My 2004 Town & Country mini-van started clunking in the front last year so I changed out the sway bar links and bushings with HD stuff from NAPA. Well the clunk is back and my service center says that drivers side link is shot again, after 15,000 miles. They are putting in what they claim are the best aftermarket links as I type. Apparently this design is a bit hard on the sway bar links. I found that removing and installing the links myself to be very difficult because of the design of the parts involved and the area provided to fit in hand tools, etc.
My 2002 Grand Caravan started clunking right after a major service a few months ago. I took it to my favorite shop, and they diagnosed it as the sway bar links.
I got to watch the process, and was shown exactly the how and why. Basically it is a crappy design - period. Even the BEST components of a bad design will fail. Apparently there are some brands which are either fitted with grease nipples or have a hole present to accept the installation of grease nipples. (the "stock" parts are "lifetime lubriated - and you have discovered, along with thousands of others, just how SHORT that "lifetime" is.)
The odd thing is, that while mine DID clunk, I never got around to replacing them just yet. And the other day I noticed that they don't clunk any more!????!!!!
Oh well, with this poor design, it is only a matter of time.
While I watched them disassemble the top of the drivers side link, I observed the mechanic and what he did. Basically, he admitted as much about what you said - it is a pain in the neck to repace the links with regular hand tools. He used one wrench, and an air tool to spin the INNER piece back out through the nut in the assembly. Using the air tool method, removeal was relatively quick.
But hav>My 2004 Town & Country mini-van started clunking in the front last year so I
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