stickypatch

So, I bought swaybar bushings for front and rear on my '94 C2 tiptronic, along with Bilstein B6 & M030 springs and various other bits.

I'm going to have to take a couple of days off work to change the shocks/springs and so that job is going to have to wait for a wee while.

What I'm wondering is whether I can change out the sway bar bushings easily without upsetting the alignment? It'd be nice to get the smaller jobs done in spare time.

jhummel68

You should not have to realign anything as long as you don't disconnect any of the parts that hold the knuckle to the frame (terminology is probably not correct) nor the inner/outer tie rod/rack and pinion. Enjoy the new suspension.

nile13

Swaybar bushings have _nothing_ to do with alignment at all. Change and enjoy.

However, what is the reason you are changing them? And are you sure they are the right size for the swaybar you have in the car?

MarkD

This

stickypatch

I've got standard suspension so Gert sent me bushes for 21mm front and 18mm rear. I'm changing them simply because the car is 18 years old, the bushes were cheap enough, and I'm going to be under the car a fair bit so kind of may-as-well do the bushes.

nile13

While it's not a bad idea to change rubber bushings on old cars, swaybar bushings usually hold up pretty well.

What I would consider doing is ordering slightly larger sway bars for the new suspension. Than again, it depends on what you'll be doing with the car.

stickypatch

It's a daily driver for me. I'm at work at the moment and the wee 993 is sitting patiently out in the rain ready to take me home. My wife has a Corolla and I have a Porsche and whenever we go out or away we take the Porsche.

I decided to get the M030 springs and the Bilstein B6 but leave the sways as standard. From what I've read on here, stiffer sway bars do affect ride even when travelling straight, so I'm thinking the Bilsteins and the M030 springs will harden up the ride a bit but leaving the sway bars alone will not take it all the way to fully sports hard.

stickypatch

So, with the wheels off and the car on jack stands, the brackets holding the bushes on the sway bar can simply be loosened and the bushes changed? (Setting torque on the bracket bolts to 24nm and greasing the new bushes with graphite grease)

horse11

Hi, just did mine over the holidays. rears easy fronts take longer, undo the drop links and use red rubber grease or vasaline on the bush. You will have to use a clamp on the new bushes to get the bracket down enough to tighten up. Have fun.

stickypatch

Ahhh - so I do have to undo the drop links then?

I can find lithium grease everywhere (online searches for my city) but graphite grease seems to be rarer - Gert recommended graphite grease for sway bar bushes, presumably because once the water has washed away the grease the graphite is still there.

bruce7

Here is what I'm using. Got it through Amazon.com

hn

I didn't know grease is needed for rubber bushings. Anyway, on my other car with poly bushings, I wrapped a few layers of teflon tape on the bar and then grease. It works well, no squeal for a year so far.

osugasman

Bruce: how does teflon factor in to the white lithium grease? Is it any different than other white lithium grease products?

CaptainGSR

I use Dow Corning 111 (DC111) on anything rubber. (silicone based)

bruce7

Here is the product info page at DuPont:
http://www2.dupont.com/Consumer_Lubr...um_grease.html

My understanding is that ordinary white lithium grease does not contain Teflon.
DuPont says adding Teflon lowers the coefficient of friction and improves longevity and temperature stability.

-bruce