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Moog Endlink Broke Already WTF! (w/ pics)

2.9K views 25 replies 9 participants last post by  loudfocus01  
#1 ·
I installed moog front swaybar endlinks back in early July of this year, and last night while driving around I heard clunking noises coming from the front drivers side. So today, I took my front wheel off to find my moog front endlink broken. This is complete BS. I don't see how this could have happened other than being a faulty endlink to start out with. I bought them from RockAuto, and I will be emailing them with these pics in hopes of them sending me a new one for free, which they should do. I know I installed them correctly, and I even used my torque wrench and torqued them to the correct spec, so I know this wasn't my fault at all. Anyway, here are the pics:

The passenger side: nice and straight.
Image



The drivers side: You can tell whats broken just by looking.
Image

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Completely unacceptable. [thumbd]
 
#5 ·
If it was fine, then why would they start making a clunking noise?
Also, it had plenty of grease in there when I bought them, and still does. I checked.
I think you may be right about it having a ball type of internal,
so maybe its supposed to be able to swivel like that?
Why would one side be turned and the other straight?
Maybe it just needs more grease, but idk. Help would be greatly appreciated.
 
#6 ·
Well, end link is usually a ball type (least everyone I have ever looked at). So it's not really broken then? The only reason it would be oriented that way is because something moved it there. I.E. You sway bar supports are worn, hence the bar moved and the end link moved with it.
I really don' t know, but it works when I imagine the bar getting torqued during cornering say. There is a heck of a lot of stress on those mounts and endlinks.
 
#7 ·
Thanks man. I'll drive around on it a few more days and look to see if the position has
changed any, and also listen to see if the clunking is still there.
Any more input would be greatly appreciated also.
 
#8 ·
Does it have any in and out movement? Also it looks like someone hasn't been greasing them......................Please don't take your anger and frustration out on a company until you know the whole story. Any item with a grease fitting should be greased at least every 3,000 miles. Way more often in hotter climates. The grease that comes with aftermarket parts is nothing more than an assembly lube to allow it to fit together and prevent corrosion to internal parts while it's in the packaging. You should have flushed it out with real chassis grease when you installed it. And then on a regular basis thereafter.
 
#9 ·
mine moved like that...

i never had a clunking noise. i have a good bet you need grease and to check other areas...
 
#10 ·
Man, I was hoping it wasn't you when I saw this title. I have a set I haven't installed yet so let me know if you want to check one out or anything.

Also, on the greasing thing, how do you flush it out? Just open the valve and shove some grease in there? lol, what's the tool you need to do it? A typical grease gun?

sorry for the extreme greasy noobness
 
#13 ·
and did you try moving it by hand?
 
#14 ·
Damn it, thats my problem. I never added any grease. I thought that what came in it was fine.
Ok, well now I know what the problem is. And now I feel like an idiot.
But yeah, I never bashed RockAuto, they are a great company.
The endlink did not move back to the straight position by pushing on it,
most likely because of the lack of grease. So once I grease it, hopefully it'll be fixed.
I'm really hoping its not to the point where adding grease doesn't fix it.
I'm hoping there was no real damage done to the inside of the endlink, but i'll soon find out.
Thanks for all the info guys. I really appreciate it, and I'll update with how everything
goes once I lube them both up and move the one back into position. You guys rock!
 
#16 ·
I dunno what it's called, but I just looked at mine and yeah, that bolt moves around in any direction (ball joint). Um...but how the hell do you grease it? The grease gun I have is old skool and probably not the kind you use for these.

Would you mind kicking me the details on your grease gun, how much, how you did it...awl dat? lol. sorry, hope i'm not thread jack'n you

///////EDIT\\\\\\\\

So this kind of grease:
http://moto-delta.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1260

And this kind of gun:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...quipment&sName=Automotive Specialty Tools&psid=FROOGLE01&sid=IDx20070921x00003a

And I just shove the tube over the one way valve nipple and crank away until grease is shooting out........but out of where?
 
#17 ·
Until it starts coming out of the boot that covers up the ball joint, like shown in my pics.
You'll want to fill that whole ball joint section up with grease.
I'm doing this tomorrow after I pick up some grease from work. I already have a grease gun.
 
#24 ·
I agree.

I would strongly consider replacing the endlink.

Moog used to carry a lifetime warranty. It shouldn't be a problem other than the aggravation of having to pull them off and install the new one.

With grease of course...[poke] [wrenchin]
 
#20 ·
Alright, bought some lucas red and tacky chassis grease today after work.
I inspected the endlinks, and they looked fine on the inside, so i loaded up
my grease gun and flushed the old grease out and filled them up with new.
After I did that, I was able to move the endlinks back into the correct position,
so they seem absolutely fine to me. I don't think i'll have a problem with them now.
What a relief..........thanks to all who helped me out.
 
#22 ·
Looked exactly like this except for black.

Image



Greasing them was so easy. You don't need to loosen the grease fitting any
before putting the grease in. You just stick the female fitting from the grease gun
on the grease fitting and pump away with the handle on the side of the gun.
My steering felt much better actually on my drive today, and no more clunking.
 
#26 ·
RockAuto emailed me back saying "Parts that fail due to
operator error, or insufficient maintenance (greasing), are not covered under
the warranty offered by Moog for these products. The warranty Moog offers
only covers parts that fail due to a manufacturers defect, which is not what
happened in this case."

Damn it, lesson learned at least. My endlinks are clunking bad, so I ordered a new set
yesterday with 2 day shipping. Can't wait to get the new ones on, to get my focus
handling good again. Bad endlinks have definitely negatively affected the handling.
Message for everyone, GREASE YOUR MOOG ENDLINKS REGULARLY. Learn from my mistake.