TRD RSB Does Not Fit!!! Extremely Furious!

[TRDSleeper]

I bought a TRD rear sway bar about 2 months ago and didn't have the time to install it until yesterday. I spent a ridiculous 6 hours trying to get the stock sway bar out and putting the TRD one in. From reading the DIY threads it shouldn't have taken me so long. To me it feels like the TRD bar is about a half-inch shorter than it should be and the included bushing is too thick. My brother and I kept pulling and pushing trying to line up the mounting bracket to the screw hole but it was impossible. Maybe the bar I got was a bad one that just happened to pass quality control at the factory. The one I got was listed in the TRD catalog for a 99-03 Solara. Isn't that the one that members on this forum are using? Please let me know how you got your RSB on. In the mean time I put my stock sway bar back on so I can drive my car. Thanks.


Here is the right side. It's bolted up correctly, but the bar is obviously rubbing against the strut


The left side is off aligned by 1/2 inch. I tried to force the mount to the left but it just wouldn't go. Even if I could, I think it's too much stress on it to drive safely. The bar doesn't rub the strut in this side.

[Venom_5]

did you order the correct TRD RSB? for the 1st Gen Solara?

if so, have you been in any rear-end collisions?

the bar shouldnt be off, and i doubt TRD made it wrong .... are you using Gen 4 Bushings, Mounts, Endlinks?

have you set it up for Track Setting or Street Setting? maybe one side is not adjusted properly?

[TRDSleeper]

^ Yes, I believe I ordered the correct RSB. TRD parts #PTR06-06990-10.

I have never been in any collision at all. I have a gen 4.5 and I used the factory end links, mounts, and the TRD bushings that were included with the sway bar. I couldn't even get the bar mounted correctly in the first place so I didn't get a chance to install the endlinks to the track or street setting.

[MIC0417]

Just move the side that is rubbing the strut to the left while in the mount then the other one will be aligned

[felonyr301]

Ohh this is getting me worried, hopefully I don't run into this problem too. Hope you figured out whats the deal with yours!!! I know if this shit happened to me I want to break something, doing all the work to find out it doesn't fit damn it sucks.

[TRDSleeper]

Originally Posted by MIC0417

Just move the side that is rubbing the strut to the left while in the mount then the other one will be aligned

My brother and I tried pushing and pulling all we can and it wasn't easy to move the bar to the left because bushing on the right side was not allowing us to move it any further. The bushing was already starting to hit the corner of the bar and can't be forced beyond that. If there was just another half-inch of length, then it will fit perfectly.

[Venom_5]

Originally Posted by felonyr301

Ohh this is getting me worried, hopefully I don't run into this problem too. Hope you figured out whats the deal with yours!!! I know if this shit happened to me I want to break something, doing all the work to find out it doesn't fit damn it sucks.

youll have no problems felonyr301, dont worry

OP: have you tried to remove the TRD RSB completely, and put it back in using a different order of parts

ie: if you tried to mount to the right side endlink first, then the right side bushing mount, try both bushing mounts first and then the endlinks or vice versa

[DAMON]

mine was kind of tricky to line up correctly and I remember it was a pain to get the bushing brackets to line up... as long as its the right bar, I doubt there is any issue with it being manufactured wrong. Try to see if you can take the other side apart and bolt it up to the side it wont reach right now- I had to bolt and unbolt mine several times to get everything to line up correctly. It can be a real pain for sure, but keep at it- itll go on eventually.

[bigbird]

thats the right part # for sure. got any more pics of the area under there?

[TRDSleeper]

^ The other pictures I took shows the same two corner of the sway bar. I didn't take any pictures of the center of the bar. I think I will jack up my car and try to reinstall the TRD sway bar again. I'll try what the other members have suggested so far. Thanks.

[Venom_5]

one more thing - did you have BOTH sides jacked up in the rear during the install?

[TRDSleeper]

^ Yes, I did jack both sides of the car up when I was installing the RSB. I used a 3-ton jack in the center and two 2-ton jack stands on the sides. I'll let everyone know if I achieve success in my project.

[kendallKICKASS]

the TRD sway bars are a pain and mine didnt fit at all but u can go to andysautosport and they have the perfect ones

[Hajoca]

Lay the OEM bar and the TRD bar side by side and see if there is a real difference.

[TRDSleeper]

SUCCESS!!!! HAHA! I finally managed to install my TRD RSB. I decided to go under my car again and try once more to get the bar on. I really had to push and pull the bar to align the two mounts up. The TRD polyurethane bushings were thick and extremely resistant to any force. I guess that's good for holding the bar in place once it's bolted on. I probably scratched the bar at a hundred different places so it might rust in the future but at least I was able to get it on. I actually managed to get the bar on by midnight on New Years Day so I was extremely happy. Happy New Year to everyone!

Some pics of the RSB after installation:




Since it was a total hell for me to install my RSB. I'm including some pics of what I did to make the bar fit so others won't have as much problem as I did.

I found that screwing the RSB on the endlinks first help hold the bar up so it's easier to work with. I didn't have to worry about holding the bar up as I am trying to bolt on the mount at the same time. It was also easier to bolt the rear screw on the mount first, then bolt the front screw.


The orientation of the bar also plays a big factor in aligning the screw hole for the front bolt. With the bar down, the mount and screw hole are very off aligned.


But when you raise the bar up, they align much better. At this point I used pliers to push the hook up into the rectangular hole. Once this was done, the front bolt went on very easily.


Here's how I jacked up the car. I highly recommend getting a creeper since it greatly helped me get around under my car.