How to Replace Sway Bar Link 1997-2010 Mercury Mountaineer
Created on: 2014-10-20
If the sway bar link is rattling or broken, this video will show what steps and tools are needed to replace it.
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step 1 :Removing the Wheel
- Pry off the center cap with a flat blade screwdriver
- Loosen the lug nuts with the vehicle on the ground
- Raise the vehicle with a floor jack
- Secure the vehicle on jack stands
- Remove the lug nuts
- Pull off the wheel
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step 2 :Removing the Sway Bar Link
- Hold the sway bar link stud with a 16mm wrench
- Remove the 15mm nut from the sway bar link
- If the sway bar link is broken, fill the tube with rust penetrant
- Hold the tube with vise grip pliers
- Loosen the sway bar link stud with a 16mm socket and ratchet
- Pull off the plastic tube
- Remove any remaining plastic with a hammer and chisel
- Loosen the sway bar link stud with a 16mm socket and ratchet
- Push out the stud with a hammer
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step 3 :Installing the Sway Bar Link
- Lift the opposite side of the vehicle with a jack
- Put a washer onto the sway bar link stud
- Put on a bushing
- Put the sway bar link into place, through the control arm
- Put on a bushing
- Put on a washer
- Put on the plastic tube
- Put on a washer
- Put on a bushing
- Put the sway bar link into place, through the sway bar
- Put on a bushing
- Put on a washer
- Thread on the 16mm nut
- Tighten the nut preliminarily
- Lower the jack
- Support the suspension at ride height with a jack
- Tighten the 16mm nut until the bushings are the same thickness as the washers
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step 4 :Reattaching the Wheel
- Clip the ABS sensor wiring into place
- Wipe down the rotor
- Remove the placeholder lug nut
- Slide the wheel into place
- Start the lug nuts by hand
- Tighten the lug nuts preliminarily
- Lower the vehicle to the ground
- Tighten the lug nuts to 100 foot-pounds in a crossing or star pattern
- Reattach the center cap
Tools needed
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A Piece of Pipe (for leverage)
Hammer
Torque Wrench
16mm Wrench
15mm Socket
Rust Penetrant
16mm Socket
Jack Stands
19mm Socket
Chisel
Ratchet
Floor Jack
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Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. I hope this how-to video helps you out, and next time you need parts for your vehicle, think of 1AAuto.com. Thanks.
In this video, we're going to show you how to replace the front sway bar link on this 2003 Mercury Mountaineer, same as any 2002 to 2005 Mountaineer, as well as Explorer. Our front passenger side is broken, so we show you how to get it out and replace it with a new one from 1A Auto. You'll need new sway bar link from 1AAuto.com, 16mm and 19mm socket and ratchet, a piece of pipe for some leverage, jack and jack stands and a torque wrench.
You'll want to remove your center cap. If you don't have the benefit of air tools, then loosen your lug nuts with the vehicle on the ground. Then raise both front wheels and support the car with jack stands and then remove the lug nuts and wheel the rest of the way. Now you can pull the wheel free.
This is the driver side, which is actually still together, so you would, if you're removing one that was still together, put a 15mm socket and ratchet on top and a 16mm wrench on the bottom, remove that top nut and then go from there. On ours, it's broken so I'm just filling, basically, the cavity with penetrating oil. This is pretty typical: it breaks off up top here and you saw where you just filled it up with penetrating oil and now we're just messing around with it. We locked some locking pliers onto it. That penetrating oil really helped the bolt start up and we've basically broken the plastic here. Now this plastic tube will slide off.
We're just going to use a hammer and chisel to remove the rest of the plastic. This, of course, is the worst case scenario, you just want to remove the plastic, you can use some locking pliers and then just remove the nut on the bottom or at least loosen it up as much as you can. Then just hammer this down and out.
Before installing it, just jack up the other side, just slightly. Now replace your sway link and the order it should go in is: washer, bushing, control arm, then bushing, washer, the tube, and another washer, and then the bushing, and then your sway bar, then another bushing, another washer, and then the nut. You just want to tighten that nut preliminarily,and then release the jack.
To tighten up the link, what you want to do is have the car back down on the ground, and now I have a jack supporting just the front suspension so that basically everything is level and the suspension is in its correct ride height. Then tighten up the link by holding the wrench on top and then turning the bottom. Tighten it up so that the bushings are all squeezed to about the diameter of the washers.
Replace your wheel, then replace all the lug nuts and tighten them preliminarily. Then you'd want to lower the vehicle and tighten them the rest of the way, then torque each of these in a crossing pattern to 100 foot-pounds. Now replace your hubcap. Just line it up and hit it back into place.
We hope this video helps you out. Brought to you by www.1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the Internet. Please feel free to call us toll-free, 888-844-3393. We're the company that's here for you on the Internet and in person.
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