Rust on sway bar linkage

[Barchetta]

I have a 24 Rubi with 3200 miles on it. Picked it up Jan 18th. I’m noticing (what appears to me to be) significant rust on the passenger side sway bar linkage. I’ve only been wheeling a few times where the sway bar was disconnected. I obviously only used the Rubi’s built in disconnect; I did not manually disconnect the bar. Driver side shows much less (but some) rust. See pix.

Seems to me I need to disassemble this and wire brush/paint that joint. True? What are the proper disassembly steps to get at that piece? (I don’t believe it is under load just sitting in my driveway - true?)

Been considering a fluid film treatment (or similar) and this seems to make that more necessary even though I’m in NC and not the rust belt.

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[Roky]

I have a 24 Rubi with 3200 miles on it. Picked it up Jan 18th. I’m noticing (what appears to me to be) significant rust on the passenger side sway bar linkage. I’ve only been wheeling a few times where the sway bar was disconnected. I obviously only used the Rubi’s built in disconnect; I did not manually disconnect the bar. Driver side shows much less (but some) rust. See pix.

Seems to me I need to disassemble this and wire brush/paint that joint. True? What are the proper disassembly steps to get at that piece? (I don’t believe it is under load just sitting in my driveway - true?)

Been considering a fluid film treatment (or similar) and this seems to make that more necessary even though I’m in NC and not the rust belt.

If you bought this off the lot, that should be warranty thing… if you want to address it yourself, all you need to do is take the bolt out and fold the end link down…..

 

[KCSgtMaj]

It’s not under load on a flat surface. There’s 100’s of videos on the you tube on how to remove end links from sway bars. Just undo the nut, clean it up with a wire brush, clean the rust dust off with isopropyl alcohol and spray paint it with Rust-Oleum satin black. Easy.

 

[BringTheLightnin]

In NC as well. Mine came off the lot like that. Gonna bring it up to them when I take it in for it's first oil change. Also having a problem with the auto headlights always being on...

 

[Bill_BCNtoNY]

My old ‘23 was similar in that it seemed to rust if you looked at it funny - I currently drive a ‘19 that looked better in terms of rust when I got it, and I also have started applying CNC yearly to protect it a bit, too.

Given the simplicity of the fix in your case, I would take advantage of the opportunity to explore/learn about how that part of the Jeep suspension works and DIY. But if you’re not interested or mechanically inclined, even the most incompetent mechanic at your dealership should be able to fix it under warranty in a few minutes.

 

[4xeChief]

In NC as well. Mine came off the lot like that. Gonna bring it up to them when I take it in for it's first oil change. Also having a problem with the auto headlights always being on...

Same here. 2024 Rubi 4XE. Comparing to my gladiator that's 4yrs old and no rust on that point yet. Definitely something changed in manufacturing process that needs to be addressed. Will also be taking mine in for 1st oil change and addressing it then. If the answer is "regular wear and tear" I won't be super upset b/c it's an easy fix, but hopefully I get dealer support.

 

[BringTheLightnin]

Same here. 2024 Rubi 4XE. Comparing to my gladiator that's 4yrs old and no rust on that point yet. Definitely something changed in manufacturing process that needs to be addressed. Will also be taking mine in for 1st oil change and addressing it then. If the answer is "regular wear and tear" I won't be super upset b/c it's an easy fix, but hopefully I get dealer support.

Yeah, something is up because my 21 gladiator had absolutely no rust whatsoever and I beat the living crap out of that thing on rocks constantly. I'll have to check tomorrow but I actually think it's on the top of my knuckles as well...

 

[Barchetta]

Thanks everyone. Definitely inclined to fix it myself and learn. I want to do all my preventive maintenance. I didn't even think rust could be a warranty issue. Maybe I'll take advantage of my free oil change at the dealer and ask. I've already got a stock of oil filters for when I take that over but a free one is still a ~$35 savings.

 

[Barchetta]

I repaired it myself today. Easy once I collected the right tools.

The lower bolt with flag nut is simple with an 18mm socket on the bolt head.

The top bolt is now larger in MY 24. The only way to remove it is by using a 21mm open end wrench with a 8mm Allen wrench to keep the bolt from spinning. See pix. BTW the passenger side is easier than the driver's side...my 8mm Allen wrench would not fit into the bolt on the driver's side...may have to cut the L piece of the Allen wrench shorter.

I removed the sway bar linkage and then scrubbed off the rust from the end of the sway bar before hitting it with Rustoleum. Not counting paint drying times, this was ~30 min disassembly/repair and ~15 minutes reassembly. The hardest part was figuring out the Allen wrench size since it clearly wasn't 6mm as in previous years. 21mm open ends are long wrenches so you can only get about a quarter turn before repositioning the wrench.

 

[Deleted User 38384]

You could always do what I did, and delete your front sway bar entirely along with the linkage. Can't rust if it's not there!

And hey, it'll make your Jeep more fun to drive and slow speeds!

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