[Peanut]

I replaced my front stabiliser bushings on a Gen 1 Crv and I noticed the part of the stabiliser bar where the bushings are attached/the bar pivots are quite rough/pitted/corrosion.

I'm assuming leaving them like that may accelerate the wear of the new bushing, should I be cleaning up the stabiliser bar with sandpaper before fitting the new bushings?

 

[Carbuff2]

The contact area of the stabilizer bar bushings should NOT move VS the bar... a new bushing will grip tight. If anything, you want to ROUGHEN those areas up, or apply a paint/primer. So, bushing wear will not be a factor.

The exception is poly bushings, these do move around the bar due to their stiff nature. Those, you lubricate.

Some aftermarket bushings come with a hard-plastic 'collar' to assist in the grip.

 

[Peanut]

The contact area of the stabilizer bar bushings should NOT move VS the bar... a new bushing will grip tight. If anything, you want to ROUGHEN those areas up, or apply a paint/primer. So, bushing wear will not be a factor.

The exception is poly bushings, these do move around the bar due to their stiff nature. Those, you lubricate.

Some aftermarket bushings come with a hard-plastic 'collar' to assist in the grip.

Thanks for that, learnt something today!

I had some concept in my mind that the bar pivoted to some degree with suspension movement, glad it doesn't because I wasn't looking forward to taking it all off again.

 

[Carbuff2]

The bar DOES pivot...and the bushings 'twist' as that happens.

Control arm bushings work the same way. That is why, if you replace control arms or bushings, you leave the attaching hardware 'loose' until the suspension settles at its normal ride height. THEN you tighten the nuts & bolts.

 

[Peanut]

The bar DOES pivot...and the bushings 'twist' as that happens.

Control arm bushings work the same way. That is why, if you replace control arms or bushings, you leave the attaching hardware 'loose' until the suspension settles at its normal ride height. THEN you tighten the nuts & bolts.

If the bar does pivot wouldn't you want a reduction in friction because otherwise that relatively soft rubber is going to get chewed up?

I think I'm still not up to speed yet.

When I did mine this afternoon I removed the stabliser brackets with the vehicle not jacked up fitted the new bushings and just tightened the brackets straight back on, is that a suitable process?

 

[Carbuff2]

If the bar does pivot wouldn't you want a reduction in friction because otherwise that relatively soft rubber is going to get chewed up?

The bushings do not get chewed up because they are DESIGNED to flex across their thickness. That is why SB bushings are relatively thick compared to suspension bushings.

When I did mine this afternoon I removed the stabilizer brackets with the vehicle not jacked up fitted the new bushings and just tightened the brackets straight back on, is that a suitable process?

For sway bar bushings it is probably OK but it would have been better to do it with the wheels on ramps.
First large speed bump will surely 'set' the SB bushings OK. :sweat:


++++++

Your situation was mentioned by Yogi Berra:

 

[chyea_rd1]

If the bar does pivot wouldn't you want a reduction in friction because otherwise that relatively soft rubber is going to get chewed up?

I think I'm still not up to speed yet.

When I did mine this afternoon I removed the stabliser brackets with the vehicle not jacked up fitted the new bushings and just tightened the brackets straight back on, is that a suitable process?

I think I understand more of what you’re asking here, Peanut. When you took off the old SBB (Sway Bar Bushing), you noticed pitting on the Sway Bar where old SBB was. You can sand down the pits, apply spray paint to cover the rusting, then re-apply the new SBB. Some people choose to lube up the bushing, however you must take in consideration what the material is and not to use a lubricant that will deteriorate it.

I’m surprised you were able to loosen SBB bolts and bracket while on the ground with no flex on the Sway Bar. Then again I had my car on jack stands and had to lift at the lower control arm to allow movement of the Sway Bar while installing the Sway Bar links and SBB.

 

[BDub]

Working on the sway bar, you either need both wheels on the ground, or both of them off the ground. That is a torsion bar. When one wheel goes up, the sway bar helps push it back down by pushing against the other control arm or strut. So as long as they are both on the ground or both in the air, the sway bar isn't doing anything.

As far as lubrication goes, I use a silicone lubricant paste. Silicone doesn't degrade rubber and will repel water. It will help with installing the new bushings and help protect both the bushing and the sway bar.