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Apex AutoLYNX quick sway bar disconnect solution

Jeeps2Little

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I'm only 170 lbs but have long arms, I just reach in the wheel well, turn the knob to locked and push on the sway bar or the top of the AutoLYNX until I feel the 'click'. Once one side is locked and on the other side the knob is turned to lock, any vertical motion in the axle/suspension will lock the remaining side.
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SlickRickMotoADV

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I think I'm having the exactly same issue as you. The first time I installed them I definitely had to get under them in the driveway and pull pretty hard to get a lock. Initially I wasn't sure it happened but my friend told me he saw it happen. Next time on the trail it was freezing cold and someone did it for me while my hands were numb from airing up -- he originally thought you just had to turn the tabs, I told him instructions say you should push down on the sway bar. I didn't see him do it so not sure what he ended up doing. He has a ton of experience and I couldn't feel my fingers, so for better or worse I trusted him.

Both times on the trails afterward I've tried pretty unsuccessfully to push down from the top (thought moving my tires out of the way might help but I dunno if that did). I eventually drove away and it seems to have auto locked on its own? (It never felt like they were unlocked while driving). How does the auto-locking for one side work anyway? As far as the sway bar bushings idea -- I'm under the 5k mark so maybe it's true for me too?)
I have 45k on mine, so the bushings on the actual bar should be far past broken in by now.
I only have about 5k on the Apex links though.

I've sometimes had to resort to just moving the blue knob back to "locked" and then just driving until they link up again, which is usually on a corner tight enough to give me a little soil in the pants going around it unlocked. I've found that it requires a pretty large suspension load to "naturally" relock. Definitely not how it's support to work. Idk what to do.
 

SlickRickMotoADV

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I'm only 170 lbs but have long arms, I just reach in the wheel well, turn the knob to locked and push on the sway bar or the top of the AutoLYNX until I feel the 'click'. Once one side is locked and on the other side the knob is turned to lock, any vertical motion in the axle/suspension will lock the remaining side.
Super happy that works for you, but simply doesn't for some of us :/
The auto locking of the other disconnected side works every time, but the manual relocking of that first side is near impossible without taking a freakin mud bath while swinging on the bar.
 

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I'm still having an issue getting these things to lock up. I have to slide under the jeep and hang my entire body weight on the sway bar end to get it to click back up. Does anyone else have this issue?

Apex states it should be an easy push down from on top; it's not even close to that. Nothing is binding them up,. They move smoothly back downwards, but the weight required to do so is too much for my scrawny body. Are you guys just lumberjacks and pushing with your pinky or what?
My sway bar is a little difficult to push down, but since I got a stubby bumper it's pretty easy to lean into it. I did notice that the left side is usually easier for some reason. You might try checking the torque on the bolts for the sway bar bushing clamps to make sure they are not too tight.

I also wouldn't be averse to squirting a little lubricant into the rubber bushings since it wouldn't affect how the sway bar works, but I'd be interested in hearing somebody else's take on that.
 

SlickRickMotoADV

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My sway bar is a little difficult to push down, but since I got a stubby bumper it's pretty easy to lean into it. I did notice that the left side is usually easier for some reason. You might try checking the torque on the bolts for the sway bar bushing clamps to make sure they are not too tight.

I also wouldn't be averse to squirting a little lubricant into the rubber bushings since it wouldn't affect how the sway bar works, but I'd be interested in hearing somebody else's take on that.
That's a great idea. I'll drop the bar, grease and re-torque it. That said, during install, the bar itself moved freely within the bushing. I'll give that another shot though.
Envious of the stubby bumper for sure; that would likely give me some more room to push down.
 

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Zoopy123

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Done! Took me another 45 minutes. Tools i recommend would be anything racheting. I wish I'd had either the ratcheting 6mm allen key they used in the video or a ratcheting 19mm wrench that i could have slid over it. Would have saved a bit of time.

Original sway bar link:
IMG_5056.jpeg


Work in progress - letting the allen key hold itself in place helped make life easier, then i just backed it back a wee bit before final torquing:
IMG_5057.jpeg


And all done! 2hours, maybe 2:15 and that's while monitoring a toddler/letting him do it :D
IMG_5058.jpeg
They told me I needed 1.5 inch wheel spacers on the Sahara 4xe to prevent any rubbing. My apex comes today but the spacers won’t be here for a bit. Curious if they are actually even needed
 

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They told me I needed 1.5 inch wheel spacers on the Sahara 4xe to prevent any rubbing. My apex comes today but the spacers won’t be here for a bit. Curious if they are actually even needed
Who Apex? or your offroad shop? No tire rubbing, no inner fender liner damage at all. Running them on the shortest length setting.
 

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Who Apex? or your offroad shop? No tire rubbing, no inner fender liner damage at all. Running them on the shortest length setting.
I had emailed Apex and they pointed me towards this documentation:

Probably not even worth returning even if I don’t need them, I like the wider look anyways. I forgot to mention that I swapped the stock 4XE rims for some rubicon takeoffs w/ KO2s. Here’s hoping my self install goes smoothly!
 

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They told me I needed 1.5 inch wheel spacers on the Sahara 4xe to prevent any rubbing. My apex comes today but the spacers won’t be here for a bit. Curious if they are actually even needed
No. You don't. The 4xe front axle is the same width as us non Rubicon people IIRC. Are you having tire rubbing on the endlinks? Spacing the steering stops via 1-3 M10 washers is the better route, unless you want that poked out wheel look.

I have 2 M10 washers on my steering stop bolts, which probably total to about 2-3mm of spacing on those now. The links no longer rub; that's how close it was to clearing.
 

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I haven't had a second set of eyes watch it from super up close, other than the folks in that video who were observing from a bit away when they recorded the run in The Gulch. There's no tire marks on my AutoLynx knobs, which seems like if you rubbed it would be up there somehwere. And I haven't heard a rubbing sound when fully turned, but i'll do a listen again when I next go out and do some test turns at full turn stop.

Oh and that PDF says if running stock wheels AND "larger than stock tires". I'm on on stock wheels and stock tires at the moment.
 

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That's a great idea. I'll drop the bar, grease and re-torque it. That said, during install, the bar itself moved freely within the bushing. I'll give that another shot though.
Envious of the stubby bumper for sure; that would likely give me some more room to push down.
All this chatter makes me think there is a binding issue going on?

I was supposed to be installing mine this weekend, but now I'm weary if this solution is really an improvement or not?
 

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I haven't had a second set of eyes watch it from super up close, other than the folks in that video who were observing from a bit away when they recorded the run in The Gulch. There's no tire marks on my AutoLynx knobs, which seems like if you rubbed it would be up there somehwere. And I haven't heard a rubbing sound when fully turned, but i'll do a listen again when I next go out and do some test turns at full turn stop.

Oh and that PDF says if running stock wheels AND "larger than stock tires". I'm on on stock wheels and stock tires at the moment.
Doh! You’re right, I wasn’t sure if then 33inch tires on a Sahara were considered stock anymore. I do dig that slightly wider stance so probably will keep the spacers
 

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Doh! You’re right, I wasn’t sure if then 33inch tires on a Sahara were considered stock anymore. I do dig that slightly wider stance so probably will keep the spacers
Stock is 31.9 / 10.8" or 275/55/20.

I have some 275/60/20 (that measure 33.4" x 10.8 ") sitting in a shopping cart at the moment as i want to go a little bigger diameter but going to try to avoid wheel spacers.
 

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Stock is 31.9 / 10.8" or 275/55/20.

I have some 275/60/20 (that measure 33.4" x 10.8 ") sitting in a shopping cart at the moment as i want to go a little bigger diameter but going to try to avoid wheel spacers.
With that ratio you should NOT being going off road. That's a street tire all day.
 

SlickRickMotoADV

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All this chatter makes me think there is a binding issue going on?

I was supposed to be installing mine this weekend, but now I'm weary if this solution is really an improvement or not?
There is no binding issue.
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