Plastic sway bar end link

[winecountryone]

I broke a set of tire chains on the 240D trying to get up my hill during the last storm.In the course of flopping around,the flying chain broke the plastic "link" that attaches between the sway bar and the knob on the backing plate.(rear suspension)I went to my nearest pick-n-pull and broke two before getting one off in one piece!
I broke that good one trying to snap it onto the car!The ball/socket is an extremely tight fit.
Should I just call the dealer to price a new one or are there any tips to avoid damaging another used one?
I was thinking maybe the plastic was just brittle from wear/age,but it appeared to be in good shape.It's easy to use big pliers to snap it on the sway bar end but nearly impossible to use this method on the other end.Trying to tap that end on with a ball peen hammer is how I cracked it.
Any thoughts/ideas would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

[JimFreeh]

Buy 'em new. Old plastic tends to bereak upon agitation.

Jim

[bobs]

They're pretty cheap, too.

[tinypanzer]

Just order them here from fastlane. They are cheap, and they will make a huge difference in the rattles you hear from your rear end.


-tp

[whunter]

Originally Posted by winecountryone

I broke a set of tire chains on the 240D trying to get up my hill during the last storm.In the course of flopping around,the flying chain broke the plastic "link" that attaches between the sway bar and the knob on the backing plate.(rear suspension)I went to my nearest pick-n-pull and broke two before getting one off in one piece!
I broke that good one trying to snap it onto the car!The ball/socket is an extremely tight fit.
Should I just call the dealer to price a new one or are there any tips to avoid damaging another used one?
I was thinking maybe the plastic was just brittle from wear/age,but it appeared to be in good shape.It's easy to use big pliers to snap it on the sway bar end but nearly impossible to use this method on the other end.Trying to tap that end on with a ball peen hammer is how I cracked it.
Any thoughts/ideas would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

Sounds like you are not removing or installing them correctly..
Picture of the assembly attached...
Sway Bar Link, Rear
MB# 123 320 09 89


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[t walgamuth]

You need to unscrew the ball on each end not try to pop them over it.

[Johnhef]

Take a 17mm wrench with you next time and they'll come off a whole lot easier.

[winecountryone]

I didn't realize these were supposed to unbolt! My bad!!
They weren't what I'd call cheap though.28$ each with shipping to my house
I'll have them Sat AM
My nearest dealer is over 50 miles away,it's easier to pay ups than drive,especially with the car screwed up.
Thanks to all

[hey_allen]

Huh, I bought mine ~$8 each, and ordered a bunch of other stuff at the same time, so defrayed the shipping cost as well.

[tinypanzer]

Ouch! They're only $12.38 a piece here on Fastlane. And that's for Lemfoerder brand.

By the way, if you were able to pop the ball out of the socket, then your links were shot anyway. There should be no way to do that when the links are in good shape.

Make sure you have a 17mm, a 16mm, and maybe a 15mm open end wrench. Sometimes the nut is smaller (which is good, because you don't have to have two 17mm wrenches).

-tp

[whunter]

for customer W123 300D.

The skronking rattle crunch sounds you described on the phone should be:
The rear sway bar link plastic ball socket is seriously corroded.

You have two ($1,300.00) new OE axles, and verified the boots are perfect (no leaks).

The oil leaking from the center of the trailing arms + rear body roll + bouncing rear end = bad shocks.

The rear shocks are generally an easy diy.
PeachPartsWiki: Replacing the Rear Shocks & Springs


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