I'm trying to remove the nut on the sway bar end link and it's just spinning in place. Actually both the upper and lower nuts are just spinning. Is there any trick to removing these? I suspect they are just rusted and broken. Removal suggestions welcome.

 

Look on the end of your bolt. You need to place a star type socket in it otherwise it will spin all day. If you look at the end you will see what I am talking about. They are actually called Torx Bit sockets if you don't have any they are easy to find.

 

and if the star (or hex) gets rounded out, as they often do, you can hold the end with a vise- grip, back the nut off until there's room to get a saw into there, and then cut off the rest. Or, if you have gotten the nut off a little bit, you can grip the stud by the flat part just above the boot with a pair of vise- grips.

 

16-mm THIN bicycle wrench is the way to go ($5 at bicycle shop):

HJere is a pic from my BMW, same idea for Volvo:

 

Great pictures, thanks for posting them!

 

Thanks for all of the responses. The drivers side was loads of fun. Basically, I think the bicycle wrench method outlined above probably would have worked if the metal had not been so corroded and rounded off (not by me). Ended up using a hacksaw to remove the nut on the lower and to cut the bolt on the upper.

The passenger side was a breeze in comparison since I think that one had been previously replaced. The bolts on that side actually turned with a little help from PB and a breaker bar.

Looks like there were two different brands of parts used as well. I'm not even sure if the one on the passenger side was the correct one for the car. Both were in really bad shape.

In any event, I replaced them and the noise from the front now appears to be gone. Hope it stays that way. Seems to handle better as well.

I just wanted to thank everyone who replied, it was very helpful.

 

This is a very common problem when trying to disassemble these ball and socket type assemblies (e.g., tie rod ends). In the case of Volvo links, using the torqs bit works best. But other similar types of assemblies often don't have the ability to use this technique. I typically drive a pickle fork between the two parts. This forces the ball to bind in its socket and stops it from spinning. Don't use this technique if you plan to reuse the ball and socket part. It will damage the piece.

 

What are the symptoms of a bad end link to require a replacement? I have an annoying bang / tap sound when I reverse and steer to the left. Could that be a sign? Are the IPD end links actually worth the money?

Thanks!