The
Sway Bar Rod Ends are the bits of metal that hold or 'Link' the ends of the sway bar onto the lower swinging suspension arms - hence the terms 'Sway Bar Links' & 'Sway Bar Rod Ends'. They are usually found by looking for the vertical rod that forms the 'link' between the suspension arms & the ends of the horizontal, flexible spring that we often call a Sway bar, altho it's really an
Anti-Sway bar!
The
Sway Bar Bushes are usually found underneath the frame just inside the inner ends of the suspension where they hold the middle of the Sway Bar firmly against the frame, so that any suspension movement on one side of the suspension is passed thru the Anti-sway bar so that as it's twisted, the resulting torsion can help equalise the forces acting on one side of the suspension and transfer some of it across to the other, thereby reducing the 'side to side' sway or uneven oscillation that would otherwise occur! :thumbup:
Back to the Sway Bar Rod Ends, those Sway Bar Links have little flexible 'ball joints' in the end, often '
Heim Joints', in the form of a metal ball (with a bolt hole thru the middle of it) that can swivel in a bowl shaped cup, with the bolt securing that end onto the chassis or bar as applicable so that the ball can swivel thru a wide range of motion and angles as the various parts move in different ways. These are known as the
Sway Bar Rod Ends, but there are also 'Rod Ends' that serve a similar function (albeit in a slightly different way) found on the end of the steering tie rods, where they help cater for the multi-directional movement experienced when the horizontal 'side to side' movement of the steering tie rods gets converted into the back & forth
AND up & down movement of the wheels as they turn & steer on the ends of the suspension arms.
Again, back to the Sway Bar Rod Ends - they have been known to become a little tight &/or locked as the tiny gap between the ball & the cup surrounding it gets filled with road grime etc, & so can create that clunking noise as they resist moving then suddenly release. Generally, cleaning them with a solvent &/or silicone type spray will get rid of the problem; but if you've left them with grime &/or grit in there for too long, it may have pitted the surfaces & need to be replaced.... but the metal used in the a/mkt rod ends is generally pretty high quality stuff & that'll generally take a fair while to present.... often not so long with the lesser quality OE products!!
And of course, the OE Sway Bar Links themselves are made out of a 'lightweight poly/fibre product' that has been known to become flexible over time, twisting in ways the designing engineer never envisaged & so putting the Rod Ends under all sorts of 'abnormal pressures', often contributing to clunks & noises; and just as often/over time causing the OE sway Bar Links to actually fail!! And you can take it from me that when
THAT occurs as you're hanging off the seat half-way thru a full rate turn with the inside wheel off the ground & the Nanny already getting a little nervous about everything, the sudden 'snap' & resulting lurch will really make your bum pucker! :yikes:
So there's a whole bunch of moving components in the suspension & steering areas that can become a little 'grippy' &/or 'clunky' as they move when you climb aboard - the most likely cause of your noise is probably what's being referred to as the Sway Bar Rod Ends, but it could also be any one of the many other bushes &/or joints that help the suspension & steering keep your Spyder working & mobile. Probably wouldn't hurt you to make sure that
all of them are lubricated & moving freely!
hyea:
Good Luck! :cheers:
