Rep Power: 812

Well what started as an ebay sale gone wrong ended up with a happy ending lol (not that kind). anyway i had ordered a set of oem style front endlinks for $28, and when i open the package, i get one oem looking link and one completely different style link and the joints did not even move! no way could i install them. the size was not even the same so i doubt it wouldve even lined up. ive been without a swaybar now for a couple months and this is getting done today. so i checked out the auto parts stores and looked at their various crap like power master and oe brand, etc. they all look like suck. then just for giggles i asked for the moog parts. they had both in stock surspisingly. as soon as a saw these, i was in love lol. they had rubber boots around each side and greasable inserts to keep them lubed (it came pregreased already). but best of all, the middle connecting rod was double the thickness of the oem rod! wow, i have to try these out since im having so many problems breaking links apart. the moog info says not for use with modded suspension, but these are so BEEFY and heavy duty i think they are gonna hold up well. they have a good range of movement in the joints too. the only bad part, i spent $90 on the pair of links. hopefully for the last time.

as for the install, it was a bit of a pita, but somehow i managed to install both sides without even jacking up the car. this is the proper way, since you want them tightened while the suspension is loaded. tightening them while the car is raised will put excess strain on the sway parts, and i think this may have been why the old links twisted to pieces. the pro alignment shop i took my car to before did not realize the right way to install the links. but anyway, its being corrected now.

i already had the bar being held on by just the bushings, so all i did was first test fit both links and loosely put the locking nuts on. they would only go on a few turns due to the locking part. but the studs lined up with all the holes no problem. this is where the fun started. you have to hold one side of the stud with a wrench while tightening the bolt with a ratchet. the problem is theres almost no space at all to work with. so few hours later, i got everything bolted on by wrapping a string around the sway bar and wrench to keep it from moving. the sway bar to link connection was the hardest. the link to LCA was pretty easy. tightening everything to around 30 ft lbs was hard. i also went back and retightened the bushing brackets as well. so im ready for a test drive tomorrow. hopefully these upgraded links last longer than the old ones!

EDIT for Part numbers K90455 and K90454 for 01-05 civic front sway bar.

 
Rep Power: 291

Congrats. Welcome back to the ranks of us with sway bars.

 
Rep Power: 388

Take any pics of the links?

The ones I got in my progress sway bar adapter kit are the beefiest I've ever seen... I'm wondering whos is bigger

 
Rep Power: 812

i can take some pics installed today! so far so good, altho i wonder if the potholes and bumpy roads are causing them to break. it takes such a beating every day from the streets around here. any pics of the progress ones?

 
Rep Power: 812

here come the pics!

first the old and busted dezod links

bent one



broken



heres what ebay sent, top one is oem style and the studs move, second one i dont know what it is but the studs are not movable and so its impossible to match up the holes on the car. useless. and still very cheap and thin connecting rod.



heres the moog link installed very nice. ignore the rusty car

 
Rep Power: 388

The progress ones look exactly like the dezod ones- so really no sense in taking a picture unless your still interested in a shot of them- mine are clean tho, still in the box- never put the bar on.

The moog ones look really strong and dont look like they'd give much up.

 
Rep Power: 812

yeah theyre nice and they pivot around pretty well by hand so i think they can absorb the stress of the bar. i also installed the greaser ports into those holes so dirt doesnt go in (or grease doesnt come out). it was a pain tho cause they wouldnt thread on, i had to force em on with a wrench and prolly stripped them but they are holding in place at least. i think i should retighten the main nuts after some driving. steering feels much better, the only thing still limiting all the mods is crappy tires. i cant wait to get some nice ones again that handle better.

 
Rep Power: 388

I'm curious. What side bent/snapped on the endlinks- the side holding the bar, or the chassis side?

 
Rep Power: 812

the bar side snapped. when i looked, one side of the bar was hanging up in the air, and most of the link was still on the control arm. do you think i need to inject grease in the new links? i have no grease or gun so it will be more expenses adding up. they looked like pre-greased from what i could tell, but idk if youre supposed to pack it in. bleh. btw i read in the info that the grease fittings might be self tapping, maybe thats why they went in so hard.

 
Rep Power: 388

I'd throw some more in there for safe measure, why not since you've already experienced more then enough issues with end links.

Go to harbor freight and get a cheap grease gun, here is one for 5 bucks: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93486

 
Rep Power: 812

yeah i guess i will look into it thanks.

 
Rep Power: 0

I also installed the Moog Endlinks (all 4) on my civic in May 2010. The stock ones were completely locked up from lack of any grease left in them. The Moog's are like twice the thickness of the OEM ones, they come pre-packed with grease and have the fittings to service them whenever. I also installed the fittings with care - small threads and looks soft so don't over torq em. Also: I checked each case when I bought them and noticed someone cross-threaded the first one, that didn't leave the store with me, haha. hope this helps anyone else.

 
Rep Power: 183

Seriously, do we have to tighten all of the suspension components with the suspension loaded, wheels on the ground?

I have replaced the LCA bushing from Energy suspension, the lower ball joints and I'm about to replace the stabilizer bar links ends. Does that mean everything I've done up until now was wrong? How the hell are you supposed to tighten everything with the car on the ground?

Thanks

 
Rep Power: 812

yes seriously if you want them to work properly. suspension geometry changes drastically with the car in the air vs on the ground. you may need to loosely (hand tight) install them by jacking up the car a bit so they go in. then once they are in place, lower car and tighten them fully. i though it was actually easier with the car on the ground. gotta get creative with wrenches and use parts of the frame as leverage. its certainly doable. if i can do it so can you.

i dont think lca bushings and ball joints need to be done with the car on the ground tho. i can double check the manual. sway links im completely sure they do.

 
Rep Power: 183

Thanks for replying.
About the LCA bushings, I think I heard someone in a youtube video that it should be done too (tighten the bolts with the car on the ground). Do you actually have to lower the car completely so that whole weight of the car is spread on all four wheels? If so, how are you supposed to crawl under the car to do whatever work you need to do on the suspension?

hey, you got yourself a good manual? is it a printed one or a pdf file?
I would be very grateful if you could "share" it with me
I have one pdf of around 2000-3000 pages, but I'm not sure if it's the Honda genuine factory manual or if it has all the necessary stuff in it.

 
Rep Power: 812

i would but its the factory honda manual, about the size of a thick phone book. i had a shop put in my lca bushings but they havent fallen apart for years so i assume they are okay. but yeah "loaded" suspension means car on the ground. im not positive, but there may be ways to load it while the car is in the air with special tools.

 
Rep Power: 183

I tried finding the Moog sway bar links you installed on your car but couldn't find one my our specific generation. Where did you buy them? How much were they?

 
Rep Power: 812

for my 2002 civic they special ordered it from oreilly/old kragen. advance auto carries moog parts in stock if you have that nearby.

 
Rep Power: 0

Another super late response: I purchased mine from the local Advanced Auto Parts store, the price seemed fair and it was close by, done deal.
Just make sure you open the small box to check the grease fitting threads