Sway bar link kit rattle

[loosenut]

First time posting on this awesome forum. It has been a great resource and I have learnt quite a lot from just searching and reading...

My problem is I am getting some rattling from the front end, which I think is coming from the sway bar link bushes

I just replaced the sway bar link kits on my 1998 vt commodore berlina wagon. Got new HD wasp ones... much better than the crappy stock holden ones used.

After I finished it seemed to drive much better... I took the car into a tyre shop to get some new front tyres, replace and grease the tied rod ends and get a wheel alignment. I asked them to check the sway bar kit I had just replaced

The guy at the shop said that the sway bad rods needed to be loosened. I was surprised as I thought they had to be tightened...

Since then the front end has developed a rattle... not too bad and only really noticable when going over bumps, etc... but I am pretty sure that it wasnt there before I took it to the shop

So my question is how tight should the bottom nut be on the sway bar rod? At the moment there is a visible gap between the yellow bush and the sway bar.

will I need to get a wheel alignment again once I have readjusted the tightness?

any help would be greatly appreciated

cheers

[loosenut]

the second photo is the left side and is where most of the rattle is coming from.

[Tree cutter]

Sounds like the guy at the tyre shop is an idiot. There should not be a gap between the bush and the sway bar. Tighten the nut until the bush just starts to compress. You wont need a wheel alignment

[loosenut]

Thats what I thought! Stupid tyre monkey.

I just tightened up the left side and it is better.

When the bush is just compressed should I still be able to twist the bush with my hands?

Thanks for the reply mate

[VT-565]

I'd say do them up until you can't turn the bush by hand anymore

[Rhin0o8]

there will almost always be movement in the bush . the rod still will/should twist slightly by hand but force is needed
these are "Z" bar type link pins? The bottom of the Z should face at the rear of the car from looking side on.

[VT-565]

nah they're straight links.

[Mirkz]

Interesting read.
I've just gotten hold of the HD WASP sway bar link kit, the Z/S shape ones.
Looking forward to putting these in along with the other stuff I've got coming.

Have that horrible rattle at the moment from the left side. It's been driving me insane.
I should just have a go at tightening the current ones up, but I'll wait and just install the new ones.

Thanks for the pics etc!

[glenn l]

you do them up enough so you can just turn the washers, if you compress polyurethane bushes to much they split and fall out.