Sway bar bolt

[cherokeekid95]

Ok i got a pair of JKS disconnects to put on my 95 xj. i took off the original sway bar links. (broke top of one):mad: no biggie. BUT there is a star bolt that held the bottem of the link to the axel. i can't get it out! to me it looks welded in. is that correct? a buddy says its in a sleave. ok but then why does it look like the threads end before the sleave? and why won't it turn. mind you i don't have a size 55 star wrench. trip to store solve that prob. another buddy says it just wrenches out. is that true cuz i can't get it to move. since i didn't have the wrench did the ole visegrips to the outside. well i was practially hanging on the thing it didn't slip let alone turn:confused: HELP PLEASE currently running with no rear sway bar and front one inactive:(

[Scott Mac.]

It's pressfit in and you will not be able to turn it to get it out. The only way is to hammer it out or cut & drill.

[cherokeekid95]

i was hammering. guess i need to eat my wheaties

[cherokeekid95]

thanks for the help. gives me hope.:D

[MarkF]

use a big C-clamp and a properly sized socket

[Kejtar]

I ended up having to drill it out from the outside in.... For the bit size I chose one that's almost as big in diameter as the sway bar bolt... then when I knew that I got through, I hit it with a hammer to brage it off and the rest was easy then to get out (heat must have helped it!).... before doing that, I tried torching it, big hammer, and c-clamps and many many different things.... Someone will say that theirs just fell out... well GOOD FOR YOU! ours are (were) stuck solid!

Kejtar

[96Classic]

Mine just popped right out

[Kejtar]

Originally posted by 96Classic
Mine just popped right out
I got this theory :D Those who's bolt popped right out had substandard assembly going :D :D who knows what else will pop right out LOL

Kejtar

[cherokeekid95]

ha! man kejtar you just made me start to dread this project now. what did i get myself into?

[Kejtar]

don't worry about it... just have a drill ready with a good bit (and a bit of cutting oil) and you'll be good. I think it was about 5 minutes of drilling per side..

Kejtar

[XJEEPER04]

Nothing beats a tourch!!!!hehehe:eek:

[Kejtar]

hmmm torch didn't help much.... :(

[Weasel]

Undid the nut took the sway bar off and popped them out with the 5lb sledge.

[Weasel]

If you use a torch you would want to heat the mount not the bolt....just checking.

[Georgia Mike]

Weasel's right on it. Heat the MOUNT up 'til it's cherry red and the bolt will almost pop out by hand,although I HIGHLY recommend using a hammer,as the bolt will be a little hot to the touch :firedevil

[woody]

While y'all in the great mood after those bolts...pull your front hubs/axles off to change the UJs.

LOL You'll be wretchin like a drunken schoolboy :)

JEEP:
Just
Enjoy
Every
Problem

[cherokeekid95]

thanks for the help guys. Downside.....no drill and no torch. :rolleyes: so i am gonna hose it down throughly with PB then i am taking a few wacks at it. and then i am gonna put a clamp to it.:D i'll keep you updated. thanks again for the words of wisdom.:cool:

[cherokeekid95]

ok update time. Pounding not working:mad: and i bent a clamp with a 900lb capacity:eek: so i guess its on to the drilling. gonna have to get a buddy to do it.:( but i am goin away for the next few days. will let you know how i make out;) thanks for listening.

[EricsXJ]

Mine were very tough. No amount of hammering would do it. I tried to drill them out, made some progress but succeeded more at dulling all of my titanium bits (that metal is HARD). So here is what worked the best for me -

Grind or cut off the head. Put on a few big washers on the stud and thread on a nut. Tighten the nut until it pulls the stud out. This was so easy I was mad I wasted so much time (and good drill bits) before that.

Oh yeah I also broke a new T-55 torx bit thinking that damn thing would unscrew... :mad:

[96Classic]

Originally posted by Kejtar
I got this theory :D Those who's bolt popped right out had substandard assembly going :D :D who knows what else will pop right out LOL

Kejtar :D No I actually had to heat my Mount red hot and it came out pretty easy.

Justin

[XJCherokee99]

2 Jaw gear puller, few turns of the bolt and you're good to go. I grinded off about half the threads on the bolt so the puller would fit first, works like a charm.

[basalt51]

Go buy yourself a little torch for $5 bucks at the hardware store and be done with it. And remember heat the mount not the bolt.

[Jeep'nD]

So I can see that this thread is way old, but I thought I throw in my 2 cents. I just installed my discos 2nite. The bottom sway bar link bolt has a T55 torx head, but just forget using a torx socket on it. I attached my T55 socket to an 18" ratchet and literally stood on the end of the ratchet. Nothing!

If you look at the picture below, you'll see just why it didn't budge. This is a picture of what's left after I finally removed the bolt. You can see the splines that run perpendicular to the threads. They make for very poor turning, especially if you have roughly 10 years o' crap built up in 'em.

I tried the torch followed by the BFH, but all I managed to do was bend the mount that the bolt goes through. After hammering the mount back the other way, I selected another method that someone on this thread suggested.

I cut off the head of the bolt, then slid stuff onto the bolt shaft and followed it with the nut. Then I wrenched down with the aforementioned 18" ratchet and it eventually got pulled out. And what is left is what you see below.

http://home.comcast.net/~jeepnd/SwayBarLinkLowerBolt.jpg

[Tuckman1941]

I have a '00 Cherokee.
I tried to heat my bolts with a propane torch but it wasn't hot enough. Returned to Home Depot with the intention of getting a Mapp gas torch, but left with the oxygen/Mapp Gas cutting/welding/brazing torch. Set me back about 50 bucks but it works like a charm. Fired it right up, heated the area around the bolt until it glowed, and after about 6 half-hearted blows with a hammer the bolt was out.
I highly recommend this little torch. It's a blast. I'm sure the regular Mapp gas would've worked, but I'll admit I've wanted one of these babys since I was about six.

[jaybo]

When i removed my sway bar to put new end links on I had no problem with that bolt. I'm thinking you're are talking about the star bolt that connects the end link to the axel. I just borrowed the right star bolt pattern socket and a break bar on the socket on the end and just reefed on the breaker bar.....it's not welded it's just a bolt.

[WebEditor]

Jaybo..... don't even get me started... those things are tapered and splined.. for some they fall out.... I had to drill the sob out as it WAS in there....

[robs]

Mine just popped right out....




Right after I broke my new T55 bit... and emptied out my mapp gas.... and bent the crap out of the bracket.... and heated it up cherry red... i mean GLOWING red with oxy-ace.... and used a BFH....

The oxy-ace and BFH trick worked... hit the stud on the side to elongate the hole... don't just smack the end of the stud as that just bends the mount...

[mattb]

I'd agree with oxe-ace torch method. When I intalled my lift there were quite a few bolts which were just completely stuck.

On thick parts, like the swaybar mounts, the propane torch just wouldn't do a thing. I got mine off by having the wife heat it up with the oxe-ace torch while I pounded on it with a BFH.

Matt

[cherokeekid95]

yes yes they are a Major PITA. heated my mount and beat it out. mmm cherry red is good color!:cool:

[woodrock03]

:thumbup: Installed RE discos on my '95 Sport today, and just wanted to say thanks to EricsXJ and Jeep'nD for their excellent posts on extracting the dreaded lower link bolt.

Never would have suspected that the factory used splines perpendicular to the bolt threads. Why on earth do they even configure that bolt with a Torx head? It's very misleading, and the FSM and/or Parts CD are no help. If the head was just smooth, I would have figured out right away that it was a press fit.

Anyways, ground the heads off (about 10-15 minutes per side), and pulled out the bolts with the nut/spacer method. From there it was a snap.

Thanks again :cheers:
John

[EricsXJ]

Sweet! Glad I was able to help....

[jeepster]

i think this would be a great thread to have a vote on it.

1=grind off head, washers and nut method

2=heat mount and beat with BFH

3=lucky bastards whose bolts just fell out

[El Payo]

Reviving an old thread here to cast my vote on how I did mine.

For the driver's side, I used method 2. Passenger side I started with method 1, then tried drilling it out, then switched to method 2.

And then I realized I had ordered the wrong size JKS discos.

Ooops.

[JEONLYEP]

So I can see that this thread is way old, but I thought I throw in my 2 cents.
And Jeep'nD thought this thread was old in 2003!!!

Welcome to NAXJA by the way....

[El Payo]

Thanks much. In a way I guess I've been a member since 1988 - I bought a used 1984 Cherokee back then and immediately put a 3" lift and 30"s on it.

I drove that poor 2.5 liter 4 banger into the dust.

Here it is 18 years later and I'm working on a '98 XJ that I bought new.

[Menzenski]

The swaybar bolts on my 90 aren't splined. I just took off the nut and pulled out the bolt.

[vette75406]

MY 89 4x4 housing is not splined and comes right out the 93 2wd housing that i just swaped out is splined ,

[87manche]

The swaybar bolts on my 90 aren't splined. I just took off the nut and pulled out the bolt.
lucky.
I tried beating it with a hammer and was just going to bend the mounts.
I took a grinder to the head, put the nut back on and "compelled" it to come out with a 36" breaker bar.