Stabilizer Bar Bushings replacement

Not a wrencher, but trying to replace the bushings on my 2016 TEP's stabilizer bar, also referred to online as "swaybar bushings." (Is the stabilizer bar just another term for sway bar?) I bought those sick red ones with zirts, and when I put them on had about an inch gap that I couldn't close, even once I put them in the bracket and around the bar. So I paid for toyota bushings and got the driver's side on with difficulty. Took me two days to get those two bolts off. Thank god for the guy who mentioned using a floor jack to raise the arm back up into place.

So now I'm on the passenger side, got the bolts out easy, but the bracket won't drop down and off. I'm trying to push down on the stabilizer bar to push the bracket off, but no luck. Then I came at from behind, using a screwdriver to pry/wedge the bracket downwards, and almost succeeded. The stabilizer bar just won't move downwards, so I can't get the bracket off.

Has anyone else run into this problem? I don't see how ratchet straps could pull that down, because there's nothing low to attach the strap too. Unless I embed a metal ring in cement and wait for that to dry, then hook to that, lol. Maybe I could fit a bottle jack in, ABOVE the bar, and push it down that way? Maybe that's it, some kind of spreader. I guess I mentioned I'm not a mechanic. Here's the driver's side, midway through.

 

Here's the passenger side. I've discovered rock lights are great when working under your truck.

 

And one more diagram. Maybe I need to remove the front stabilizer lower bracket? (circled in red)

 

With KDSS you’re gonna have a bad time. Unfortunately I can’t tell you anything that’s actually beneficial.

 

Do you have both ends disconnected (unbolted) at the same time? I'm thinking they need to be in order to get the PS to drop down. I would also put a ratchet strap around the KDSS cylinder to keep it at the ride height extension.

 

No, I'm doing them one at a time. Great tip about the ratchet strap, thx.

 

No idea if this will help....but, here it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phfKCRDqz6o

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I just know that when I did my suspension installation, I had to disconnect both sides in order to get the bar ends out of the way to get the lower control arms to drop down enough. I know other people do it differently, it just worked for me.

 

I made that mistake while installing my lift. If memory serves me. Start your truck put it in 4L and set the terrain select to rock then shut her down. This will allow the KDSS to move. I was up on jack stands was able to mount the passengers side, them raised and lowered passenger side to align the drivers side. Remember using a ratchet strap to pull the sway bar back to the LCA at some point. Once I got a bolt started I ran it home. I’ll never do that again.

 

I didn't do any of that when I disconnected my sway bar. It took a bit of effort, but it wasn't all that much trouble to reconnect. The one thing I was instructed to do was disconnect and reconnect the sway bar with the weight on the wheels, at ride height - not with the vehicle jacked up in any way.

 

That makes sense. Sounds like a better procedure.

 

That video was my first source. And I think it demo's a non-KDSS 4runner. I actually bought those brackets he recommended, triple checked fit, and still couldn't get them to fit on the bar. Plus the end brackets seem to be in a different orientation, vertical in the vid.

 

Bummer! If distance allowed I'd come join the battle with you.

 

Thanks, man. Almost there. Got it positioned vertically but now having troubles lining up the bolt holes. I'm going to buy one of those bolt hole liner up tools. I tried the 4lo/rock setting trick, no joy. Taking off the front stabilizer lower bracket did make things easier. Problem is I keep getting it almost there, and then the bar slips off my floor jack. Like 6 times so far, and I have to start all over. Getting worried about doing damage to kdss now, so might just pay a shop, FML. Going out now to try again....

 

Just checking in. Hope all has gone well and everything turned out okay.

 

I gave myself a timeout for two days and worked in my garden instead. I also talked to a mechanic who said try taking off all the bolts on the stabilizer bar (I've done both outer ends and only one of the middle brackets.) So I guess that's tomorrow. I'll check in when solved.

 

Meh, I disconnected those brackets when I installed my front lift and it wasn't a problem at all. Just used a jack under the stabilizing bar and fiddled with a jack on the opposite side LCA until it lined up again.

 

Right? I have a special curse when it comes to wrenching. I know that sometimes bolts stick and parts get bent, and that's no reason to get all aggro. But when I'm working on a car, this ALWAYS happens. And then I find the damage done by the last mechanic I actually paid to work on my truck.

I finally gave up and took it to the shop and paid the $90. Plus another $50, because the new bushings I had partially installed fell out somewhere on three mile drive to the shop. And the shop figured out that I couldn't line up the bolt holes because the brackets were installed on the wrong sides (driver's on passenger side, etc.) and bent. I guess the shop that did my lift did that? That's the only work I've done to my front end that I can think of, anyway. Or I could've bent the brackets one of those times that my truck slipped off the floor jack. But I definitely didn't swap the stabilizer bar brackets to the wrong side, lol.

What a cluster. I owe the mechanic a bottle of hooch. Good news is I took it out in the dirt today, and the clanking noise was gone. Stabilizer bar bushing replacement FTW!

 

Ive done my kdss bushing and re-positioning plenty of times; to the point my brackets are bent. I know theyre pretty hard to do but you just need a breaker bar or a big flat head to position the brackets to aligned the bolt holes.
either way looks like you have a shop do it. Ive given up on my kdss and took the front bar off and left the piston just hanging...

 

More flex that way, right? Also more rolling on the turns? I saw someone's $3500 KDSS repair bill, so good to know if that happens I can still drive it.

 

Yes ..
But I have ICON Adjustables ( cdcv ) and I just stiffened the front a little bit to compensate for it. And it's completely fine.

Mine is a 2014; I guess its the year with the most issues. And the kdss bar kept moving extremely to one side. To the point that; if I droop out on the freeway... it would hit the hub on the driverside and it would move the steering wheel. Wasn't safe anymore.

I'm contemplating on swapping it out with front sway bar and a running a currie anti-rock for the rear or just the currie anti-rock