How to replace stabilizer bushings on Lada Vesta

Replacing an element such as stabilizer bushings on a Lada Vesta can be easily done with your own hands. It is for this reason that only inexperienced owners of cars of the model mentioned above turn to a car service center. As practice shows, often a specific and unpleasant squeak in the suspension area appears literally just a few days after purchasing a new vehicle. A simple inspection reveals that the problem lies in the stabilizer, which is responsible for its lateral stability (SST). In the aforementioned unit, the weak point turns out to be the bushing, or rather, the not very good material chosen “apparently – solely for the sake of economy” by the manufacturer for its manufacture.

Stabilizer - features

To better understand how to replace bushings with your own hands, you need to become familiar with the most common causes of their failure, be able to see signs of a malfunction and understand how the unit in question generally works.

The design of the front suspension mounted on the Lada Vesta was roughly copied from a similar Renault unit, but the domestic version turned out to be less advanced than the French prototype.

The torsion bar stabilizer is made from steel with high springiness. It itself is a rod that has a specific bend that helps reduce the lateral roll of the vehicle during turns at relatively high speeds. Without this element, the described maneuver may cause the vehicle to roll over.

In the case of Vesta, the stabilizer is installed exclusively on the front axle. The rod itself is fixed to the subframe with steel clamps and rubber bushings. From the edges the element is attached by levers to the suspension itself.

The operating principle of the stabilizer installed on the Lada Vesta is quite simple. The element distributes loads arising from any side evenly over the entire suspension. So, if the car begins to roll to one side, then the stabilizer rods change position. On the side where there is a critical slope, the node rises, and on the opposite side, on the contrary, it lowers.

The bushings that hold the front of the element allow it to rotate. This makes it possible to adjust the position of the body as the vehicle moves along the road. The stabilizer has another additional, but no less important function - improving the grip of the wheels on the road when entering a turn. Thus, the bushing takes on quite large loads, which contribute to the rapid failure of the part. Because of this, replacement (either with your own hands or in a car service) has to be done relatively often.

Lada Vesta suspension

Products from the Dustershop77 range on the topic of the article:

When replacement is necessary

The failure of the stabilizer bushings on the Lada model under consideration is indicated by quite characteristic signs. So, in particular, on Vesta:

• there is a very loud creaking, and sometimes a knocking or even a grinding noise coming from the front suspension;
• the mentioned noises become especially loud if the car is moving on a bumpy road or after crossing a water obstacle;
• The car does not obey control well when the speed ranges from 60 to 90 kilometers per hour.
• when turning, the body rolls noticeably;
• turning the steering wheel requires more force.

Reviews

How to prevent the stabilizer from squeaking

Each owner tries to improve his car, eliminating the flaws made by the largest domestic manufacturer. Vesta’s owners continue the tradition. In particular, they often think about how to improve the performance of the stabilizer.

The easiest way to rid the Lada of squeaking is to thoroughly lubricate the bushings. To do this, it is permissible to use silicone compounds or even WD-40. This recommendation, by the way, is also present in the official operating manual for the machine. The problem is that this measure is not enough for a long time - sooner or later the lubricant dries out, so its layer has to be renewed regularly. Moreover, the owners note that the described measure helps only at first.

A more effective way is to replace the bushings. However, it is not very wise to use original products, because they will not last as long as their predecessors. Thus, the best way out is to use elements from foreign cars, and then the stabilizer will start working, albeit not silently, but much quieter.

How to change the anti-roll bar cushion on a Lada Vesta?

It is impossible not to note the growing interest of domestic motorists in the issues of maintenance and repair of the new Lada Vesta model. Almost in the first place is the car’s suspension, namely its front part. And this is not surprising, because the level of controllability of the car, as well as the comfort of movement in it, depends on the proper operation of the components of this design. Along with shock absorbers and springs, the suspension also includes a stabilizer (SPU), which is responsible for the stability of the vehicle during maneuvering.

Which bushings are suitable for Vesta

For those who are thinking about replacing the bushings with their own hands, we recommend throwing away the original rubber products and replacing them with polyurethane ones. It is easy to find them by article number - in the spare parts catalog they are designated as 17012680. This part has a similar internal diameter of 21.5 millimeters.

Bushings from:

• Chevrolet Niva 2123 (code – 17012680);
• Kia Rio (548132K100).

By the way, the fixing brackets from the last car (548141G000) will also work.

Resource for replacing rubber seals of the front stabilizer

It is difficult to answer unequivocally how much seals cost in each specific case.

The manufacturer indicates an average replacement interval of 60 - 80 thousand km.

The interval varies depending on a number of factors:

• quality of the road surface;
• speed limits;
• driving style;
• quality of spare parts;
• temperature conditions.

AvtoVAZ official opinion

To answer thousands of questions from car owners about stabilization problems, AvtoVAZ has the following opinion; These are design features of the model caused by the long working strokes of the struts when driving on uneven roads.

1. bushing lubrication;
2. installation of rubber-metal hinges, [under development].

Point one is reminiscent of servicing the Volga GAZ-21 [fifties]. It recommended lubricating ten lubrication points under the car body, after rain and once a week. True, no one suggested doing interesting things like lubrication of bushings. The most unclear thing is how to smear them. Whether it is worth disassembling the stabilization unit or not is still unknown. Although old cars can still be found on the roads and nothing creaks or breaks for years.

Regarding the short operation of the stabilizer struts: They promise to bring them to normal condition. Now the problem is caused by the liner, which creates play inside the ball joint. Replacement of stabilization struts can be done free of charge at the dealer, it does not cause problems, they know about the problem with the stabilization unit and are ready to make repairs. But in this case, it’s much more profitable to learn how to change yourself. The reason for this is quite obvious. Replacing standard spare parts at a dealer does not imply the installation of spare parts or consumables from other brands of cars.

How to change the stabilizer struts yourself in 5 simple steps Replacing the stabilization struts on a Lada Vesta car comes down to a simple algorithm, but there is also preparatory work: It is necessary to hang the front wheels of the car. Firstly, this is required by safety measures [the unit must be unloaded when removed from the vehicle]. Secondly, it’s much more convenient to work this way. Let's get started:

1. The stabilizer link pin nuts are cleaned;
2. The nut is turned out from the top of the part, keeping the ball joint pin from turning;
3. The nut is turned out from the bottom using a similar tool;
4. The anti-roll bar is removed, the ball joint pin is removed from the front suspension strut and from the anti-roll bar;
5. To check the anti-roll bar link, you need to pull out the top pin of the ball joint, grab it firmly with your hand and swing it up and down. The presence of a knock indicates a faulty part. Installation of the node rack is performed in the reverse order. When starting a repair, you can watch the entire process in the video.

How to get rid of crunching?

To get rid of the crunch, you can go two ways:

1. Make rotation of the stabilizer in the bushing silent.
2. Limit the movement of the stabilizer.

Let’s talk about the first method, and I’ll say right away that it was not possible to achieve any special results here. Options for replacing factory stabilizer bushing kits. Before replacement, it is recommended to matt (remove the gloss, but not the entire layer of metal) the seating surface for the bushings.

Polyurethane bushings . As you know, polyurethane is much stiffer than ordinary rubber bands and has the ability to “eat” metal. Those who installed polyurethane from Tochka Opory and other manufacturers still noticed extraneous sounds, either in dry or wet weather.

Bushings with bracket from Rio . Rubber band number 54813-2k100 clamps 54814-1g000. Same situation. The material is much stiffer than the factory ones, but it was not possible to completely get rid of the problem.

The second method remains - to limit the movement of the stabilizer.

Replacing the springs with shorter ones (example -50mm). Replacing the springs reduces the suspension travel, and accordingly, squeaks disappear, but in this way you will get rid of the informative suspension, which many have already come to love on Vesta, coupled with its handling.

All that remains is to wait for the decision of the factory, and I hope that they will get rid of this problem in the shortest possible time, just as they got rid of knocking noises in the rear suspension by upgrading the relevant elements.

Problem with stabilizer links

In addition to the above-mentioned problems, a knocking sound from the stabilization struts occurs in the suspension. In this regard, the Lada Vesta car is very capricious. In addition to the standard racks, it is recommended to install an analogue of these parts. The necessary spare parts can be selected from French car models.

Part numbers from Renault are 8200 669 065, or similar: SASIC 4005146, SIDEM 5666, LEMFORDER 28334 01, 26004 01. The length of the rack is the same - 283 mm. In this case, the front strut of the auto stabilizer will be quite reliable and will last longer.