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Rear swaybar chassis mounting bolts - how to access them?

jbeintherockies

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Aurora, Colorado
Hello,

I am new to :NAXJA:.

1. Year of your XJ/MJ = 2000
2. Engine = 4.0
3. Transmission = Auto
4. Differential/transfer case = 8-1/4 / NP242 Selec-Trac

I have a 2000 Jeep Cherokee (XJ) Limited. I was trying to remove the rear swaybar and replace it with a Helwig swaybar that I just purchased. While loosening the swaybar mount bolts that attach to the chassis (above the rear axle), whatever the bolt screws into on the other side (inside the "frame rail") became detached and now the bolt spins freely. However, whatever was attached to the bolt on the other side is still attached to the bolt. So I can't take the bolt out in order to remove the swaybar mount.

Is there a way to access the other side of the swaybar mounting bolt? I would think the trunk area or rear seat area might afford access; but haven't seen anything like that yet. If what I am explaining is not clear, please let me know and I will try to explain the scenario better.

Thank you in advance :NAXJA:!
 
I'm pretty sure those weld nuts are captive inside the frame rail. You'd have to pull the carpet and cut a hole in the floor to see them.

If it was me, I would cut the head of the bolt off, punch what was left up into the frame rail and then figure out a solution. But most folks around here aren't running swaybars in the rear, so you might not get a lot of good answers.
 
Redheep is right, the only access is from the top.
Take a 1/8 inch drill bit and drill a small hole beside
the frame rail. This is to measure from. Then use a
hole saw to make an access hole from the floorboard,
directly over the spinning nut. You can then use
a socket to hold the nut to remove the bolt, and
replace it with new hardware.
 
The rear sway bar really isn't needed at all and Jeep offered the XJ with it deleted on all model's, if that tells you anything. Dead weight and cuts down on any rear flex, not a good idea for off road use.
 
Shrug. I'm in the minority, but I like having the rear swaybar w/ stock springs. I imagine I'd like it even better with the Hellwig.
 
I didn't drill anything. I bought a dremel tool and cut the bolt. It was the only one that I an issue with.

So far, I have only removed the sway bar. I have not attempted to put the Hellwig bar in. The sway bar endlinks are so rusted that I have to let penetrating spooge to work its magic before I start loosening them up.

By the way, my Jeep looks just like the one in my Avatar picture. It is completely stock, with the exception of Rubicon wheels and Rancho 5000 shocks. My Limited XJ has 153K on it now and I drive to work everyday. It has been a great vehicle.

The reason I am changing the sway bar is in hopes that it will reduce head-toss when I go over uneven roads and things like that. This Jeep doesn't go wheelin' much.
 
If anything, the Hellwig will increase head-toss. I think what you need is shock absorbers.
When you are getting on the freeway or driving through the hills is when you will most notice the Hellwig bar, as it will reduce body roll.
 
If anything, the Hellwig will increase head-toss. I think what you need is shock absorbers.
When you are getting on the freeway or driving through the hills is when you will most notice the Hellwig bar, as it will reduce body roll.

What shock absorbers do people on NAXJA run on their daily driver XJ's? The typical response are the Old Man Emu's (OMEs). Prior to the Ranchos, I had the Pro Comps. They were too stiff.
 
this never happened to me, but as I think about it, what about punching out the old bolt and nut after cutting, then either putting an insert or anchor in the hole?

There is not a lot of pulling force on those bolts, and with one still correctly anchored, I'm guessing nearly any attachment would be sufficient.

Look at the links on some other cars' sway bars, and you'll see that the action here is quite weak. I'd just get a big Molly anchor or a nutsert, and go ahead and put it in. The worst case scenario is that it fails and you have to do something else, but if it works, you save a lot of trouble.

In future, with this kind of bolt, as soon as you get any action at all, even the tiniest bit, flood it with penetrant, then screw it back in. Repeat, with a little more force to remove, and repeat as many times as needed, and you will likely not shear or damage anything.
 
If you don't have a lift, I recommend Napa's Sensa Trac shock. I think it is probably re-boxed Monroe (same Sensa Trac name, after all...) but I'm happier with my Napas than I was with my Bilstein 4600 / B6 line yellow & blue shocks. Note that when people rave about Bilstein shocks on this board, they are usually talking about 5100 ,5160, 7100, etc line shocks - not the OEM replacement 4600. The 4600 was "fine" but not worth 2x the price of the Napa. Hell, they should sell for $15 less based on my observations.
I also ran Monroe Sensa Trac shocks for a while. I don't recall much of my impressions / experience with them. They were fine.
I'm really pleased with the Napa shocks, though, for DD use. I might have been even happier with the police package units but hey, for $40 apiece, what do I want?
 
this never happened to me, but as I think about it, what about punching out the old bolt and nut after cutting, then either putting an insert or anchor in the hole?

There is not a lot of pulling force on those bolts, and with one still correctly anchored, I'm guessing nearly any attachment would be sufficient.

Look at the links on some other cars' sway bars, and you'll see that the action here is quite weak. I'd just get a big Molly anchor or a nutsert, and go ahead and put it in. The worst case scenario is that it fails and you have to do something else, but if it works, you save a lot of trouble.

In future, with this kind of bolt, as soon as you get any action at all, even the tiniest bit, flood it with penetrant, then screw it back in. Repeat, with a little more force to remove, and repeat as many times as needed, and you will likely not shear or damage anything.

I might be able to use a HeliCoil, which might be what you are referring to when you referenced a "nutsert". I was going to simply use a larger bolt in the hole that lost the welded nut on the "other-side". No cutting will be required.

When I encountered the same difficult turning with one of the other bolts, I did just that, flooded it with liquid wrench, tightened it back in, and then loosened it again. I did this over and over until I got it out without breaking the welded nut on the other side. The bolt that I had the issue with was the first bolt I tried to remove. I had to learn the hard-way that the nut on the other side could break its weld. :doh:
 
A helicoil is nothing like a nutsert. A nutsert is a "nut" spot welded on the other side of the uni-frame. A helicoil is for a hole in a solid section (like an engine block) that's been stripped and/or drilled out. It'll just work itself loose with any back/forth action straddled across the thinner material.
 
Actually, a nutsert (aka rivnut) is neither of the things described. It's a rivet with a thread inside, which is inserted into a hole and then expanded either with a special tool or with a bolt and nuts which squeeze it, similar to a pop rivet.

A rubber expanding version of this is used in XJ roof racks, but an all steel version is made in various sizes. Properly installed, they can be quite strong.

Truck mirrors are often attached to door skins with these.

I don't know whether that would be an economical solution, if you have to buy a bunch of them, but they do make them with threaded insides up to 3/8 inch.
 
Replace your sway bar bushings with polyurethane bushings now.

Anyone that says a rear sway bar on a Jeep Cherokee doesn't do anything has never installed an aftermarket rear sway bar on their XJ.

The Hellwig sway bar made a noticeable difference over the stock rear sway bar. The back-end of my Jeep is much tighter and I think it actually lifted the back-end slightly. Once the Hellwig bar was installed on the rear, it made the front seem very loose.

This morning I installed new Performance Suspension greaseable front sway bar bushings (endlinks were already new). They made a very noticeable difference. Now my XJ does not wobble around like it did before. The really annoying head-toss issue is gone. Between the new rear sway bar (also uses polyurethane bushings) and the new front polyurethane bushings, my XJ feels very stable.

The hardest part of the rear sway bar job was removing the factory rear sway bar end-links. If I knew how much work it was going to be to remove the factory end-links, I may not have embarked on this upgrade. I had to heat, cut and hammer those things to get the mounting bolts out. But, I'm glad I did and I learned a few things along the way.
:cheers:
 
As far as shocks, I would go with some bilstein 5100's or OME.
 
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