2nd loose sway bar bolt!

[whitey4311]

So today after reading about the new TSB on the fuel pump and loss of power I decide to take my speed3 out and run it a bit to check for issues. I hardly ever drive this car hard and really granny shift it so its babied often. The dealer I bought it from told me about the TSB and said they would love to do the work if I had issues but I dont so I wanted to be sure of it and ran through the gears a bit.

Immediately after about 1/2 a mile worth of ******* around I hear the same damn sound my rear loose sway bar bolt made coming from the front right. So I took it over to the dealer and sure as s*** it was loose. The tech asked if I "****** around" in there and I told him for what purpose would I and no I did not. I explained that when the rear was loose I put red loctite and tightened it back up before brining it for inspection and was told that time I should have left it then brought it in so here I am. Besides if I did want to **** with it I am sure it wouldnt take a ******* genius to tighten a bolt back up even when I knew exactly what it was. Because I told them it was the sway bar they probably thought I messed with it but then why wouldnt I just take my own time to put a wrench on it then get s*** from the dealer?

It took the guy about 15 minutes to retorque all the sway bar bolts and then I heard him shooting the s*** with the service writer about it not being under warranty. I hope I heard this wrong but I was getting pissed about what was going to be said next. What ever it was they were talking about led to nothing and they then said your good to go and that was it so no issues.

He did in a way joke around and tell me not to drive it hard and I laughed and said I must drive it so hard I unscrewed the nuts right? He laughed and no big deal but I wonder what the issue was with the tech and talking warranty s*** with him.

Not sure why they hell the bolt came loose but it was amazing how they started down the path of how I drive it, lol. Seriously I drive like a b**** most all the time and my OEM tires at 21k miles prove that. Oh well its fixed but damn stupid bolts WTF?

All in all I think the service writer was just giving me a hard time and I was on the defense but the tech was a little 5ft boner that gave me s*** for something so stupid. The dealer I like to go to is where I bought it and is 40 minutes away or I would go there. When I need serious s*** like the motor mount recall I go there but for oil and this dumb s*** I go 5 minutes away from me.

 

[chronus377]

Don't have much to contribute except that mine recently became lose at 7,800 miles. Luckily I was going in for the 7.5k maintenance anyways, and they fixed them with no issues.

I don't baby my car (not that I abuse it either) but I have done one day on the track a few months before. I hope this isn't a reoccurring issue.

 

[Sporty3]

Mine came loose at 3k miles. Dealership re torqued 'em.. hope they don't get loose again.

 

[whitey4311]

Well this time they checked all 4 and re torqued them so it should be good.

I heard the same damn sound today so I went back to the dealer and it turns out it was the ****** foam that holds the jack handle bouncing around, lol. I felt stupid but they checked the bolt for the sway bar and said it was fine so I knew it had to be something back there bouncing.

 

[Demi]

Where are these bolts?

 

[whitey4311]

They are not hard to find so just check under the car for the only solid 1 piece bar that goes from one side to the other. There are some plastic white cups attached to a link then there is a pretty hefty bolt and nut holding it all together.

Sort of hard to explain but you will find them. The damn things are coming loose for some reason and many of us have had the same issue. Its a very distinct sound that will come every time you hit a crack or bump in the road. It literally sounds as if your wheel lugs are loose and going to come flying off.

 

[Demi]

Sounds like a job for safety wire. Drill a hole in the bolts and fix it for life.

 

[tru-boost]

hhmmm amybe this is my mystery noise !! i even brought it to mazda and they claimed to not hear it. what i hear sounds like some loose change rattling around when i hit bumps in the road. i will have to check this out.

 

[whitey4311]

For sure it is that damn bolt and nut loose. Its a metal sound and a loud thumping coming from one wheel. It is heard most when going over bumps at an angle like a speed bump. If you go over it straight with left and right wheels at the same time it wont flex that sway bar enough to hear it.

 

[Rotus8]

This one.

 

[tru-boost]

For sure it is that damn bolt and nut loose. Its a metal sound and a loud thumping coming from one wheel. It is heard most when going over bumps at an angle like a speed bump. If you go over it straight with left and right wheels at the same time it wont flex that sway bar enough to hear it.

wow, that is exactly what i hear !! the metal rattling sound has been there for a few weeks, but i just started hearing a THUD when hitting the curb while turning into my driveway !! i was starting to think i tore up another trans mount, but it just didnt sound the same .
i will be under my car in a few days, i will check it out then !!

 

[whitey4311]

This one.

Yup thats it. Now notice the hex head on that bolt because the best way to tighten is use a open ended wrench and a allen so that you can hold the bolt in place and tighten the nut down. I didnt have to do this but it got so tight it didnt matter much. I was a bit concerned because as I really tightened it up the bolt would still move a bit. Later I learned about that hex head but I guess the way I did it was good enough.

FYI.........I recall the dealer looking it up and saying the torque was to be about 40lbs on that bolt.

PS Be sure to throw a towel or something over the foam that holds the jack handle to be sure that is not what you are hearing. Or just take it out then drive around a bit. Although if you hear the metal sound you know it is that loose bolt so I am confident they are loose on other cars as well.

While at the dealer this last time I bitched the service writer a bit about that retarded tech who asked me if I "****** around" with the bolts. How stupid would I be to loosen a bolt then bring it to the dealer and tell them its loose so they can tighten it? LOL, dont make much sense to me and if I had the mechanical inclination to mod s*** I certainly would be able to tighten my own sway bar bolt, lol.

 

[Rotus8]

If the nut is loose for a while, the bolt rattles around in the hole in the sway bar and mungles the treads on the bolt. You can tighten the nut, but it jams on the munched threads and isn't really tight. The dealer had to replace my end link because of this.

 

[whitey4311]

That is a good point and very true. This is why the day I heard it I went straight to the dealer and luckily my threads were fine.

So for those of you who have heard it for a while and not taken care of it may want to leave it alone and go to the dealer so they can find it the way it is and if need be replace things.