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Rear Sway Bars


ILoveMyPatty
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Okay so, on the highway I'll hit a little dip in the pavement and my truck will begin to sway to both sides, back and forth REALLY bad, I have to tap the brake to stop it, or else it feels like I'm gonna roll.... I'm pretty sure the sway starts in the rear. It also shakes when goin down the highway, I've been told this is most likely because my wheels could be off balanced? Or maybe I have mud on the inside of my rims, throwing them off balance? It's really starting to make me mad, and it's not too safe either. I want to get it fixed A.S.A.P, but I don't want a shop to mess with it, for I have little money. So, what I want to know is: Could this "sway" be because I have no rear sway bar? If so, where is the rear sway bar located? I don't even know if I have one...

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The sway bar (rear) runs along the underside of the axle housing (the thing that the wheels bolt to) and is linked to the chassis by a metal rod on both sides. It looks sorta like this I__I from underneath . It will not be the cause of your car swaying. A highly unlikely cause could be your panhard rod bushings. The panhard also bolts to the axle housing. It is at the very back of the housing and also bolts to the chassis via a (welded) drop down bracket.

 

It will more likely be one or more of these steering components......... your drag link (front), idler arm (front) or your tie rod ends (also front). Best you take it to get looked at before you come off the road somewhere. If anyone of those components a worn it can make driving very interesting. If two or more of these components are worn it will make driving very dangerous indeed.

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Another thing to check out too is all of your rear link bushings. The newer R50's have this problem and now the older WD21's are starting to see this same bushing problem. Inspect those link bushing up closely.

 

We've just bought the bushings and had them pressed in/out.

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see the bar that goes from one side to the other? that's the sway bar... :aok: i think it is also called a panhard bar.. i have just always called it a sway bar.. cuz i am different..lol :P

Edited by Slick
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Uhmmmm.. no Slick, that's the Panhard rod. :mellow:

:P it is a sway bar in my world....... so leave me in my world.... lmao.. i know.. old habits die hard.. i have never heard them called anything else til i got the pathy... so it is habit now to call it a sway bar..... love me for who i am not what i say... lol :D

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  • 2 years later...

I vote for the rear control arm bushings, myself. A classic Pathfinder problem with a proven field fix....diagnosis is as easy as watching them flex back and forth while somebody turns the steering wheel back and forth...:-) DIY if you have a good press at the house, otherwise you'll have to take it to the shop. Look really close at the lower rear...you'll probably find it needs a "repair" in the form of a couple washers because the hole isn't round anymore...good luck !

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i have my sway removed and have no such thing happening to me. i noticed little to no change on street driveability w/o my rear sway

 

at risk of thread jacking.......what is the panhard rod for? all this talk about it being another sway bar doesnt make much sense. i dont think thats a "removeable" part.

 

my buddy had a similar situation but his pathy was dippin down toward the right rear when acceleration from a stop. it ended up being a combination of bad rear shock and rear control arm bushing. pretty ez fix :aok:

 

Rich

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yeah mine sways pretty bad as well, when driving at speeds over 55mph i drive it like iam pulling a trailer so i dont start fish tailing down the freeway. I also have 32x11.50 2ply mud tires that seem to flex because of the mushey side wall.

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I fixed the problem ages ago. Turned out to be the lower trailing arm (control arm) bushings were worn out. Replaced them with some poly-eurethanes from AC, and she rides perfect now. Pain in the arse getting the old bushing sleeve out. Lots of people say to use an air chisel.. I tried with no luck, until I used a dremel and cutting disk to cut out a 1/2" strip from it, then she came right out.

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