On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being max difficulty (for a non mechanic who normally does little more than rotating wheels and oil changes), how difficult would it be if I try to do this job myself:

Replace two rear sway bar link pins. (required to pass safety inspection)


And of course, this would need to be done from my back as I am not a pro with a lift. The main thing that would determine whether I give it a go myself is how many OTHER things need to be removed before I get to the part I need to replace? I helped someone change a battery in a vw bug once, and oh my gosh did they make that more difficult than it needed to be!

So, anybody do this on a 2004 S40 or similar that can tell me what has to happen? Will I need any special tools other then wrenches or sockets?

Thanks in advance!

 

The Sway Bar Links are easy to replace, and no need to go under the car. Just jack the car up and pull the tire and also remove any plastic covers (mine are missing) that may be there. You just need a wrench or socket for the 2 nuts holding it on... and I think there may have been a place to hold the bolt from spinning with a hex key. If the nuts are rusted you may want to spray them with some penetrating oil a day before.


Also I usually use a jack stand to hold the car up and a hydraulic jack to raise/lower the steering knuckle/strut assembly. This makes getting the new end link back on easier as you can slowly jack the strut up so that the holes line up with the link. Hard to explain, but pretty obvious once you have a link off.


I'd says its a 2... but that can increase if the bolt starts spinning when you try to take the nut off. If the end of the bolt has a hole for a hex that's used to hold to so it doesn't spin. Some have a flat spot for a wrench behind the boot. I have a impact wrench which helps. Worst case you have to grind the bastard off. My grandpa taught me to cut the bolt in half best you can with a hacksaw then smack it with a 5lb hammer and a chisel they usually pop right off.


Oh and I do not recommend the cheap sway bar end links from autozone... the little rubber boots rot after 6 months and the link starts knocking shortly thereafter.

 

when working on sway bar end links, it is a good idea to raise both sides (ie both back or both front) to unload the bar.

 

I too would rate that a 2 with a one being replacing headlight bulbs. Ideally you are jacking up both sides but I think you can still do it fine with one side jacked up. Just use the jack itself to life the control arm to the right height if need be. The nice thing about this job is that even if you screw up and can only get half of it off, you can just give up and drive it in for some help...not like you will need a tow truck or anything so just give it a try.


Pay close attention to the link ends - some of them have allen key female inserts in the middle so that you can hold it still a you tighten/loosen. Others have a little notch that you can grip as a counterhold.

 

I think that's optimistic. OP's a neophyte. In the rust belt a sway bar end link can be a PITA. You need a torch and an impact wrench to make this job a 2.

 

The torch suggestion is just wrong, for obvious reasons.

 

How so? we're talking about a 15 year old car which is likely to have rusted/frozen bolts. The comment about using a torch is a common mechanic's trick to apply heat to the head of bolt to crack the rust to allow pentrating oil to work its magic. I recently had a broken rear spring on my S40. I took it to my local Indy who said he was having trouble getting the rear shock off and didn't want to work on it unless I provided him with a replacement shock. I took the car back, heated the bolt head red hot/ spritzed with water for a rapid cool, then sprayed with PB Blaster. My impact wrench was able to crack the nut free and I was able to hammer out the bolt without damaging the shock bushing. I wound up replacing the shock anyways - I can send it over to you if you'd like.

 

No issue with using a nut cracker to break the nut. Or with a saw / hacksaw type tool. Using a grinding tool of some kind to slice off the offending stud / nut as long as the sparks are controlled. Or even repeatedly bending the stud till it breaks free of the link. But uncontrolled heat damages other components and is a fire risk. Most all Volvo dealerships, using a torch or uncontrollable heat source like that is not allowed, and hasn't been allowed for many years due to the risk of fire. The risks for a home mechanic, having the proper set up for such activity, and the incidents of injury, all make using a torch a thing of the past.

Take into the consideration that the poster is asking a basic question, and then with luck you can see how suggesting using a torch is something that "they" shouldn't even, ever, think about doing for their own safety.