DIY: AVO JDM Rear Swaybar Install

[apexjapan]

DIY Rear Swaybar install

 

I've gotten a rear JDM swayer from our office in Japan - this is the original equipment for a Legacy in Japan. Evidently they trust Japanese drivers more than American, because it's a much larger bar. Especially in comparison to the stock Outback 2.5i bar I'm replacing. This is another job that can be difficult to do unless you do it on ramps. If you jack up the entire rear of the car and put both sides on jackstands, it will be difficult as the suspension may swing down further than the swaybar can travel. As long as the car is sitting on it's suspension as normal, there is no tension on the swaybar, making this much easier.

 

This job is slightly more complicated than the endlinks - you'll need a 14mm socket, 12mm socket, and 14mm wrench. You can pretty much disassemble 90% of your Subaru with those three and a pair of screwdrivers….

http://www.avoturboworld.com/images/stories/2010/07_july/swaybar/swaybar_001.jpg

 

Unbolt the swaybar bushing brackets with a 12mm socket.

http://www.avoturboworld.com/images/stories/2010/07_july/swaybar/swaybar_002.jpg

 

Unbolt the endlink from the swaybar. It uses a the 14mm wrench and socket.

http://www.avoturboworld.com/images/stories/2010/07_july/swaybar/swaybar_003.jpg

 

If you did do this job on jackstands, you can possibly remove the rear wheel to get the swaybar out. But it's a much easier job on jackstands, so I instead unbolted one of the rear mufflers from the mid pipe assembly.

http://www.avoturboworld.com/images/stories/2010/07_july/swaybar/swaybar_004.jpg

 

That gives you just enough room to swing the swaybar out on that side, then you can rotate it out from the other side.

http://www.avoturboworld.com/images/stories/2010/07_july/swaybar/swaybar_005.jpg

 

A comparison of the stock USDM bar vs. an OEM JDM bar.

http://www.avoturboworld.com/images/stories/2010/07_july/swaybar/swaybar_006.jpg

 

http://www.avoturboworld.com/images/stories/2010/07_july/swaybar/swaybar_008.jpg

 

It's actually a lot easier to get the rear bar back into place than it was to take out. Probably from the experience gained removing the old bar!

http://www.avoturboworld.com/images/stories/2010/07_july/swaybar/swaybar_009.jpg

 

Grease the polyurethane bushings well, then slide them onto the bar, and fix them up with the brackets. Bolt them in.

http://www.avoturboworld.com/images/stories/2010/07_july/swaybar/swaybar_010.jpg

 

Bolt the endlinks back up. Congratulations, bask in the glow of your new suspension!

http://www.avoturboworld.com/images/stories/2010/07_july/swaybar/swaybar_011.jpg

 

Again, the hardest part of this job is finding where you put your 14 and 12mm sockets, and figuring out how to work the bar out of it's location. You can easily do this job in 30-60 minutes, depending on your preparation.

 

Regards,

 

Paul Hansen

http://www.avoturboworld.com

[kensukikatayo]

Thanks for posting this Paul. Just got through it with only one side on jack stands.

 

Tip: You only need to remove one wheel to wiggle the bar out.

[tomstrack41]

I just installed the AVO rear sway bar. Really makes alot of difference. A couple things I learned in doing this.

 

Tip: remove endlink attachment to the OLD sway bar BEFORE you unbolt the sway bar mount / bushings. The sway flops around and its alot easier to remove the endlink if the sway bar is still attached to the car.

 

My endlinks were shot, and the nuts refused to come off on one side. I used a grinder to cut off the old link and remove it so I could install new endlinks. This took longer than getting the old bar out and the new one in place.

 

Tip: Putting the new sway bar in. Attach endlink on one side, attach the bar / bushings to the car. The other endlink end, jack up the car about 2 inches and the other endlink will be alot easier to attach to the new sway bar.

 

I removed the wheel on the passenger side to wiggle / jiggle and snake the old sway bar out. My exhaust bolts look pretty rusted and I am tired of drilling out broken bolts on my Subaru.

 

Tip: You have to watch the bar ends / bar to make sure you get them on the correct side of the mount bracket. or you end up doing this step 2 times (like I did) cause I wasnt looking close enough when I put the new bar in.