My OEM endlinks are all cracked but not all the way broken or missing. So I wanted to replace them with poly bushings. I bought the Prothane 8-402BL from ebay which came in a box with Prothane label on the box. It came with 8 black bushings, 8 washers, long through bolt, and 2 lock nuts. They don't have the center spacers. I look around and Prothane endlinks for our cars do not come with the spacers. But the instructions seem to have them. So who used Prothane without the spacers? Would the spacers important or effect function?
The Energy Suspension and OEM comes with the center spacers.
Here are the links to the parts.
-Prothane 8-402BL Endlinks.
-Prothane 8-402 detail parts pic.
-Energy Suspension Endlinks.

Thanks.

 

You need the spacers, use your old OEM ones if you did not get any with your purchase.

 

So the spacers are a must. I wonder why they would sell the kit without the spacers? The through bolts are barely fit with the thread from what I have measured once the sway bar and control arm is on. With the spacers, I wonder if I would have enough room to thread them in.

 

If it was just a busing kit that could be why. I have never seen a sway bar end link "kit" without them before. Any of the parts store brands that I have seen even come complete with the sleeves/spacer. My Energy Suspension kit came with the spacers and the sleeves.

 

Actually it is the kit. If you click my my links, you see that they are kits. If you buy the bushing kit then they only come with bushings and no washers, nut, nor bolts. In my case they came with bushings, bolts, nuts, and washers, just no spacers.
When you say sleeves, are they the same as spacers?
Thanks.

 

Sleeve/spacer..... They are the same thing...sorry for the confusion. My ES kit came with 2 bolts, 2 nylock nuts, 2 spacers, 8 washers and 8 bushings.

 

Well, not my day. Took the OEM out easily. One of the advantage with living in SoCal is almost no rust on my car. Any how, big problem was the spacer from the OEM didn't fit the bigger bolt from the Prothane endlink kit. So I installed them without the spacers. A few people have installed them without the spacers and everything turns out well. For those with lowered cars, which mine is not, it works out better.
I think Prothane endlink were designs without the spacers as the bolts were just long enough to fit the bushings, washers on the sway bar and control arm. It was just long enough to thread in a turn or two. The rest I tighten them up until the bushings cannot be turn by hand. It's recommended 14 ft/lbs but set my torque wrench at that and keep turning and never click. Thus I just tighten enough until the bolt end sticks out as the OEM one was and the bushings cannot be turn by hand. These poly bushings were much bigger than the OEM ones.
I don't think without the spacers, it would be any thing horrible.

 

I wonder if I want to put the spacers in, could I use the old OEM bolt since it fit the old spacers? The only thing is the bolts are thinner than that of the Prothane bolts. The OEM end link bushing go over the metal sleeves which then go over the thinner OEM bolts so it's more strengthen.
Thanks.