2010 sway bar links...looks like me needs new ones

Hey a few more replies to yourself and you’ll have your problem solved!

I’d say you are on the right track. The sway bar ‘borrows’ spring from the other side of your suspension when you go around curves to help control body roll. The sway bar lets you have softer spring rates while giving you added stability in cornering situations.

The sway bar itself connects via those linkages to each strut. If they wear out it will give the symptoms you’ve listed.

They are generally pretty easy to replace with a jack and common hand tools.

 

How many miles?

 

I replaced the sway bar links on my 2010 at 149K and the clunk when entering a driveway or making a sharp turn at speed went away. Mine looked way worse than yours. Did the sway bar bushings a couple months later, they were shot as well. Slight improvement felt. Easy jobs!

 

Sway bar links are the most likely and cheapest candidate to fail first when it comes to noisy suspensions.

 

What’s killing them? Speed bumps?

 

Probably turns. If you could just get people to drive straighter....

 

Potholes and rough roads wear them out faster as well, especially if the car is loaded a lot.

 

Common-mode impulses like a speed bump just move both ends of the sway bar together, and aren't very stressful to the links.

Something like a pothole struck by just one wheel will stress both links.

Turning will naturally stress both links, because of the geometry. Their top ends attach to the strut bodies, at points that move as the strut rotates when steering.

On the inside of the turn, that point moves closer to 'straightening' the link, so it pushes the sway bar end downward and the coil spring upward ... pre-compressing the coil on that side, and tending to lower the car's stance on that side.

Meanwhile, on the outside of the turn, the point moves so as to further 'angle' the link, so it pulls that sway bar end upward and the coil spring downward ... pre-extending the coil on that side and tending to raise the stance on that side.

Those effects on the stance tend to counterbalance the g forces wanting to lean the car outward. It also effectively makes the outside coil spring stiffer by 'borrowing spring' from the one on the inside, as Team_Geek put it in #4. That's got to be the neatest way I've ever seen it explained.

So those links are under respectable stress whenever turning.

 

I replaced one last year at the dealer. It wasn't that bad cost wise. They put in an aftermarket one they picked up at a local parts store. Even the dealer said the cost of Toyota OEM part was ridiculous.

 

I’ve had sim experience with Honda dealerships; they’ll offer both OEM and aftermarket, for suspension, starters, what have you.

 

It's a moving part- so the more it moves and the higher the loading (ie turning the car, potholes, etc) then the sooner it will wear out.

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Usually I find sway bar links (and sway bar frame bushings) show up best by standing next to one of the front doors. Push / pull sideways on the top of the door (easier if you can "grab" part of the rain channel with your fingers). The idea is to force the car to rock (and roll) some- which the sway bar tries to prevent. Sometimes you need someone on the ground to carefully get some fingers on various suspension parts while rocking in order to feel and verify the loose and noisy part.

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There are lower control arm bushings that could wear out. They control more up/down motion of the wheel vs the left/right you are hearing.

If you have a friend that could turn the wheel while you listen to the location the noise is coming from (assuming you can hear it while stopped) that could help pinpoint the next set of parts to replace.
It sounds like tie rod ends to me based on what you are describing. If you can jack up the front of the car then try to move the tire left right. If you get any movement or clunking it is one or both set of tie rod ends.

There is also a chance it could be strut tower bearings but I’d save that for last since they are much more involved to replace. Usually way easier to just replace the entire strut assembly at that point.

 

Did you replace the sway bar mount bushings or just the links?

 

Screwdriver on the part with your ear on the handle works ok for a poor man’s steth..

You can usually feel the issue with your hand on the part when something is clunking on the suspension. Just have him turn the wheel a couple times first so you see where the parts move at so you don’t get pinched on anything.

But if you can hear it from the drivers seat it will probably be pretty obvious when you get up in the fender well.

Let us know what you find out. Good luck!