Looking for a replacement sway bar bolt asap

[zimvsdib]

41713I was driving home the other day and had to really hit the breaks to stop myself from hitting a another car. I heard a sound like a clunk and when i continued my steering wheel started to vibrate. More violently the higher speed i drove.

After a look under the car everything was in order except that there was a missing sway bar bolt on the driver side.
This is probably the issue since the bar not has play in the tension.

I am going to order a kit but i need to drive this car tomorrow and need a replacement quick. I really need the size of the bolt and washer so i can get it from a local parts store just for tomorrows drive.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


41714

[Nicholas R]

M10

Any reasonable length should work. It's probably something like 20-25mm. If you really need to know the exact length, take one of the other 3 sway bolts out and get one that's the same.

[zimvsdib]

Awesome. Thank you Nick!

[PJ Grady Inc.]

Thread size is 10 mm wide x 30 mm long x 1.5 mm thread pitch. Hex size is 17 mm. Your bigger concern should be to verify that the threads are still strong enough to hold 26 lb's of torque. I recommend you R&R all four mtg bolts and re-torque them using red "loctite" as per spec. Try to find a similar OS washer as well or order from a vendor when time permits.
Rob

[zimvsdib]

Thank you Rob. I found an exact replacement size for bolt and lock washer at home depot for now. Had to double up on the reg washers to get the same thickness (this is only temporary). I'm going to test drive it in a bit to see if that was the ONLY problem with the steering vibration.
Thanks again for the quick replies guys!

[David T]

Thank you Rob. I found an exact replacement size for bolt and lock washer at home depot for now. Had to double up on the reg washers to get the same thickness (this is only temporary). I'm going to test drive it in a bit to see if that was the ONLY problem with the steering vibration.
Thanks again for the quick replies guys!

If the bolt is missing I would really be concerned about the condition of the threads. That bolt should NOT have fallen off. As soon as you can you must check ALL of the bolts. Was any work done on the front end? On a Delorean that sway bar is not only a sway bar it also holds the front wheels in position fore and aft absorbing ALL of the braking forces. As for vibration, you might want to check the balance on the front wheels. Make sure they are inflated to the proper pressure too.

[dhaney]

Hit your closest ace hardware pick up exact bolts in ss and save $.

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[dhaney]

I too had one of the captive nuts for the sway bar get messed up.

I got a longer bolt, washer and nut. Remove the radiator bracket on the offending side, thread in the bolt. Then reach in the frame cavity and thread on your new nut and washer. Use an open end wrench to tighten everything up.
.only drawback is now the radiator support needs to come off to remove the sway bar.

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[zimvsdib]

I too had one of the captive nuts for the sway bar get messed up.

I got a longer bolt, washer and nut. Remove the radiator bracket on the offending side, thread in the bolt. Then reach in the frame cavity and thread on your new nut and washer. Use an open end wrench to tighten everything up.
.only drawback is now the radiator support needs to come off to remove the sway bar.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Thanks for the tips!

Update: The threads were fine!
I loosened all the bolts, lined up the holes, installed the new hardware and re torque everything down.

Test drive reveals the same problem! :(
Seering shakes violently once i hit 45 and up.
Steering bushing is fine and everything else looks dirty(w/little surface rust) but in order. I know much more about engine work than i do suspension, not sure where to start looking.

Guess i have to tow my car today. I don't think it would be safe on the fwy.

[David T]

Thanks for the tips!

Update: The threads were fine!
I loosened all the bolts, lined up the holes, installed the new hardware and re torque everything down.

Test drive reveals the same problem! :(
Seering shakes violently once i hit 45 and up.
Steering bushing is fine and everything else looks dirty(w/little surface rust) but in order. I know much more about engine work than i do suspension, not sure where to start looking.

Guess i have to tow my car today. I don't think it would be safe on the fwy.

If the car is shaking badly you either have a bad tire or a bent rim or loose lug nuts or a lost wheel weight. Lift the car and spin the front wheels and see if anything is bent. Shake the wheels side-to-side and top and bottom to see if there is any play (looseness). Check the tire pressures. If the tires are over 7 years old just replace them. I would be careful using bolts from a local hardware store. Most sell Chinese stuff and they are VERY soft and not meant to be used in critical applications. The markings indicating grade are NOT to be trusted.

[Nicholas R]

If it's shaking violently then start with the basics. Are your lug nuts tight? Is your steering rack bolted down? If it's violent, something almost has to be loose. Take your wheels off and inspect your control arms, ball joints, bushings, etc. for anything loose or unusual. Grab both of the steering rack tie rids and push them in and out and see if they move. If they move in and out, you may have shattered the bushing inside the rack.

[PJ Grady Inc.]

If it's shaking violently then start with the basics. Are your lug nuts tight? Is your steering rack bolted down? If it's violent, something almost has to be loose. Take your wheels off and inspect your control arms, ball joints, bushings, etc. for anything loose or unusual. Grab both of the steering rack tie rids and push them in and out and see if they move. If they move in and out, you may have shattered the bushing inside the rack.

The bushing that shatters is generally the R/H (Pass. Side) rack body tube bushing. It is the weakest link in the whole rack design and we've been using a longer, stronger, bushing in our rebuilt racks for almost thirty years with no bushing failures. A large amount of up and down play will be very noticeable when inspecting for movement if it's broken/missing. A broken bushing combined with unbalanced front tires would provide a scary ride indeed.
Rob