Remove sway bar link

There’s an easy way to remove sway bar link and a hard way

Guess which one I prefer? Yup, the easy way. But most DIYers do it the hard way. Any time they see a thread nut/bolt, they think it has to be unscrewed. But if you’re replacing the end link, there’s no reason to car about how you destroy the nut or the threaded shaft. Don’t waste any time trying to unscrew the nut holding the sway bar link to the sway bar or strut. Instead, just cut through the nut using a rotary tool

In my experience it just so easy to slice down the center of the nut with a cutting wheel and then split the nut with a small chisel. Done. The threaded shaft pops right out.

Cut through the retaining nut on the sway bar link nut using a cutting wheel

Locate the cut off wheel parallel to the threaded stud on the ball stud. Start the rotary tool and cut right into the nut. If you’re removing the nut on the sway bar end, continue cutting until the cut off wheel is almost all the way through the nut. Then use your 3/8″ chisel and a hammer to break the nut off the stud. If you’re replacing the strut, continue cutting through the nut. If not, use the chisel to break the nut apart.

Here’s what you’ll need to remove a sway bar end link:

Rotary tool electric or battery powered
Cut off wheel
3/8″ cold chisel for metal

Fight with it  if you want

Ball stud style sway bar end links can be a bear to remove if they aren’t designed with flats on the ball stud side. The flats are designed for an open end wrench to hold the ball stud while you remove the retaining nut on the other side. Even if there are no flats, you can still remove a sway bar link using these methods.

But some sway bar link manufacturers leave out the flats and instead provide a hex socket to hold the ball stud. That design can leave you very frustrated.

©, 2023 Rick Muscoplat