How to Change Stabilizer Bar Links

A vehicle needs to be reliable and safe, and that is a reason why stabilizer bar links are installed. They are there to prevent oversteering and understeering as well as to keep the vehicle stable when going through a hard turn or a bump. Some common symptoms that your stabilizer bar links are faulty are clunking or rattling noises from the tire area, poor handling, and a loose steering wheel. This article informs you why your vehicle needs stabilizer bar links and also how to change them yourself.

Materials Needed

  • ⅜ drive rachet
  • ⅜ drive socket set metric & standard
  • ⅜ or ½ drive torque wrench
  • ½ inch drive breaker bar
  • ½ inch drive wheel socket set
  • Allen set metric & standard sockets
  • Brass hammer
  • Combination wrench set metric & standard
  • Disposable gloves
  • Flashlight
  • Floor jack
  • Jack stands
  • Pry bar
  • Stabilizer bar end links
  • WD40

Step 1: Prepare your work area. Park the vehicle on a level surface and set the parking brake.

Step 2: Loosen your lug nuts. Grab the ½ inch drive breaker bar and lug nut socket set, and loosen all your lug nuts before you jack the vehicle up in the air.

person placing jack stands underneath a car close to the rear tire

Step 3: Jack the vehicle up and use jack stands. Jack your vehicle up and put it on jack stands.

Place the wheels off to side away from the work area. Be sure to jack the vehicle up in the correct location; usually, underneath the sides there are pinch welds you can use to jack from. Then, make sure you place the stands on the body or frame and lower down onto the stands.

person removing existing bad stabilizer

Step 4: Remove the old end links. Start by spraying some WD40 on the existing nuts holding the links on the vehicle.

Then, figure out which combination of tools you will need to use in order to remove those nuts.

shows where to clean the old rusty areas with a wire brush

Step 5: Preparing to install the new end links. Once removed, go ahead and clean the area where the link ends bolt to the vehicle.

Make sure you remove any rust or debris before taking the next step and installing the new ones. Then, compare the old parts with the new ones to ensure they are correct and will fit with no issues. Make sure you have the correct torque specs, so when you are done installing you can torque them to the correct specs.

showing the way to torque down the nut on the stabilizer bar link

Step 6: Installing the new end links. Install the new end links in the reverse order as you did removing them.

Place both ends onto the vehicle and start threading the nuts onto the studs. Then, grab the tools you need to tighten them up. Once you snugly tighten them down by hand, grab the torque wrench and torque them down to specs.

installation of the wheels onto the vehicle

Step 7: Reinstall your wheels. Reinstall your wheels and hand tighten all the lug nuts.

Step 8: Jack vehicle back up off the jack stands. Jack the vehicle back up to get it off the jack stands.

Remove the jack stands from under the vehicle and set them aside. Lower the vehicle onto the wheels and remove the jack.

showing the proper way to torque lug nuts

Step 9: Torque your wheels. Most cars use a torque from 80 ft-lbs to 100 ft-lbs. Suv and Trucks usually use anywhere from 90 ft-lbs to 120 ft-lbs.

Torque the nuts to the proper rating.

Step 10: Clean up your tools. Make sure you organize all your tools and wipe them off before you go on your test drive.

Step 11: Test drive vehicle. Test drive your vehicle to ensure you have done the job correctly.

Listen for any clunks or pops when you're driving over bumps and turning your wheels. If you do not hear anything, then you can consider this job done.

This job is pretty straightforward and easily accomplished with the right tools and knowledge. Remember stabilizer bar links play a key role in how your vehicle handles and the safety of the people inside the vehicle, so if you do not feel comfortable performing this job on your own, have one of YourMechanic’s certified technicians come to your home or place of business and perform the replacement of your stabilizer bar links for you.


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Recent Stabilizer Bar Links Replacement reviews

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Rating Summary
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Robert

21 years of experience
1307 reviews
Robert
21 years of experience
Toyota Avalon V6-3.5L - Stabilizer Bar Links Replacement (Front) - Denver, Colorado
Robert works efficiently and it was really great of him to put my minor work appointment on his schedule on a holiday weekend Saturday evening. He showed up promptly too.
Dodge Journey - Stabilizer Bar Links Replacement (Front, Rear) - Denver, Colorado
Robert was awesome. I was unable to make my appointment so I arranged with Robert to get the parts and keys from my brother. He was obviously very knowledgeable in what he was doing as the work completed was done in about half the time that was estimated. By far the best mechanic experience I have ever had. Robert kept me up to date along the way and and was more than willing to work with my brother since I could not be there. I also requested that Robert didn't fill the transmission since my car has a silicone gasket. Robert was understanding of this and went as far as to let me know how much fluid he recovered so I could fill it myself once the silicone was cured. Most shops will suck out the ATF Fluid and replace what they pulled out. Robert did the full service on the transmission including dropping the pan and replacing the filter. I verified all the work once I got home and everything looked great. I am truly impressed with the service received from Robert and Your Mechanic. I will be having more work done through them in the near future.

Angel

6 years of experience
237 reviews
Angel
6 years of experience
Land Rover Range Rover V8-4.4L - Stabilizer Bar Links Replacement (Front) - Bowie, Maryland
Ángel arrived on time and started working immediately Despite the cold weather, he finished the job and my car is running great.
Toyota Echo - Stabilizer Bar Links Replacement (Front) - Crofton, Maryland
Very knowledgeable, quick and efficient. Great service, was very convenient for what we needed. Highly recommend Angel for your car care needs!

Joel

12 years of experience
177 reviews
Joel
12 years of experience
Honda CR-V L4-2.4L - Stabilizer Bar Links Replacement (Front) - Flower Mound, Texas
Joel was very communicative and friendly. He was thorough in his explanations of worked performed and any recommendations. He cleaned the work area very well. We would totally recommend Joel to anyone looking for a high quality mechanic, thanks Joel!

John

21 years of experience
650 reviews
John
21 years of experience
Toyota Prius L4-1.8L Hybrid - Stabilizer Bar Links Replacement (Front) - Clermont, Florida
John was very knowledgeable and thorough. He communicated very well with me during the whole process. He was able to finish the job in much less time than estimated. The quote I received from the dealership for the exact same labor and parts was over $700 more than Your Mechanics. This is also very convenient for me, since John came to my house. I really love this service. Thank you again, John!

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