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Anybody else have a torn stabilizer link boot?

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Boberic, Nov 16, 2014.

  1. Boberic

    Boberic Junior Member

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    I was looking around my front suspension on my nearly new 2013 Prius C with only
    13k miles on it and I happened to notice the upper boot on the stabilizer link shown in this diagram is torn:
    2013 Toyota Prius C Parts - TRD Parts Center

    Here's a pic of my stabilizer link and another pic of the boot up close. Is this happening to everybody? It looks like both the left side and right side upper boots are torn.

    IMG_0699.JPG
    IMG_0698.JPG
     

    Attached Files:

    #1 Boberic, Nov 16, 2014
    Last edited: Nov 23, 2014
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    thats a ton of miles!:eek:
     
  3. Boberic

    Boberic Junior Member

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    Wow, I certainly managed to bungle that attachment. I've edited it to more clearly say 13k miles. This car is just over 1.5 years old, hence my concern.
     
  4. PriusInParadise

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    I don't see any tear. There is grease under that boot, and it would leak out through any cut or tear, leaving the area darkened and damp.
    Could you use a photo editing program or MS Paint to highlight the area you say is torn?
     
  5. Boberic

    Boberic Junior Member

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    Here's a zoomed in pic with an arrow. See the silver area between the two areas of black now? That silver area is actually threaded, so it is only a matter of time till the boot tears all the way around and then falls off.

    torn_boot_closeup.jpg
     
    ztanos likes this.
  6. PriusInParadise

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    The silver colored part is the wire clamp that holds the boot to the joint. It appears threaded because the wire is wrapped around the boot. The clamp is made of spring wire, so it can maintain tension on the boot without having the ends tied. This is normal, no need to worry.
    If you are really curious, you can obtain another link, possibly from a junk yard and pry it apart to see how it's made.
    Under the conditions in Hawaii, I see these boots start to fail on various Toyota models after about 10 years. They develop cracks around the outer perimeter near the mold parting line, and split open. Other than collision or road hazard, I have not seen any fail at the clamped end.
     
    #6 PriusInParadise, Nov 24, 2014
    Last edited: Nov 24, 2014
    ztanos likes this.
  7. Boberic

    Boberic Junior Member

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    You sound like you're familiar with this part but I'm telling you I got up close to it and the rubber has indeed separated at that point. You can kinda see in the pic near the top that the rubber joins back together. I guess I'll call the dealer and have them look at it.
     
  8. Mike500

    Mike500 Senior Member

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    That's a LOT of RUST on those suspension parts. Where do you live?

    I wouldn't worry unless the joint leaks grease, and it starts rattling.
     
  9. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

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    Why does your info say 2012 Prius C and in your post you say 2013?
     
  10. PriusInParadise

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    The stabilizer bar link ends are little ball joints. The stud sticking out swivels, to allow the link and strut to move. What you see in your photo is the stud swiveled upward, compressing the boot at the top and stretching it at the bottom. That is why it looks uneven. If you removed the nut from the upper joint, you can swivel the stud around and see how the boot flexes. If you swivel the stud downward, the wire clamp will be visible at the top and hidden under the boot at the bottom. If you place the stud straight out, the boot will be even all around.
    As I have stated before, when there is a crack or split in the boot, grease will leak out, leaving the surrounding area damp and darkened.
    Please consult your dealer. I hope they can clarify this for you.
     
  11. PriusInParadise

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    Now that the site is back up and running, I think I can resume beating this dead horse.

    Here is an example of a torn stabilizer link boot. It's from a 2007 Yaris with about 90,000 miles. You can clearly see the fine cracks and the tear where the grease is leaking out. IMG_2937.JPG
    The wire clamp is visible to the right of the tear, the boot is still intact at the clamp.
     
  12. GregP507

    GregP507 Senior Member

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    One of the little tricks of stretching old parts is to keep them lubricated. If so inclined, you could inject grease through the seal periodically with a hypodermic needle. you could make one yourself, or buy them already made-up.
    GreaseZerk.jpg Grease-o-dermic.jpg
     
  13. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Boot is fine.
    The suspension is suspended so is fully hanging at an angle it hardly sees which is
    Why the boot is articulated. Its not at that angle
    On the ground.

    If your going over the suspension so carefully
    Take care of it.
    Spray some lube on all the bolt heads and any part that moves.
    Spray black magic PROTECTANT on the rubber boots.

    With no lube protection applied all the pot metal and raw metal components under there will quickly rust.

    I use PB Blaster CSP spray. Its made for this application.
     
    Fostel likes this.