I posted this in the suspension forum as well, but since I gotta deal with this in the am I thought I'd put it here as well:

Well the wait is over. I got my Hotchkis sway bars today and of coarse I ran right out to my driveway to put them on. I'll get right to the point and tell you that doing it without a lift (on jack stands with a foot and a half of clearance) and by myself was hard as hell. So hard in fact that my poor xB is still sitting outside on "jack" stands waiting for someone to "jack" my rims. Nice of me to take all the work out of for them.

Anyways, I ran out of light and had to call it quits for the day. Here's the problem. I got the front Hotchkis sway in there (BTW I had to use my feet to pull down the steering rack from the engine mount and maneuver the stock sway bar with my hands). However, now I can't get all the freaking holes ( make that damn ____ing holes) to line up. It's always the little things. Just when I'm thinking all I have to do is zap the bolts back on there and the front sway is done, the holes won't line up and I'm kinda screwed. What to do?

I tried putting a jack under the car and putting a little pressure on front control arm to see if that would get the holes to line up but no luck. Anyway, I'm able to get most of them in no problem and its only four bolts that are off my about 5mm, but they aren't moving at all. Any suggestions would be very, very, very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

are they off just a little bit? if they are the jack is screwing you up. when you lift up your car it is getting tweaked and not letting the holes line up. try lowering down your car a little bit or get another jack and lift up the other side to even things up

 

Thanks! I'll try that in the am.

 

Sorry I can't be of any help but...

the general consensus on these things are they are pretty non do it yourself mods...especially on our cars.!

Good luck...!

 

I got mine the same day as you. Put the rear on right away (tricky getting those bolts in the holes though) but waited till Saturday to waste three hours trying to install the front.

Frick the front is a nightmare. I took so many bolts out before the stuff moved--and when it moved it scared the crap out of me. I thought the whole engine was going to drop out. Still, I couldn't get the old sway bar out. I gave up after two hours of wrestling with the thing and spent another hour trying to get all the bolts back in. Damn drag that I did all that for nothing.

Any one recommened a shop in or near Costa Mesa that will put one in? Should I just got o the dealer?

Thanks

Michael

 

makes me look forward to getting my set.

when i get it, i'll install it, and do a write-up for you folks..

how's that sound?

 

you have to drop the front sub assembly down to have enough clearance to remove the original bar, and then in stall the new bar. imo - the hardest bolts to remove are the ones for the steering rack as there are near the middle of the sub assembly on the top side. the other trick is that the main bolts need to be retightened pretty tight in the 120-130 ft lbs range and in the 85 ft lbs range. this is not an easy install for a beginner, and it is an $$$ install for a mechanic, but probally worth it

 

Yeah, I'm a beginner, but not mechanically inept, and I have the tools I need. This is the first car I've done any major mods to. Springs were a piece of cake--much easier than I expected. Muffer was a joke. Air intake was no prob. But this sway bar. . .I don't think I wanna try to tackle it again unless I do it with someone who knows their ____.

I followed the Hotchkis instructions to the T, but they are vague at best, appear to be missing some info and are likely written for an expert/pro. The photos didn't really jive with the words either. (I had similar problem with Hotchkis instructions for the springs.)

I need an oil change--I have three free ones coming--so I thought I'd check with the dealer when I take it in. Doubt that's the cheapest route, but at least I won't worry about it being done wrong. If any one knows of a good place to have the thing installed. . .lemme know.

Thanks,

MG

 

Yeah, I'm a beginner, but not mechanically inept, and I have the tools I need. This is the first car I've done any major mods to. Springs were a piece of cake--much easier than I expected. Muffer was a joke. Air intake was no prob. But this sway bar. . .I don't think I wanna try to tackle it again unless I do it with someone who knows their ____.

I followed the Hotchkis instructions to the T, but they are vague at best, appear to be missing some info and are likely written for an expert/pro. The photos didn't really jive with the words either. (I had similar problem with Hotchkis instructions for the springs.)

I need an oil change--I have three free ones coming--so I thought I'd check with the dealer when I take it in. Doubt that's the cheapest route, but at least I won't worry about it being done wrong. If any one knows of a good place to have the thing installed. . .lemme know.

Thanks,

MG

 

Yeh dude the front install sucked ____. I guess my biggest mistake was trying to go it alone. Having a partner on this one is a very good idea. Lucky for me my neighbor agreed to act as a second set of hands. So getting things lined up did not prove to be as bad as I thought. Anyway, if I had to do it again I'd probably give it to a pro. But, since I got through the DIY I'm feeling pretty good about it. One word of advise- use a lift. Doing this flat on your back and constantly sliding back and forth was not the relaxing "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" feeling I was hoping for.

As for the Hotchkis instructions they are interesting to say the least. Fist of all, the terminology that they use for parts do not correlate with the xB service manual. Secondly, and in a way amusingly, the pictures they provide are useless at best. My favorite is the closeup of an air impact wrench poised to remove a bolt. Gee thanks Hotchkis, so that's how you take out a bolt. Also, there is no way to identify which bolt they are talking about from the pictures in general. It would have been so easy for them to take a picture of the entire front crossmember assembly and have a little arrow next to each bolt that was supposed to come out. Why be cryptic?

All that aside, the product is great and has improved handling markedly. I recommend, but venture carefully with the front install.

FYI, the rear sway was very, very easy. There are two bolts that need to go deep into the rear control arm, but I used a flexible wand thingy with a magnet on the end that I got a Pep Boys for $4. The rear took less them 15 minutes.

 

I tired putting my rear sway bar on without jacking the car up. Seemed easy enough, until the bolt rolled deep into the control arm . Then the second one did the same. Took forever using a magnet and sink-clog snake to get them out. But once I did, and I jacked up the car, I carefully used the magnet at the end of the snake and got them in. Piece of cake, but delicate procedure. I read about using a piece of wire or string to pull them through. Sounds like a good plan.

Now that I've read about more of these front sway bar installs, it sounds like it's something best left to a pro. Or at least, someone with a lift. I shoulda read more before I tried it, but half the fun is trying.

I agree 100 percent on the Hotchkis instructions. Bad, bad, bad. I know I had to take at least four 19mm bolts before the sub assembly actually moved. The instructions never mention a 19 mm bolt--I think it's the one in the picture with the impact wrench. And why don't they tell you what to expect? Like, once all the bolts are out, it will seem like the whole engine is going to drop on you, but never fear. . .the struts will hold it all in place.

The spring instructions are bad, too. They never tell you which of the rubber bushings is for the front or rear. I looked and looked and looked at the picture and just sorta guessed. Put the fronts in with the wrong bushings in place and discovered the mistake while the car was jacked up in back and pulled apart. It only takes about 10 minutes to swap out the fronts, but I wasn't happy about putting in six springs that day. Also, they say to have a torque wrench, but never give torque specs. Still, like you, once it was over it was a good DIY experience. And I love the springs.

Gonna see about having the dealership or Autobacs put the front in this weekend.

Oh, where'd you get a service manual? I asked at the dealership and was told none was available yet.

 

Hey All,

Some of you have teh hotchkis sways, others have the springs too. I know hotchkis is some of the best stuff, I am sure you noticed a huge difference. When installing the springs, how much did it lower your XB?

Thanks,
Chris

 

I have the springs and really like them. Front dropped just under 1 1/2 inches, and the rear just over 1 1/2 inches. I forget exactly, but it was something like 1 3/8 and 1 5/8. Or maybe it was 1 5/8 amd 1 7/8. I forget. Just remember it was around 1 1/2 and lower in the rear. I think the info you seek is on the Hotchkis site. Car sits nice and level now, not slightly "jacked up" in the rear.