The right side of my front (and only) swaybar has engaged disengaged for the second time in as many years. For those of you who have had upgraded sport sway bars installed, is there any trick to getting them to stick to the body? Two different professionals have tried to get mine to stay but for some reason, it keeps breaking loose.

Thanks in advance,
Rhett

 

I'm not quite clear on what's happening.

Is the "u-bracket" that holds the bar to the subframe coming off? Are bolts just loosening up and falling, or are they pulling thru, or what?

Or is the vertical end link (that attaches to the control arm) coming off?

Cheers
DD

 

I'm attaching a snap of where the bar and bush are pulling away from the body.

 

Here's what the not-broken side looks like.

 

Offhand it looks like the area where the u-bracket ataches has broken away from the body of the car and someone has made an unseccessful attempt at welding it back together...?

If that's the case you might wanna have a body shop take a look at the situation.

I can't think of any reason for this part of the car to break aways unles is was weakened by prior damage or rust.

Others will chime in

Cheers
DD

 

I have just gone and had a look at my car. The anchorage of the ARB bracket on the lower chassis rail is a very substantial welded bracket. It extends horizontally fore and aft on the chassis rail several inches, and the bit that sticks out inwards, through which the ARB is clamped, is supported vertically by two triangular struts that are welded to that sticking out piece and to the side of the chassis rail.

It is impossible, as far as I can see, to adequately weld a repair to this bracket without removing the front subframe. As Doug so correctly said, your guy has bodged up a rubbishy welded repair on the only bit of the bracket he can get to with the subframe in place. this will never anchor an ARB straining to hold 2 tons of leaning XJS generating goodness knows what force on a 50 MPH corner!

This is a pic of rusted bits of XJS being scrapped. You can see the ARB bracket and its triangular bracers in the top of the pic, sticking up from the blackened chassis rail. The rail has the oblong hole in it to the left of the bracket and you can also see the bracket and the hole for the front six shot subframe mounting to its right.



Greg

 

That's discouraging. I wonder what other work I could have done with the front subframe removed? I mean, if we're going that far, may as well take advantage of the access, no?

Just for the record, the sway bar repair that's come undone (this time) was by the body shop that did such a great job putting the car back together after the deer incident last October, not by my regular shop.

 

The subframe can be swung downwards, using the front six-shot bush's huge bolt as a hinge. This is not hard to do, does not take very long, and is easiest if the car is on a ramp or at least well off the ground. This requires the engine to be supported across the wing gutters by a beam and chains to the lifting eyes, the shockers, front brake flexibles, engine/subframe/earth strap, and steering to be disconnected. The ARB bracket can then be welded properly, the steering rack bushes replaced, and if necessary the lower wishbone bushes replaced. The engine sump and sandwich plate gaskets can be renewed as well if they leak.

None of these bits are expensive, just a pain to access normally!

Greg

 

Thanks Greg. I've passed this on to my mechanic and will be having a discussion with him about it later today.