Sway bar, bushing, and end link removal on VW Passat
difficulty: 2/5
back to 1000q: B5.5 Passat TDI "how to" index
Introduction
The sway bar connects the left and right suspension to the front subframe. This DIY shows how to replace the bushings.
There are bushings on it's connection in the middle (front subframe) and and sides (end links) to connect the left and right suspension. Early end links tended to wear out early and were recalled. Your VW Passat TDI only has a sway bar in the front, there is no sway bar in the rear because it's a torsion beam rear suspension. AWD VW Passat (4motion) had rear sway beams. The purpose of a sway bar, sometimes called an anti-roll bar, is to increase spring rate when the car leans to the side. A stiffer sway bar will reduce car lean without significantly changing straight line suspension comfort. Unbalancing the front and rear lean will change how the car understeers or oversteers. Some understeer is desirable to maintain stability.
Pictured below is the sway bar and mounting brackets removed from the car for
illustration
Unlike most suspension changes you don't need an alignment after changing these.
The procedure is the same for all mk4 a4 body cars. The sway bar is connected to the lower control arms by the endlinks and resists body tilting during turns. VW/Audi sway bar bushings tend to get worn out fairly quickly. Early endlinks were recalled but later endlinks lasted a while. Symptoms of a bad sway bar bushing include a deep/hollow clunking noise in the front when you hit shallow holes or bumps. Check for play in the sway bar bushings since the bushing's hole gets enlarged with wear. Below is the bracket and a new and old bushing.
I prefer "rubber" sway bar bushings. Poly or urethane sway bar bushings are generally harder and last longer but may squeak and make noise.
Suggest a DIY repair or ask a question about this one at the myturbodiesel.com VW TDI forum, also linked above in the blue button.
Parts
2 new sway bar bushings VW# 4d0 411 327 h
left sway bar endlink (optional, marked with blue dot) VW# 8d0 311 317 d
right sway bar endlink (optional, marked with yellow dot) VW# 8d0 311 318 d
(2 per side) sway bar endlink bolts VW# n 104 253 01
13, 16mm sockets
Sway bar bushing DIY replacement procedure
Engage the parking brake, jack up the car using the factory jack points, rest car securely on jack stands, and make sure the car is safe and secure before doing anything else. The car must be level, otherwise the fluid level will not be accurate. I use wheel blocks in addition to jack stands to support the car as shown in 1000q: wood blocks. Disclaimer - these are not a substitute for jack stands on the factory jack points.
Remove the front splash shield. See 1000q: splash shield fastener list for more details and replacement fasteners.
Look at the motor mount brackets. Unbolt the sway bar bushing bracket (2x 13mm nuts per
side). (Ignore the other labels, they are from a different writeup).
The bushing has a split so you can pull it off the bar without removing the
bar. Replace. Install the new bushing dry or with a silicone
grease. Do not use petroleum based grease like moly or lithium since
this can eat the rubber. If you see some corrosion where the bushing sits
(yellow highlight below), sand it down, put some anti-rust primer, and repaint
it.
To remove the sway bar, remove the 16mm bolt/nut that holds the sway bar
onto the sway bar link (pictured below, ignore the other labels, the pic is from
another writeup).
To remove the endlinks, remove the other 16mm bolt/nut. Note any markings such as paint or arrows. Blue dot is left side, yellow dot is right side. The arrow should point forward during installation. There's also a shim that should touch the sway bar. Also note that as shown in the above picture, the lower bolt/nut is facing inwards. The upper bolt/nut is facing outwards.
When tightening the sway bar endlink or bushing bracket, only tighten them when the suspension is in the normal resting position. If the car is not in it's normal resting position it will preload the bushings and cause early failure.
You can get away with reusing the single use only locknuts if you apply blue medium strength threadlocker to them but I would be wary of reusing the bolts since they are supporting the suspension parts.
Torque specs:
16mm sway bar endlink nut/bolt: 30 ft-lb + 1/4 turn