99 Caravan replace sway bar bushing

Hi,

I need to replace the front and rear sway bar bushings on my 99 GCS.

Could someone please list the procedure for replacing the front and rear
sway bar bushings. Anything I should look out for?

I would like to know if you have to jack up the vehicle to relieve any
pressure points before removing the sway bar. The rear sway bar looks
fairly easy to take off without jacking up the rear end of vehicle.


Thanks.
Michael

 

I'll let others fill in the specifics on that vehicle, but generally,
when working with sway bar bushings, whether its easier to jack it up or
not to gain access to the bushing bracket bolts, just make sure both
sides are even with each other - it's the difference in side-to-side
level that creates the pressures that make it hard to work with. IOW,
if you jack it up, jack it up the same amount at any given point in the
process to keep the stresses out of the sway bar; if you don't jack it
up, have it on level ground (i.e., not twisted front-to-rear).

Bill Putney
(to reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with "x")

 

Michael,

Replacement of the bushings is a simple proceedure, assuming that's
what you really mean. You are referring to the rubber bushings that
the bar rides in near the middle of the bar, right?

All you need to do is raise the vehicle slightly to make room for you
to slide underneath. Keeping the van fairly level is preferred, but
don't raise the wheels of the ground.

There is one bolt on each of the "straps" and if I remember it's 13mm
or so. Take off the bolts and drop the straps. Remove the old
bushings at the split, wipe off the bar, and pop on the new ones.
Replace the bolts and you're done. About 30 minutes per end, jacking
included.

The old bushings are probably just a but harder for the exposure to
the elements and slightly rounded out due to wear, but otherwise will
look fine. They are deceptive.

You may be thinking about lubricating the bar before putting on the
new bushings, but don't. The lubricant will attract dirt and cause
the new bushings to wear out faster.

Hope this helps.

Bob

 

Ok, thanks everyone for the replies. Those are the instructions I needed.

Mike