What's up guys?
I'm Andy from 1A Auto.
In this video I'm going to show you how to replace the rear sway-bar links on this 2001
BMW 325xi.
If you need these parts or other parts for your vehicle, click the link in the description
and head over to one 1AAuto.com.
Now I'm going to raise and support the vehicle.
We're using a two post lift.
If you're doing this at your house, you can use a jack and jack stands.
With the vehicle raised up in the back, I'm going to take a 13-millimeter socket extension
and ratchet.
There's two nuts right here.
They're attached to the links, one here and one here.
I'm going to take both of those nuts off.
This nut on this side is very close to the drive to one of the axle shafts, so you're
not going to be able to use the deep socket.
You're going to have to use the shallow socket on that one.
So the bolt was spinning up top, so I have to use a 17-millimeter socket and a ratchet
up top so that it can hold the bolt from spinning, loosen up the nut underneath.
I'm going to use an air ratchet to loosen up the nut underneath.
It'll make it a little easier.
We sell these air ratchets at 1AAauto.com.
If you don't have an air ratchet, you can just use a regular ratchet.
Take that nut off.
Let's move the 17-millimeter socket over to the other side and loosen up this nut.
I'll take that nut off.
This is loose.
Now what I'm going to do is do the same with the other side.
Loosen up the other two bolts on the driver's side.
So we took these bolts out on both sides for the links for that bracket right there.
Next we're going to take these nuts out for the sway-bar bushings, there's one there and
then one up here above the exhaust.
If the nuts are rusty, make sure you spray some rust penetrant.
It's going to take a 13-millimeter socket and a ratchet.
Get that on, loosen these up.
All right, so the bolt is spinning on the other side, so I'm going to use a 13-millimeter
socket and ratchet on the other side.
Hold the bolt while I take the nut off.
I can pull that nut out and the bolt.
All right, I want a little bit more room to take this bushing, the mount off of that.
I don't have a lot of room in there because the exhaust, so I'm going to take a pry bar,
just slide this bushing, this exhaust mount off right here.
And there's another exhaust mount over here.
Slide that off.
That's off.
That gave me a little more room, so I can push it to the side a little bit to get in
here.
All right, from the front of this I'm just going to use the 13-millimeter socket and
the ratchet.
I'm just using pry bar to help guide me onto the nut.
Loosen this up, and I'm going to put another socket and ratchet on the other side.
All right, I finally got that nut out and the bolt out.
And it's pretty rusty, so I'm just going to take a pry bar, pry this out.
Pry back here, right back over here.
All right, so that's off of there.
Just want to try to get this past the axle, just like that, drive axle.
And then I can twist this side and twist it right up.
There you go.
There's the rear sway-bar.
Okay, it's easiest if you put the sway bar in a vice.
I have it set up like this so that I can access the link.
I'm just going to use some soapy water, just spray it on the link, and then just spin it
back and forth.
As you're spinning, you're going to be pulling it, pulling it towards you, slide it off.
Now I put the old link in the vice because I want to take this bracket off.
I'm just going to use a little rust penetrant on here.
Let that soak for a minute and then I'll take this bolt out.
Now I'll use a 13-millimeter wrench and a 13-millimeter socket on this impact gun.
If you don't have an impact gun, you can just use a ratchet.
Now I'm going to loosen this up.
Oops.
There we go.
Take that off.
Take the bolt out, take the bracket off.
Then we're going to put the bar back on the vice.
If you're afraid of this, if you're worried about this getting scratched, you can put
some towels in there, or something.
Some kind of rubber to prevent it from getting scratched, but this one's all set.
Here's the old part, here's the new rear sway-bar link from 1AAuto.com.
So you can see the shape is the same, the bushings are the same.
Okay.
Get yours at 1AAuto.com, and you can do it yourself.
So the end of this sway-bar is really rusty, so we're having trouble putting the new link
on.
What I'm going to use is this die grinder.
We actually sell this at 1AAuto.com with this sanding disc, we sell these discs as well.
I'm going to try to sand this down a little bit.
You could use a wire brush, or some sand paper, if you don't have a die grinder.
Now that I trimmed that down a little bit, just spray some soapy
water on there.
I could spray a little paint on there to try to make it nice, but I'm just going to put
this on.
Line this up.
Take my hammer, get it lined up and tap it on.
Oops.
Try twisting it a little bit.
Take a socket, punch it on with the socket.
Just work it back and forth and it goes on pretty good.
Try not to separate the bushing from the link, and it's good, just like that.
Take this bracket, slide it on.
It's going to have this part of the bracket towards the middle of the sway-bar.
Take the bolt, slide that on the nut.
Actually we had this bolt going through this way.
It probably doesn't matter, but we'll just put it on the same way we took it off.
Take a 13-millimeter wrench and a ratchet, and I'll just tighten this up by hand.
It has to be pretty tight.
That's good.
Take the bar in this position, we're going to go over the exhaust.
Slide this over just like that, and the bar's going to be in that location.
I'm going to have to set that like that, get that lined up, like that.
Just going to rotate these.
There's these little slots, these little tabs are going to go in those slots, just like
that.
There we go, get that lined up like that.
It's looking pretty good.
Before I put the bolts in where the bushings are, I'm going to take the bolts at least
get the links lined up in position.
If the bolts fell off from up top, put those back in.
And then take the nuts, get the nuts started.
And we do that with all four of these, but I'm not going to tighten those up yet until
I get the the bushings on, the bolts for the bushings.
Now I'll do the same for the other side.
Okay, with all those bolts in, just loose, I'm going to take this bolt right here for
the bushing and line this up.
I'm just going to use a pry bar to try to pry that back into position.
Or you can use, you could use some large pliers and try to squeeze it, and get that where
it needs to be.
Get this bolt started.
Then you're going to get the nut on the backside.
Do that on both sides.
Now I'm going to use a 13-millimeter wrench and a 13-millimeter socket and a ratchet,
tighten these up.
Do the same to the other side.
From the top side I'm going to take a 17-millimeter socket extension and a ratchet, just going
to hold the bolt from up top.
And then take a 13-millimeter socket extension and a ratchet, tighten the nuts up from underneath.
Do the same on both sides.
If you had to disconnect the vacuum for this exhaust valve right here, you're going to
reattach that and then there's these mounts.
Slide the mounts in position, if you have to you can use a little soapy water.
It's a good idea not to use any type of lubricant because you don't really want them to slip
out by accident, the soapy water will evaporate.
Slide that on, and slide the other one on.
Thanks for watching.
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