911rudy

Well I found my problem today! After replacing a $190 Bilstein shock and new poly-bronze bushings and the moan was still there, I was about to set fire to the beast. Then I noticed a little device that I had overlooked and decided to investigate. It is the "Stabilizer" mounted inside the front wheel well and attaches to the top of the "A" arm. I don't know exactly what it does but the Porsche manual calls it a stabilizer and never mentions it again. Anyway, when I put a long lever under it and pried upwards slowly, it moaned like a $10 *****!. I then tried to remove it to check it out but after all of the bolts were out, it wouldn't budge. Any ideas on how it is removed?

nathanUK '81 930 G50

Sway bar? AKA anti roll bar to us brits.

Gary R.

Are you talking about the rubber bushing that holds the sway bar to the A-Arm (circled in red)?

A930Rocket

Is it the style above or has someone swapped it for an earlier style that goes through the body? Either way, you will have to remove both arms off the shaft, the collars and grease everything

A Tarret and a early set up shown below.

911rudy

Its sorta like the one on the bottom with a few differences but I can tell it is the same family. Does that long rod go all the way through the front of the car? What would be groaning in the above set up? It looks like a torsion bar to me. I appreciate the picture and the advice. Has anyone out there ever done this job? Any short cuts?

A930Rocket

It does go all the way through the body, from one side to the other. It's really not that hard. Jack the car up. Remove the wheel. Remove the rod from the control arm to the sway bar arm and replace the bushing. You may need to support the control arm some to take the tension off. They should slip right in. No press is needed.

One other place to check for rubbing is the the bar as it runs behind the gas tank. If it's not installed properly, they can be installed too close adn make a squeak noise as it touches or twists against the gas tank.

Sounds like the bushing is worn out and you need to determine what brand you have to get a replacement. Here's a pic of mine from Weltmeister (also known as Sheistermeister because they are at the bottom of the food chain).

I thought that all 930 had the sway bar that Gary posted. They do not have any adjustability like the aftermarket sway bars do. Nor do they come in different bar thicknesses.

A930Rocket

What year is your car again?

DonE

I have a through the body anti sway bar and did all the suspension work (larger torsion, elephant racing bushings, revalved struts). I'll be in PTC with my car tomorrow (Fri) if you want to take a look.

911rudy

Don, that would be great. My # is 770-487-6055. Call me when you get here and maybe you can come over to my house on the parkway.
Rocket, that is the same set and style that I have. It is a golden round bar instead of the lever arm on the manual diagram that I posted. It looks like to me that the strut has to be loosened from the bottom to get it out of the way so that the bushing can be removed. Also, I took the three bolts out of the bracket and the thing moves in a circular motion but not outward. Is there somethi9ng that I have over looked? My car is an '87.
Rudy

A930Rocket

Rudy, it goes from one side to the other. You would need to take the round arm off both sides and the triangle shaped retainer on one side to remove the bar. The hard part is bolting that plate back on. You have to hang the inside piece with a coat hanger between the gas tank and the body while you get the bolts started in them. If the squeak is at the control arm, you could just remove the link and lube the bushings. Then move to the bushings that go throught the body if that doesn't fix it. Of course, while you are there, might as well do it all at one time.

911rudy

Rocket,
I got the triangle shaped piece off and found it has a poly-graphite bushing in it. I ordered two from Automotion since Weltmiester was bought by them. I had to un-bolt the A arm to move the strut to get the swing arm off. God, I hope I don't have to remove the whole thing. I noticed on the Pelican web site that they have a warning about these sway bars transmitting road noise into the car. I can vouch for that! Here are the pieces that I took off of the car and the anodized paint that I got from Summit to replicate the original look. I've used it on a lot of brackets and cap screws and it dresses up your car.

JFairman

Have you tried simply lubricating it so it doesn't ... moan?
Like simply squirting some penetrating oil on the bushings, or taking more time and cleaning and then greasing them with silicone grease or moly paste or even wheel bearing grease?

Moly paste adhere's and works best with ferrous metals but will take care of your moan without degrading the bushings.

911rudy

Thanks JF for the advice. I was going to do that but the bushing was already oval shaped from wear. Do you know which grease works best with poly-graphite?

A930Rocket

I have the same kind. Did you order any of the lube from Automotion? It comes in a small tub and you want to lube it up good. I ordered two when I installed mine (they are very small). The stuff is like gorilla snot it's so thick.

You won't need to remove the bar, just the end plates like you did to replace and lube the bushings.

I would not use a petroleum based lube. It might break down the bushings.

JFairman

Not knowing what your bushings are made of, silicone grease would be safest and it is the best lube for plastics and vinyls. You can get it with teflon (PTFE) in it too.
Sounds like your bushings are urethane or polypropylene impregnated with graphite, a dry lubricant.
If the bushings are urethane, polyvinyl, or polypropylene then petroleum grease will work and won't touch the plastic bushings.
Thats the type of plastic motor oil and tubs of grease come in these days and it doesn't melt the bottles. . .