swaybar bushing issues..

[DoubleD]

hi, back again with another question. i recently did my entire suspension, sans the sway bar bushings, and got it aligned. the car was soundless. even more recently i decided to change my sway bar bushings. i got the basic bushings, mevotech i think, which came with a different bushing case and a different design from oem, and installed with a torque of 32/35/ and on other attempts 41lb on the four bolts holding the new bushing case. i’m having a hard time finding the accurate torque settings.
i’ve put this thing together in so many variations with/without the included washers above/below the case, torqued while rotors were resting on blocks, and it’s giving me the worst groaning and creaking sounds each time i lurch forward from a stop and while slowly driving and turning on every variation i try. i’m going mad dealing with this sound. i’ve put this up on the racks about 20 times now.
can anyone maybe shed some light on what’s happening? would this sound magically go away if i were to get the car aligned again? i’m not using the washers right now as i saw another post with pictures and there was no washers used and my bolts have a flanged head.
i feel like an idiot for throwing away the original bushings and their cases because i see dorman sells the bushing that fits in the oem case.
thanks for looking

 

[Handy Andy]

This may be from a "rub" the bushings in their holsters - are not clearing.

Can you put the OEM ones back in? (Dumpster diving is not my forte)

So the creak and groan is usually a tolerance issue of the bar to bushing - the new ones may be improper fitment. By the sounds of your efforts to make them fit - you may have gotten the wrong ones - not by your error, theirs. They should have just fit fine with no issues about clearances or what kind of washer to use. IF they are too big, they may compress too much onto the bar so that when the weight shifts and the entire bar them moves up or down - both bushings hold onto the bar and you hear that creak from their stiffness.

 

[scotman]

Mevotech has sent me components that do not fit the intended application in the recent past. I will not purchase that brand ever again. That's just my personal experience with them.
The O.E. sway bar bushings are very soft compared to a quality polyurethane bushing set from companies like Energy suspension or Whiteline.
The Fiesta loves polyurethane bushings. Huge improvement in handling.

 

[DoubleD]

thanks. i can always count on you two for help
they’re trashed but i can head to my wrench a apart or now i’m thinking about polyurethane bushings
appreciate you guys! gonna go put the calipers to my sway bar now..

 

[scotman]

Should be a 19mm or roughly 3/4 in front bar diameter. You won't regret upgrading to polyurethane bushings on the front asb. Just remember that they gave you that little packet of grease for a reason! Apply it to the inside contact surface area of the bushings before you install them.