What are the sway bar bushing that attach to the frame called

[terminal89]

What are the bushings that attach the sway bar to the frame called. Im searching for replacements and I can only find the ones that attach the sway bar to the control arm when I look for sway bar / stablizer bar bushings. My control arm to sway bar bushings are good and have no play whatsoever. My frame sway bar bushings are cracked all the way through.

[OldNuc]

Energy suspension has them. Same part for all model years.
http://www.energysuspensionparts.com...aturn_sc2_1998

[terminal89]

Originally Posted by OldNuc

Energy suspension has them. Same part for all model years.
http://www.energysuspensionparts.com...aturn_sc2_1998

Is this what Im looking for? Its the first thing Ive seen that doesnt look like a control arm bushing

[OldNuc]

Those are polly bushings. You can find rubber ones if you look. Do measure the bar diameter close to an existing bushing and verify it measures 1.2" diameter. Almost all aftermarket bushings fit that size bar. The polly bushings do improve front end stability.

[terminal89]

Originally Posted by OldNuc

Those are polly bushings. You can find rubber ones if you look. Do measure the bar diameter close to an existing bushing and verify it measures 1.2" diameter. Almost all aftermarket bushings fit that size bar. The polly bushings do improve front end stability.

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...ay+bar+bushing
I found the OEM ones
The only question now is do the poly ones have a slit for installation? (Cant see one in the picture on their website) Or is the method different than installing rubber? The replacement method I saw using search didnt involve disconnecting the sway bar from the control arm, you just removed the wheels, removed the bracket holding the bushing, slid the new bushing on and reapplied bracket.

[OldNuc]

Yes, they are stilted just like the old rubber ones. If you use the polly they will come with a thick gooey silicone lube, use it or you will have squeaks and the friction will destroy the polly bushing.

[terminal89]

Originally Posted by OldNuc

Yes, they are stilted just like the old rubber ones. If you use the polly they will come with a thick gooey silicone lube, use it or you will have squeaks and the friction will destroy the polly bushing.

Thanks but I ordered the CV axle and bushings from advanced auto parts. The 25% off code I found saved me 17 something dollars which was more than the cost of the bushings

My passengers side CV axle failed when the aftermarket torque mount did and dug into the boot It was 5 months old

I replaced top engine mount and trans mount with OEM. I want to replace torque mount with OEM but they are 160 bucks an axle

[OldNuc]

Go pull 2 of the 99-02 dogbones from the trans side only and then rebuild them with the polly inserts. This will do wonders for your car IF it has a sooth idle.
http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/7510 You can find these at a lower cost and they will completely fix those well aged 3rd gen struts and this protects your trans and top mount from excess stress.

The rest of the story.
OEM top mount, trans mount, 99 or newer torque axis struts and the polly inserts. Engine must have an even smooth idle. That means good even compression. Clean flow balanced injectors. The 3 rubber exhaust mounts should not be stretched when the car is at rest, just supporting the exhaust. These 3 suspension pieces will be what couples the exhaust vibration into the floor pan so the stretchiness and thickness of these is how you tune them to not appear solid at some inconvenient RPM. The Walker 35119 isolator is thicker than the original OEM. They are cheap so modifying them is not a big deal. They thin nicely on a belt sander but if too thin they break and you will be buying a new exhaust.

If you have an uneven idle you will never reduce the vibration to zero. Setting the torque axis struts to zero tension/compression at rest is critical.

The torque axis struts are of 3 different designs and the 3rd design, late 97 production, have replaceable inserts. These are the stamped and welded design. There are 2 pictures in my gallery. What you are attempting to accomplish is restrain the engine free motion as much as possible without going solid. The main axis of rotation is on a line between the top mount and transaxle mount. The torque axis struts are positioned to restrain the normal torque reaction and drive axle wind up. The poly inserts allow enough motion to not act as a solid link but do not transmit vibration well either. The idea is to keep large excursions of the engine/transmission and exhaust to a minimum. Small displacement of the power train transmits to large displacement in the exhaust. The rubber hangers will deftly transmit this exhaust motion into the floor pan which simulates the head on a large kettle drum, with you inside of it. You can get a buzz in the floor that does not transmit into the upper frame or seats but the large low frequency pan displacement is pushed up to a higher frequency. the characteristics of the rubber mounts determines where this buzz occurs. The trick is to get it somewhere you do not care. By minimizing the powertrain displacement you minimize the magnitude of the exhaust displacement you have to deal with. You can slightly change the static exhaust position to take all the stress off of the flex connector and have the mass of the exhaust evenly spread over the 3 mount points. The muffler hanger basically controls axial twist on the exhaust. I used the Walker 35119 isolators and just stuck them on. Ended up with the buzz from about 50 to 57mph and this is a speed range that is only passed through so I did not pursue any further elimination. the bed liner should kill this 50-57 mph buzz all by itself. The OEM isolators are a softer rubber and thinner and would possibly isolate the floor better but as they were 10+ years old and I am adverse to dragging the exhaust down the road I decided to replace them. The harder-thicker isolator appears as a solid at given frequencies.

[terminal89]

One last question before I attempt this job. Ive read a bunch of posts on this job that talk about the nut breaking lose and allowing the bolt to spin in place not tightening or loosening. Obviously Im planning liberal use of PB blaster for this job. Any other tips to prevent the Nut from breaking?

[OldNuc]

The penetrant should be applied to the nut side and the threaded end of the bolt daily for several days before attempting removal. There are holes in the cradle where you can do this. Using an impact and going both forward and backward in small steps usually gets them out with no problem.

[cgg17]

Can you rebuild the aluminum ones? I have some from my 94 that I threw on my 99, and the aluminum ones seem to have tabs that I can bend and remove the rubber with...

[terminal89]

Well the new bushings are in, but the issue persists. Im going to check the trans mount and double check the brakes next. Something I noticed is that the sound mostly goes away when the car is dry but comes back when it rains. I first noticed the issue after some heavy rains we've had. So its something that can be exposed to water while driving.