links are beefier with larger ball joints and thicker rods.

Also through-bolt your front sway bar brackets in the Aluminum suspension cradle/substructure. Usually galvanic corrosion takes place and when you unbolt the brackets most of the treads come with it. Luckily with longer bolts and access you can back a nut and washer on top of the structure and torque to specs...also gives you piece of mind as that bolt will never pull through under hard cornering

Javvy

u have to drop the belly pan...the big plastic pan thing it is held up by 6-8 screws.....take that off and the bar would drop ...real easy.....I saying this cause I am assuming that you did not remove the pan???

javvy

Crna Mechka

Boom vang - I apologize if I wasn't clear in my description but the bar is loose. What I'm trying to do is remove it as in pull it out from the bottom of the car and throw it in a garbage bin so I can put the new one on. And if I'm not mistaken the bars are identical in size the only difference with the newer one is the bushings are molded on and it uses diff. brackets.

javvy - thanks for your input. I'm assuming you're talking about "engine cover" if so yes that's the first thing I removed otherwise I wouldn't be able to see the sway bar at all. Again, the bar is loose and "dropped" ... what I'm having trouble with is is removing the bar from the bottom of the car so I can insert the new one. I don't know how else to explain this.

Javvy

ok here is the deal....The sway bar is attached to the car on 4 mounting points. The two brackets w/bushings a total of 4 bolts and then the respective swing arm which is one nut/bolt per side. So when you are disassemblying you will loosen/remove a total of 6 nuts/bolts. Now if you have alreday done so and the bar is still not coming out, then most likely the bushing that you forced fit on the bracket has frozen to the frame. Take a pry bar and give a nice twist inserting the pry bar right where the bushing meets the frame. Don't worry you are not damaging anything.... If you have completely removed the above mentioned 6 fastners then your bar is free to be pulled out....as they say..

...put your back into it boy.....

Cheers !!!!

lemme know how it turns out...post some pictures of where and how yo are exaclty stuck...


wait a minute I re read your question......how are you working on this ...have you raised your car front end on jack stands or r u doing one side at a time with the car on the factory provide jack ..... U have to completely raise the front end and crawl under the car and twist the bar to free it....if still difficult then take on wheel off and slide it out.....a pic would be ver helpful to understand your situation....

Thinking it through...now I understand what is going on you cannot twist the bar casue the bushings are preventing you from twisting it....cut those bushing out and roll the bar with the swing arm end droping down. You have to some how twist the bar swuch that the swing arm end drops down......spray some WD40 on the bushings and slide them over to the bend end on tboh sides and this will help you twist the bar for you to be able to take it out.....


Javvy

Crna Mechka

Hey javvy,

The car is on rhino ramps and sway bar is loose from both the "end-links" and the bushings+brackets. All there is left to do is pull it out from under the car. This is where I'm stuck...I don't know which direction to pull the bar out from. My next attempt will be to take a wheel off and try to pull it out that way...seems to be the only sensible option. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks again for the feedback.

Boom vang

I don't think that anyone is understanding what you are doing and why you are having a problem The fronts when loosened come off straight down. The front is so easy, it is the rear that is a Tetris exercise.

I did mine when the car was on jackstands and both wheels off so that access to the end links is easy to bolt on as well as backing the bracket bolts with nuts (strongly recommended) as you get easy access to put the nuts on the subframe. I am willing to guess that half of the treaded mount is stripped as Alum + Steel + water + salt =galvanic corrosion

hcoronado

here, I hope this helps

http://www.installuniversity.com/mb/...frontsway.html

VVF

It the 4Matic sway setup different than the RWD maybe?
Anyway, a picture is worth a thousand words

Crna Mechka

Pictures of both sides are attached. Circled in red are the points that are preventing me from dropping the bar straight down, hence the reason and struggle trying to get it out from the sides. Guess if I remove that metal bracket the bar should drop straight down.

hcoronado

it looks like you have to remove one of the wheels to remove it.

Boom vang

I guess the 4matic is very different than RWD when it comes to the sway bars, I apologize I did not realize yours was a 4matic and that they are very different for that repair. I looked it up on my Star Service DVD. Here are the instructions from MB:

Looks like a major job, glad I am not doing it. it literally took me less than an hour to remove and replace my front bar on my RWD C class.
If you want the instructions to remove the half shafts and engine mounts send me a PM and I will email the instructions to you, I am thinking that you may forgo the exercise and pay someone to do it

VVF

Boom vang beat me to it
Here is the same in pdf.
I wonder if it's possible to avoid removing the motor mounts

Boom vang

even taking out the half shafts is a PIA
that Star DVD is awesome! Too bad they are no longer selling them, best $52 I spent

jkowtko

Holy crap! ... I'm sure glad I don't have a 4matic ... like BoomVang, mine took about a half hour ... my hats off to you if you do a DIY on this one ...

Crna Mechka

Thanks all.

Managed to get the job done in a little over 3 hours.

Should have checked this thread sooner for the instructions, although there was no need to remove the left wheel and its components as they detail. That is unless you feel like tacking on an additional hours (or more if you don't have access to a lift) of work.

End-result: No more squeaking

VVF

Nice job!
So how did you do it in the end?

Crna Mechka

Virtually same method as described in the instructions you guys posted. Only difference being there is no need to do anything on the left side (except to disconnect the old torsion bar from the linkage and of course connect the new one when all is done). Hope that makes sense.