Rear swaybar endlink broken + subframe crack (pls see pics)

[Mikecivic78]

[IMG][/IMG]

Car: EM1
Swaybar: EK9/ oem bushings and Em1 rear swaybar endlinks (they fit well upon install one week ago). Car is running stock springs and shocks.

Problem is that the right hand side endlink has broken and the ball join has popped out.

How can I fix this? Is the endlink repairable, or do I need new ones.

As you can see in the next pic, the bar has shifted to the left. Is it ok to drive without doing excess damage?[IMG][/IMG]

All replies welcome, it needs to be fixed as I have to take it on a road trip in a week :S

[Mikecivic78]

No replies?

Oh well, guess I'll just order some new endlinks and re-install the bar with them.

[RPMTOY]

hi there, you probably best off just getting some new ones either oem or a stronger aftermarket, say hardrace or spherical type made by functions 7, yonas at jdmyard can help you out. Interms of driving it will be fine as u don't need a sway bar to drive. Just make sure its not rubbing on any thing, you can just use your hands to rotate it out of the way.

[Mikecivic78]

I ordered some hardrace endlinks earlier today. Thanks for the reply.

[bennjamin]

never seen a OEM endlink fail....only in a accident. the swaybar possibly was installed slightly to one side putting strain on this endlink and thus breaking it. When reinstalling remember to measure the distance of both side to make sure they are even

[Mikecivic78]

It is odd. Actually I didn't do the work, I got a shop to do it as I was too busy to get round to it. They might have done something wrong.

More disturbingly, I have found that there is a crack in the subframe on the left side near where the bolts go into the subframe.

[Mikecivic78]

Here is a pic of the crack in the sub frame. By the way, did they use the correct bracket under the ASR brace? (the two smaller brackets were returned to me from the ASR kit).

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[Alexx]

Who installed the brace?! All pieces of the kit need to be used during install..... Id be demanding an explanation from whoever installed the brace.

take a pic so we can see in behind the brace. there is a little L kinda shaped bracket that fits behind the subframe. Sounds like they didnt install them, dodgy kents.

As for driving, undo the other endlink and it should be fine.

[vinnY]

pretty sure ek4/em1's had a bracket welded to the back and you don't use the backing plates on them(cxi/gli didn't have rear sway bars so they have the holes but no bracket hence the need for the asr brackets in the first place)

[Mikecivic78]

pretty sure ek4/em1's had a bracket welded to the back and you don't use the backing plates on them(cxi/gli didn't have rear sway bars so they have the holes but no bracket hence the need for the asr brackets in the first place)

yea that's what the installation guide says.

Like Alexx said, the L shaped backing plates were used under the actual brace, but the smaller ones were not.

Does anyone have any more info on which backing plates should be used and where? Also, what about the crack? How could it have happened and is it serious?

[Mikecivic78]

These small backing plates weren't used. Where are they supposed to go on an EM1 subframe? I have read that EM1/Ek4 already a slightly different subframe than EK1 and mightn't need them. Is it true?
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[Alexx]

http://www.passwordjdm.com/Install_N...R_Brace_EK.pdf

As above, it appears the backing plates arent needed on si model (em1). Disregard what i said before, I come from an EG/DC background where it is 100% necessary to install the backing plates.

If they were supposed to be used (on cxi/gli), they are supposed to go above the LCA, 'inside' the subframe.