If your end links look like this you may (should) want to replace them.



I noticed them while replacing the rear output shaft seal on the transmission.

They literally had fell apart.

I replaced them, all four, with updated ('02 year or later) end links. These are beefier and made much better. They cost around $24.00 each from the dealer. One note I had to get two different part numbers. The links are the same except one had and alan head bolt and the other had a star head.
One important note!!!While changing them out I reused the old nuts and noticed that they where going on real tight (hard to get on). After tightening the nuts down on the fist end link I knew it was not right. I took one of the new end links to Lowes and found the "correct" size nuts. $5 bucks for eight new nuts and they just tightened up buy hand till torqued. So....the old nuts do not fit the new updated end links.

 

what was the correct size nut? This may explain why I had such a freaking hard time getting those bolts tight!!!!

 

If those are gone, how are the bushings in your a-arms?

 

Ohhh man, I knew someone was going to ask me that.

I think they are 12mm but please don't hold me to that. They are definitely a different size though. My best advice is take a new end link with you to a home center to and try on nuts. Lowes even had the correct kind (with the flat-wide base nut) after I found the right size and looked around in their bins.

Like you I tried to torque them down and knew it was not right but it took me nearly stripping threads to get the right nuts.

 

Good question. I checked all the balljoints while painting my calipers (another story) and they all looked good. Don't know why the boots on the end links came apart (age I guess) but the new end links look great and are easy to put on provided you get the right size nuts.

Take care,

 

Wow! My plastic end links looked fine when I removed them - and my Z51 sway bars to install Hotchkis sway bars with metal end links.

Those spindley (is that a word) pieces of junk should not be on a Cobalt, let alone a Corvette.

 

I guess time brings out the bad in all things. I wish our cars could last and look good forever but things will wear out.

 

UGHHHHH! OUCHHH!

Not since the last time I checked! All looked good!

Thanks,Matt