Sway Bar Bushings... Options

[Athorn]

It seems like there is a new topic every few days associaated with bad sway bar bushings. My rear left on my car makes a terrible noise. I just want to know where the best plast to get new ones is. Also.. i am very new to suspension mods/problems... do i have to take out the struts and springs to install the bushings? Someone said that the sway bar bushings are connected twith the rear arm and the whole thing has to be replaced. Is this true?

[Galcobar]

Sway bar bushings are pieces of rubber slipped around the sway bar, cheap from the dealer and easy to replace (it'll take longer to get the car up on jack stands than to swap the bushings).

Sway bar endlinks connect the bar to the struts. More expensive at about US$80 for a pair, and more difficult to remove if the allen key hole has rusted enough to round out when you try to remove them. A pair of locking pliers/vice grips applied to the rubber section can work to the same effect, but ruins the old pair.

The rear arm that person was referring to is not the sway bar, but the suspension arms. Celicas come with four, running in pairs laterally from the rear chassis to the axle carriers. The bushings/bearings on those suspension arms are a common source of a clunk in the rear suspension, and require replacement of the entire arm at about US$90 per arm. The No. 2 arms (the rear arms of each pair) aren't too bad to replace, as they only require removing a couple of nuts, but the No. 1 arms require lowering the fuel tank to be able to remove the bolt holding the arms to the chassis (well, technically the arms connect to a suspension brace which is bolted to the chassis but for simplicity...).

Good test -- when you're replacing the sway bar bushings, try moving the suspension while the sway bar is hanging free. You can manipulate the end links, suspension arms, and the struts (bad strut mounts are also a suspect). A prybar can also be used to pressure the suspension arm connections -- if it clunks, you've found your problem.