How-to: install front sway bar bushings w124
 

0. Buy all 4 bushings, they're cheap. 2 (inner/upper) are larger donuts than the 2 (outer/end) ones.

1. You could also do this job without jacking the car, but then you're working pretty low to the ground. So get two car jacks, block the rear wheels, put the parking brake on. Jack up both front wheels 1" off the ground, and now the sway bar is unsprung and taking no torsion. You can do this job with the belly pans in place.

2. Get two 13mm socket wrenches, 3/8" drive is fine. Or, one socket wrench and a normal wrench works too.

3. Do one side of the car at a time, do both bushings on that side, then move to other side. Remove a front wheel. You do all work through this wheel well opening.

4. Spot the sway bar. It's the thick bar connecting one wheel carrier to the other wheel, the bar runs across the front of car ahead of the front axles. It's job, by the way, is to make your independent suspension less independent (more dependent on what the other side of the car is doing).

5. Remove 2 x 13mm nuts on each of the bushings' "U" shaped clamps to un-sandwich each bushing. You'll need two drivers on the inner/upper clamp, but just one tool on the other clamp (nearest the wheel) because its bolts are welded to the wheel carrier. Leave that sway bar inner/upper bracket in place bolted to the chassis, no need to remove. Don't mix up which U clamp goes where, one is bigger than the other.

6. Pull old donuts off. Do not eat them.

7. Clean the sway bar with soapy water if needed, to help slide the new ones on.

8. Slide the new inner donut on first, then slide the outer one on. Get them positioned roughly where they need to be and re-clamp by threading the nuts and bolts back together by hand. The clamps will self-align and seat themselves perfectly around the bushings as you tighten down the fasteners. If you weren't paying attention, bolts go through the holes from the back of the car with threaded end toward the front for those upper/inner clamps. But it probably doesn't matter.

9. Tighten clamps uniformly until metal brackets meet back together, then torque to finish. Judging by the thread pitch I put a medium arm on them, or follow the FSM if you're German or unsure if you're German. Tighten them right down with the car up in the air, yes, it's OK.

10. Put wheel back on. Leave car jacked on both sides, do other side.

11. When done, lower car and check torque on lug bolts.

12. Go for a drive and smile.

Nice writeup!
Where did you purchase your bushings? Did they have Polyurethane?

Rubber, Lemforder brand.

Get them from your favorite reputable online auto parts supplier, probably fulfilled through WorldPac.

The old ones were not totally shot on my car, but were starting to show signs of wear, softening, and slight enlarging of the holes. They probably could have gone another few years, but for the money of new ones... but now I've got a slight but noticeable improvement.

Thinking I should replace all rubber bushings_184K
 

Scott

My Son and I purchased an 89' 300CE and plan to work on it together this summer.
We are replacing the struts, shocks and control arm/drag link. I am thinking we should replace the sway bar bushings at the same time. can anyone tell me if there are other rubber parts or bushings that should be replaced to improve drivability and safety?

Please help!
Thank You

PJ

the rear suspension is full of links that the ends with rubber joints that wear out. That alone plays a huge part in how well the 124 handles.

I don't know if the coupe had a sport package but in sedans, changing from regular to sport sway bars will help improve the steering response time substantially. I like a twitchy steering (to avoid all the potholes on the roads these days) and went Sports on my '87 300D and left the OE suspension on my wifes '87 300D and I feel the difference regularly, like if I drive her car its like a slushy kind of feel compared to the sports suspension which is a "get outta my way I can pass anything except maybe a Porsche!" kind of feeling.

Also older sway bar brackets were beefed up some time in the early evolution of the 124 chassis so if one is replacing standard OE sway bar bushings, buying new brackets would be a good idea at the same time, they don't cost that much and since the early brackets tended to fail, upgrading an early 124 to the later brackets is probably a good idea.

It will make a nice project working your way through the suspension on this car. Check that neither of your front springs are cracked on the lower-most coils. Also, check the ball joints and bushings in the lower control arms. and check all tie-rod points along with that center drag link, wheel to wheel. One person watch while other moves steering slightly left/right. If the whole linkage doesn't move as a unit all at the same time, and wheels don't move immediately along with the tie rods... you've got some work to do.

Strut mounts, strut bump stops and shields, idler arm bushings, steering damper, steering column coupling...

Sixto
87 300D

It would be nice if someone could make a list of suspension parts along with # since lots of vendors dont supply exploded view online