broken sway bar link

[Hoghead]

My BJ8 sway bar end links were bent at the threaded ends so I fitted new ones with urethane bushings from Moss along with urethane centre bushings.

Now the R link has broken on the bottom end at the thread where the bushing is located

Difficult to see how I could be installing it incorectly but it would not be the first time.
Am I doing something wrong, or is it the urethane bushings

 

[AH100M]

If I recall correctly, the anti-roll bar links should be tightened up with the car on the ground and the front suspension in its normal laden position. Also, snug up each nut on the links just so the bushings start to compress. That said, I've only used standard rubber bushings so I can't say it's NOT the urethane bushings causing the problem.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Did the same thing, had the same problem. The 'stock' links--at least anything that's been on the market for a while--can't take the stress from the stiffer urethane bushings. I went back to rubber bushes for a while, then installed an ADDCO sway bar and links:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ACO-801/?rtype=10

The links are beefier, and appear to be hardened steel.

 

[Hoghead]

Bill - loaded it as you suggest

My end links are not at right angles to the bar and at a rather acute angle, putting a lot of stress on the end link. It is no wonder the stock one bent and does not look right

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Sounds like the link brackets are mounted incorrectly. Easy enough to do.

 

[Hoghead]

I was wondering sbout that too, and if there is a way to mount something incorrectly you can bet I tried it first

 

[AH100M]

There are good drawings of the front suspension and steering in the factory shop manual. Is the anti-roll bar original? An incorrect part may be to blame as much as incorrect mounting would be. When I first restored my 100 I found that one front spring was 3" longer than the other. I never figured out what car the wrong one came from.

 

[pkmh]

I hope my enclosed photo helps and I hope I did mine correctly. Haven't had any problems, thus far.

 

[Hoghead]

mine is not straight up and down like that, and my ends are splayed outboard

 

[AH100M]

pkmh's picture shows how it should look. If yours doesn't look like it start replacing parts (start with the cheap ones first!) until it does. I don't see how wrong links could be the culprit. Wrong bar?

 

[BigGreen]

One picture from the internet;

And one from my own car, with blue polybushes. Note the extra strip to hold the Spax shockabsorbers (behind the original spring)

Hans

 

[PeterC]

mine is not straight up and down like that, and my ends are splayed outboard

I suspect something is or was wrong up front.

As evidenced by your shocks.

Contact me, please.

Peter

 

[Hoghead]

looks like my mounting bracket is on backwards

 

[red57]

Probably not on backwards. My guess, you've just got them on the wrong side - swap the right to left and left to right and everything will line up.