Installed my Z51 Sway Bar kit and I now have problems!
02-13-2015, 02:21 AM
#21
Team Owner
Great answers guys....OP I hope you get it sorted out. 
02-13-2015, 05:50 AM
#23
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
The previous poster already NAILED it. It is obvious that you have installed the front sway bar upside down.
Yes it is possible to do that in the front. And yes you can torque the bolts down while in the upside down position. The wrong bar location is preventing the suspension from moving correctly. Check it out......you will see the bar is jammed against a suspension hard point. No big deal. Remove and replace the front bar right side up.
It is actually easier to put the front bar in the correct way as less angling of the bar is required to get it installed amid the other suspension parts.
Yes it is possible to do that in the front. And yes you can torque the bolts down while in the upside down position. The wrong bar location is preventing the suspension from moving correctly. Check it out......you will see the bar is jammed against a suspension hard point. No big deal. Remove and replace the front bar right side up.
It is actually easier to put the front bar in the correct way as less angling of the bar is required to get it installed amid the other suspension parts.
Reinstalled the opposite way and the car is sitting back to normal. Also, took it for a late night drive, no noise and it is a noticeable improvement in handling. Feels more tight and precise.Thanks to everyone who chimed in......it was a great help!
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GundamX7X (05-16-2018)
02-13-2015, 08:13 AM
#26
Safety Car
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Yep, it was surely upside down! Reinstalled the opposite way and the car is sitting back to normal. Also, took it for a late night drive, no noise and it is a noticeable improvement in handling. Feels more tight and precise.
Thanks to everyone who chimed in......it was a great help!
Reinstalled the opposite way and the car is sitting back to normal. Also, took it for a late night drive, no noise and it is a noticeable improvement in handling. Feels more tight and precise.Thanks to everyone who chimed in......it was a great help!
Last edited by CRABBYJ; 02-13-2015 at 08:28 AM.
02-13-2015, 08:39 AM
#28
Burning Brakes
We ALL do it from time to time! Much easier now with the internet and people making these mistakes before you do. With all my recent mods I've had the iPad in the garage to reference pictures as perform installs.
02-13-2015, 10:47 AM
#31
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
Update..... I actually called the dealership this morning and ordered 4 new bolts. He will have them Monday morning. Thanks for the reminder!
Last edited by Supersonic 427; 02-13-2015 at 11:26 AM.
02-13-2015, 11:20 AM
#33
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
First Installation: Upside down sway bar!
Second installation: The correct way!
Last edited by Supersonic 427; 02-13-2015 at 12:31 PM.
02-13-2015, 01:05 PM
#35
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
The curve of the bar was hitting the frame. I noticed a small scrape mark on each side of the bar (on the bar curves) and also paint scrapes on the black paint on the frame. Very minor cosmetic damage that no one will ever see. Nothing bent! it was a very short ride around the block at low speeds. The noise was on evident on bumps.
02-13-2015, 01:15 PM
#36
You guys are 100% wrong about needing the car on the ground to install a swaybar. The OEM end links are't adjustable. If you have adjustable links you need the suspension loaded to adjust them and dial out any pre-load, but you can't do that with the OEM setup.
OP you could have installed the bar upside down, but that'd be hard to do.
EDIT - looks like you did it backward and already figured it out. As you can see, take tech info in the general forums on here with a grain of salt. If you want better suspension info head over to the auto-x/road racing section.
OP you could have installed the bar upside down, but that'd be hard to do.
EDIT - looks like you did it backward and already figured it out. As you can see, take tech info in the general forums on here with a grain of salt. If you want better suspension info head over to the auto-x/road racing section.
02-13-2015, 01:18 PM
#37
And no... you don't need to use new bolts! That's OEM service manual CYA stuff. Been wrenching on these cars for the better part of 15 years racing C5s and C6s... There's no need to replace the bolts.
02-13-2015, 01:39 PM
#38
I want to point out another thing that anyone reading this and contemplating doing this or any other modification needs to appreciate.
If, after you complete your modifications, the car does not appear to be at the proper ride height or exhibits any "out of the ordinary" configuration STOP!!!! DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR until you have determined what is causing the abnormality and corrected it
I'm not trying to slam the OP. Trust me, we have all done things we shouldn't have, I'm the poster child for adding insult to injury.
But I've learned over the years that if the end result isn't what you expect take a step back and try to figure out why before you do anything that could make it worse.
I'm really glad you didn't cause any permanent damage because had you hit the wrong bump at the wrong angle you could be facing a very expensive suspension repair bill. I've see what happens when a sway link snaps under load, it's isn't pretty.
If, after you complete your modifications, the car does not appear to be at the proper ride height or exhibits any "out of the ordinary" configuration STOP!!!! DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR until you have determined what is causing the abnormality and corrected it
I'm not trying to slam the OP. Trust me, we have all done things we shouldn't have, I'm the poster child for adding insult to injury.
But I've learned over the years that if the end result isn't what you expect take a step back and try to figure out why before you do anything that could make it worse.
I'm really glad you didn't cause any permanent damage because had you hit the wrong bump at the wrong angle you could be facing a very expensive suspension repair bill. I've see what happens when a sway link snaps under load, it's isn't pretty.
02-13-2015, 01:45 PM
#40
Just check the torque on those bolts in a few hundred miles and if they are fine then you are good to go.
If they won't maintain torque then they need to be replaced, the torque to yield is used to create a sort of lock nut effect so they don't vibrate loose.