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04 F350 sway bar question

19K views 16 replies 10 participants last post by  yfzjim 
#1 ·
I just picked up a 04 F350 4X4 last Thursday night. When I hit bumps I hear a knocking noise and I can feel it in my feet. I crawled under the truck today and noticed the sway bar can be moved side to side by hand. Is this normal.
 
#3 ·
I have an 04 and had the same exact problem coming from the lower sway bar link on the passenger side.

I took the whoel sway bar off to fix the problem.

Funny thing is, I havent noticed any difference in ride quality, and neither has my wife.

I say take it off, and you never have to worry about it again. One less thing to worry about, and on eless thing in your way when you are under the truck. Sway bars are only there to help prevent stupid people from rolling their truck when they drive it like a stolen Honda Civic.

My 2 pennies
 
#6 ·
Worst recommendation Ive seen on the org so far...
 
#4 ·
They are shot, you should not be able to move the bar. You can either replace with stock drop links or buy the replacement bushings from Energy Suspention. I you choose to replace the bushings, sometimes getting the old one's out can be a pain in the butt. The stock bushings are pressed in, you can easily get the rubber part out. The hard part is on the ID of the drop link where the stock rubber bushings is, there is a thin metal sleeve that needs to be removed.
 
#5 ·
Just went through this...Buy new swaybar end links and new bushings for the bar. Get MOOG end links and OEM Ford bushings for the bar. When I did mine a few months ago all the banging and clunking stopped for a while but started up again due to loose fitting aftermarket bar bushings. I put new OEM bar bushings in and now all is good. Please don't remove your sway bar and leave it off!
 
#7 ·
Id go with the energy suspension kit personally, but the oem replacements will work too.
 
#8 ·
I am using Energy Suspension for sway bars and spring eyes and highly recommend them. There is a slight more road noise transferred into the truck but not ver much. Helped a lot with handling.
 
#9 ·
Agreed, I would never remove the swaybar.. Terrible advise..

Don't want to steal the thread but have a similar problem, my sway bar can't be moved around but it hitting my passenger side leaf spring. All the bushings seem to be intact but the whole sway bar's pushed over. Loosen, move it over and retighten? Or is something likely worn?
 
#11 ·
Is it odd my 350 dually doesn't have a sway bar?
 
#12 ·
If you have a knocking going over bumps, especially the bumps that are at an angle, and make your truck rock side to side, or SWAY, then your sway bar connecting rods are worn.

Complete removal is ignorant. Worst advice ever!

FYI, they are anti-sway bars, or anti-roll bars. When you turn and load one side of the vehicle, the anti-sway bars counter that force to prevent body roll. If you here a rattle while going over bumps rocking the truck side to side, replaceing the connecting rods, or bushings will fix the issue.
 
#16 ·
The rods that connect the sway bars to the frames, are the connecting rods. (as the dealer called them when I had to replace mine)

If you have a lift kit, the rods need to be longer to correct the geometry of the sway bar. It sounds like your sway bars are turned up, and they need to be near to level. They do not come with lift kits, and they don't tell you that you need them most of the time (because it's more money, its correct, and increases the cost of doing a lift, so they leave that part out. Its goes along the lines of changing the gears to keep the gear ratio correct with bigger tires. It will work without, it just won't work right)

FYI, The reverse is true if you lowered the suspension, as many lightning guys do, and the connecting rods must be shorter.
 
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