Has anyone ever replaced the front sway bar bushings on your E63? I went underneath the car to look at it but could not figure it out how to remove the bushings. I've been searching but did not find any video/instruction for the E63. Thank you.
E63 Front sway bar bushings replacement
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I too was intending on replacing the front Swaybar Bushings when, within a week of acquiring my 07' E63 I went ahead and rebuilt both Heads, Intake Manifold, replaced the PS Pump and HP Hose and entire front suspension with rebuilt AirStruts from RMT. Over the months of doing this work, I too thought replacing the FSB Bushings would be a no brainer, but alas, it was NOT to be as to do so requires dropping the whole front Subframe! I had both Steering Knuckles off the car when I installed the Ball Joints, so my access was as good as can be but without an engine hoist I couldn't accomplish the task in my garage as I believe the engine mounts would have had to be disconnected as well as the Steering rack to allow for the dropping of the subframe.
Thank you. You have confirmed what I've seen. The bushings and brackets sit right on the subframe and I can't do anything without dropping the subframe first. No wonder the mb indy shop has quoted me $400 labor for this job.
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Have you figured it out or gotten it done? I just did mine and it was a huge PITA but a very doable job if you have the right tools. I can provide a write up and some pictures for you. Send me your VIN I can also look up the specific WIS instructions for your car!
Sorry, just saw it now. No, I have never gotten it done. I sold my E63 last year. I did spay something, I forgot what it was, into the bushing and the noise was gone. Thank you for your offer.
Can you provide a couple photos? I cant easily figure out which are the sway bar bushings/nuts and which are other steering/suspension components upfront? Currently, I have difficult access underneath but when I had a chance to look, it was busier than I expected.
I thought I saw a YT video of it being done. Memory serves that an engine hoist lightened weight off bushings without "removing" the engine. Since your signature is blank, I am unsure of the model match. Thanks for any suggestions.
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Hi Bono,
sorry for the late reply didn’t get notifications for this. I had a w211 e63 which I replaced the sway bar on. The bushings are not sold separately for the w211 as the bushings are glued onto the sway bar. The bushings don’t go bad for at least 100k-120k miles. What goes bad is the retaining clip inside the bracket which holds up the sway bar. Since for the w211, the front subframe had to be lowered to remove the brackets, I decided to do change the sway bar as well and then difference was noticeable. If you want you can post your vin number so I can look up and post the exact process for the w212. I will dig through pictures and post what I have regarding the replacement. Cheers!
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WIS doesn’t show a part number for the bushings separately as they are glued onto the sway bar. It comes with the sway bar as one assembly. And to do this job you have to lower the front subframe while supporting the engine with a Jack. This job is definitely do-able without a lift but it makes the process much more manageable with one. You’ll definitely need 2 jacks. One to support the subframe and one to support the engine. I’d be happy to write up the whole procedure for you with pictures and the WIS doc for replacement. Just send me your vin number and I’ll post the process. Please, Let me know if that is needed. Cheers!
I was trying to replace the sway bar bushing for the CLS63 but I couldn't find the bushings anywhere to buy. Turned out the sway bar end links are the problem, the rubber were broken and it's so obvious. I replaced those 2 sway bar end links for $60 in 2hrs and the noise has gone and the handling is much better. The end links are cheap and easy to swap but none of the dealer, the 2 indy shops, and a mechanic told me to do replace the end links. They want me to replace the whole sway bar, upper and lower control arms. The quotes range from $1500-$2200. Good thing that I decided to fix it myself. If you can, please double check the problem yourself, don't trust anyone,
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Wow! Somehow I’m not surprised that they quoted you all of that. My problem was the sway bar bushings and bracket itself. My whole suspension was brand new and I did all of the work myself. From control arms to ball joints, even down to the nuts and bolts everything was replaced with new parts. After doing all of that I still heard a clunk from the front of the car. After days of investigating I finally came to the conclusion that it was the sway bar bushing which was kind of squashed and cracked, and the retaining brackets which went bad. The brackets which hold the sway bar have a plastic locking clip inside it. Over time that retaining clip breaks and the bolt wiggles inside the bracket causing a clunking sound. Since you have to lower the subframe to access the bracket bolts anyway, I decided to replace the whole sway bar while I was at it and the difference was huge. See attached pic. The first pic Is of the alternator voltage regulator. I recommended you change that as well s you can see how badly with the brushes are, this was changed at 90k miles after I started to get low voltage issues. 2nd pic is off the sway bar. You can see how the bushings are much different and how one of the bushings is broken, they’re glued onto the sway bar that’s why they’re not available as a separate part. Pics 3-5 show the torque wrench on the bracket bolt, also shows the location of the bracket in relation to the subframe which was lowered to gain access. Tough job but very doable. I’m goad you were able to find the issue and fix it for cheap. Those stealerships can’t be trusted. Pm me if you need assistance with any work. I have WIS as well
No one would spend time and effort to fix your car the better than you. Excellent job man. I enjoy working on my car now. It's not only about money but also how it makes me feel after the job is done. Thank you man.
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Thank you! And definitely feels great after finishing the job! I don’t trust indy shops or the dealer lol. Better to get WIS and do extensive research yourself. There’s so much valuable information available from others on benzworld and mbforums. Hopefully our vehicles keep running strong!
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