Sway bar bushings in a Ford Windstar take a lot of abuse over their course of use. As such, it is not uncommon to see them fail long before a Windstar reaches 100,000 miles. However, replacing them is one of the easiest suspension jobs you can perform. With the right parts, some tools and about half an hour, you can replace them and get on with the more important things on your to-do list.
Chock the left rear wheel and set the parking brake.
Jack the front end up and place the jack stands under the frame on opposite sides. Once the jack stands are in place, lower the Windstar’s front end onto the stands.
Crawl under with your socket set, flashlight and replacement bushings.
Shine the flashlight on the sway bar and locate the sway bar brackets, which are u-shaped brackets with the old bushings between the brackets and the sway bar.
Use the socket set to unbolt the left bracket. Knock out the old bushing and replace it with the new one, which can be done by hand. Bolt the bracket back in place when done. Repeat this on the other side.
Jack the Windstar back off the jack stands, slide them out of the way and lower the front end back to the ground. Remove the wheel chocks and discard the old bushings.
