How to Replace Front Sway Bar Link 2003-08 Toyota Matrix

Okay friends, one of the first things we need to do is safely raise and support the vehicle with the suspension hanging. Once we've done that, we're gonna remove our five 21-millimeter lug nuts. Let's get the wheel off of here. So I've got my locking pliers holding onto the back side of the stud as tight as I possibly can. Now I'm gonna turn the 17-millimeter nut and try to relieve it. Easy-peasy.

Okay. So now I've got the locking pliers holding on to my stud again, we're gonna start taking off the lower nut for the sway bar link. You're gonna notice that it's gonna be very hard to get to this nut though and remove it. So what I like to do is take a nice pry bar, come in over the tie rod end under the sway bar, and then up and over this area right here just to hold the sway bar up so I can get my socket on there. So now I'm gonna use a swivel and extension, put this right onto the nut.

Okay friends, now it's gonna be time to install our brand new front sway bar link. Let's put it over by the vehicle, slide it right through. We can start on the nut. So I've got my tool holding the stud, and I'm gonna use my ratchet wrench. And I'm just gonna go ahead and tighten up that nut.

Now if you can get your torque wrench down here, go ahead and torque that to 55 foot-pounds. Let's get our bar out of there, bring this over, line it up with your hole. Start the nut on there. We'll bottom it out, and then we'll torque that to 55 foot-pounds as well. Torqued. All right, let's torque them in a crisscross manner. Torqued.