Fix the Mazda CLUNK!!

[@TheLeedog83]

I've replaced nearly every part of the suspension with the exception of these bushings. This clunk has driven me crazy for 2 years. Thanks for taking the time to show us this.

[@thaitichi]

Same. Did the bushings fix your clunk?

[@TheLeedog83]

@@thaitichi it was a sway bar link that prematurely wore out. I'm not sure how the mechanics missed it several times but its fixed

[@jamonpeariso5459]

Same here, I replaced links, struts, and ball joints, and still clunky…need to do this.

[@incubaked]

I’ve had my entire suspension replaced and started making sounds. Brought it to dealer and multiple independent places and they say nothing is wrong. I was about to get axles replaced, gonna try this now first

[@jtcintl4373]

@@incubaked Did it fix the sound?

[@Kiwin23]

you had me at "You're not going to remove the tyres" You, sir are my kind of mentor!! Thank you.

[@christianerance]

Thank you and I appreciate your time and effort to document your DIY projects. Of note a couple of points. It was easier for me to 1) remove both front tires 2) remove the lower nut from the stabilizer bar links and disconnect the stabilizer bar from the links 3) a flex head ratchet is a must 4) 14mm tall and short sockets . 5) Soak all bolts with WD40 or similar product. I was able to easily access both bolts that hold on the bushings without the need to go under the car. By detaching the links allows for the bar to be rotated to access the front bolts more easily. And finally the stabilizer bar can be moved around easily to allow access to remove and replace the bushings. And YES my clunk went away. For my 2012 Mazda I used Polyurethane bushings made by Siberian Bushing part # 4-01-2143

[@chrish6373]

11:15 "I was able to easily access both bolts that hold on the bushings without the need to go under the car." - When I saw the end here I was thinking the same thing!

[@ginap42]

I just added a question/comment above. My bushings seem to be held on by a wingnut????

[@brianrascoe00]

Thank you so much. About to do this job for my mom. Extra tips like this always help

[@MrLee20099]

@@christianerance Thanks for those tips, going to get this done this weekend cheers mate

[@pilotstephen]

Thank you Mike! I just finished with this repair and it fixed my front end clunk. If you remove the 14mm nuts from both ends of the sway bar linkages and rotate the swaybar up out of the way, it gives you a little more space to work in your video at the 4:00 mark.

[@jonathangaliano2617]

How did you know for sure the sway bar bushings were the issue? I bought an 09 Mazda 5 about a year ago and it definite has a clunky front end especially over bumps and stuff. I have no problem doing the work myself but it's a little overwhelming to start figuring out what actually needs to be replaced because it definitely feels/sounds like shit.

[@simulatortechnician9598]

@@jonathangaliano2617 Remove one sway bar link to the strut on the driver's side and arm wrestle or wiggle the swaybar, if you listen, you can hear the clunk. probaly replace the links whie you are there but that is just me..

[@jonathangaliano2617]

@@simulatortechnician9598 Yea I ended up doing the bushings 2 months ago. Like I expected it was a pain to get to the bolts and naturally on the last one it snapped. Ended up having to take it to my brothers and use the lift. Had to drop the entire sub frame and weld a nut onto the broken bolt. Eventually got it out and cleaned up the threads. Also did the sway bar links. Still a clunky piece of shit but at least that's over with lol

[@ianc279]

I took mine to the shop and they are telling me they would have to remove the subframe and it will cost me $300 Thank you for sharing!

[@Beestung37]

Thanks for the video! I just did this on my 2007 Mazda 3 sedan and holy mother of heck was it a tough job getting at the bolts and, most frustratingly, getting the new bushings and brackets back on. My 2007 did not have the collars on the sway bar, nor directional markers on the brackets. Took patience and 3 lbs of skin from my hands to get the job done, but totally rewarding. My saving grace was a flat crow bar pushing down on the brackets so that I could have a chance at getting the bolts back in.

[@AitorJF-z4r]

I changed sway bar bushings without removing subframe, It took some effort and patience, but Clunk noise dissapeared. Thanks a lot for the video, it's totally helpful!

[@sertimins]

Thanks for the valuable information. Do not use deep socket on driver side. As the screw loosens up, the socket wedged on rack and pinion and couldn’t reverse as my socket reverse switch was also pushing up on it. Got it out eventually but unnecessary torture

[@emcque]

Came upon this when troubleshooting an issue on my CX-5. I'll check the sway bar and movement there. Gave the video a thumbs up as soon as I saw the cat walk past.

[@jacksdad2626]

Mike great video. Thanks for getting us the video of the bolt holes and giving us a real clear pix of what to look for. The bushing and brackets were in a really tight spot so I appreciate this video and the effort you put into making sure you got us clear video of what to look for. 👍

[@pmanu17]

Thank you.this man has save me from scraping my car which has knocking noise . after changing the bushes the knocking noise stops.

[@teemcshanney8910]

Just bought a stabilizer bar and I hope it comes with the bushings! I do have a set of bushings from the previous lower control arm and stabilizer bar changes (both sides) at about 195,000 mi. My 2013 Mazda CX-5 touring a wd now has 245k miles! Except for a few repairs like this it is a fantastic vehicle!

[@Graham_Langley]

UK here. My '06 Mazda 3 has developed a driver-side knock that my first thought was drop links but wasn't. Only thing left was the bushings and as the manual says drop the subframe and use a vice to get the bushings into the brackets it wasn't going to get done. But seeing this I'll have a look to if it can be done the same way. Manual says the bolts should be tightened rear-front-rear. Never had these bushings need replacing on any car I've owned in 50 years even with double the mileage on the '3.

[@lettuce7378]

It is time! My mom has been dealing with "the clunk" for nearly 10 years. This year I fix it!

[@ooyginyardel4835]

Woah!! You can’t just stop this great, extremely informative, very well done video without telling you if it was the fix. What were your conclusions?

[@PhotomikesGarage]

Yes this fixed the clunk!

[@jaysonjareno6083]

thank you for this. i did mine earlier and wow no more noise

[@anaestereo810]

My two cents, do these bushings if you are doing a lwr ctrl arm, front sway bar collar nut is then a flat 14mm wrench with plenty of room as the cylindrical housing of the rear bushing from the arm is not in the way.

[@68pishta68]

Awesome! Finally some closure on a repair that seems to be stumping quite a few owners, including me! I replaced every end link and ball joint on this car as well as front bearings and this is next as well as 4 (3?) new motor mounts. Also may want to add some KY or some other non petroleum based lubricant (poly bushing grease) to this to reduce the friction and wear of the new piece.

[@longyinl]

Thank you for the video. I happened to have read the workshop manual on the front sway bar removal, and it says the first step is to remove the exhaust pipe hangar. Now I've seen your video and understand why they wrote that.

[@jonathangaliano2617]

Any chance you could maybe send me picture of the steps from the manual? Or do you have a PDF version? Thank you!

[@shannonm9291]

Little trick I found for these demon bushes is to jack under the control arm a touch to take some weight, flick the strut end of the link out, then undo the 2 big bolts that go through that rear control bush bracket. It's not a huge amount, but does gain some extra access to the sway bar bush bracket without the lower cntrl arm bolt in the way 😅. Tbh, they're just a pain in the ass on these things lol

[@nobleepinnumberforme]

Only one addition, the bushings need to be greased on all sides. Prevents squeaks and extends their life!

[@danyeo]

I had my sway bar replacement in April, now it’s October and making the same clunky sound after I drive down a bumpy dirt road. I may just ignore the noise.

[@christopherwells372]

My mechanic said my boots are rusted too bad to take apart without snapping. My understanding is that the nuts are part of the frame and hidden . They tried penetrating fluid but no good. So for now we are leaving it as is for now. I was a mechanic long ago so I'll check it out soon myself. What do you think is the best way to break this rust? With an inductive heater I can most likely reach the bolt but it would be best to heat the nut. Captured in the frame. Any ideas?

[@legionsaya]

I saw your other video where you replaced the control arms for the same noice. So the was not the problem but the this?

[@ldaniels37]

i replaced the sway bar links and bushings, inner and outer tie rods, upper and lower control arms, struts pretty much everything in the front suspension. The clunk is still there. only thing i can think of do next is my cv axle.

[@jonathangaliano2617]

Did you ever figure it out? I got an 09 Mazda 5 about a year ago and the front end is definitely clunky and noisy. Starting the process now of researching different things to check and it's pretty overwhelming

[@ClubPenguin3000532]

I would replace the engine mounts as well !!!

[@asianintruder]

Great video mate do you need to use the angles wrench or can you do it with a straight wrench thanks

[@michaelhatfield7647]

First off thanks a million for your videos! It’s really saved me on all my suspension stuff on my 2012 Mazda 5. In this video did the sway bar bushings unclip off or what? Mine I’m sure are stock so I’m really hoping they clip open to get off.

[@ryanamendala6524]

I have more appreciation for the clunk and will just form a better relationship with it rather than this nonsense :) I'd rather sell the car!! Great video

[@vicO1323]

That's what I was thinking LOL

[@grahamholmes9737]

thanks that was an awesome tip. Sometimes a different angle makes all the difference. I struggled trying at the front with the rack in the way and from the sides -never thought to go from the back. (BTW thats a rusty rotor at 10:20. Must have rained in BC lol)

[@bestclarkesspot]

Is this procedure related to the 2012 Mazda 5 ?

[@retrogeorgie8409]

Absolute banger of a video very detailed and informative this really helped me to replace My bushings

[@gloomyboogie]

Wish me luck! I've got the parts and I'll be doing this after Easter!! Do i really need a flex head ratchet though? And yeah i just subscribed, great stuff man! Thank you!!

[@jeroen81]

I tried it with a regular ratchet and angled ringspanners last year and could not get it done. I've got a 1/2 and 1/4 flex ratchet on their way to me so I can finally fix my suspension rattle.

[@Sim-ru6sr]

Clunk from rear of 2017 Mazda 3. Mostly when cold. When warm, no noises. Any ideas ? I have replaced top mounts, shock absorbers, end links AND sway bar bushings.

[@Devo1987]

What exact symptoms were you having ? What mileage is on the car ?

[@user-jq3sn3nt3u]

Hi Mike it's sal great job on step by step with working on the Mazda 5 wish you where in my area I would shake your hand ✋

[@crudknight]

I just snapped one of the bolts. I had changed them before on my other Mazda 5, so I knew what to expect. Tonight got one up about 2mm and the other less than one, then one head snapped off! You can imagine the situation I'm in with the position of these. Fortunately, the bracket is so rusted in place, it's not moving at all! And it turns out it was the lower control arm that I changed out at the same time. What a pain. Will likely drill holes from bottom of table to drill out the bolts, then use bolt and washer to re-attach.

[@stevelucas3261]

Hi Crud, same thing just happened to me. The rear bolt on drivers side snapped on me. Did you end up drilling a hole in the subframe to remove the snapped bolt? Hoping to hear that worked for you before I tackle it. Off to buy a metal toothed hole saw. Thanks

[@crudknight]

@@stevelucas3261 I haven't done it yet. I only drilled a smaller hole to see how hard it would be. It drilled easily. I was trying to get my friend to borrow his lift because you need to raise the car high enough to get the drill underneath. Been too hard because it's busy season for him. It's still the plan, I get reminded each time I drive now that the bar is banging around.

[@stevelucas3261]

@@crudknight thanks for responding. I ended up using a 2 1/4” hole saw to create an access port. Used an extraction tool to back the snapped bolt out. Could’ve got away using a smaller hole but I first planned on gripping it with locking pliers…didn’t work. I was able to do this with the front end on jack stands. This has been an absolute PITA!

[@ladmandiola8868]

Great video! It's around $600 for both the Sway Bar Links and Bushings replacement for my Mazda 6. They said it takes about 3 hours of work. I don't think it takes that long, but that's what they charge. At least at my Mazda dealership.

[@TonicofSonic]

Had mine done at a mazda dealer for under 300$ out the door. Your dealer must charge to drop the subframe. I would recommend switching car brands, mazda dealers are low key trash. They will straight up refuse to do a transmission filter on this vehicle when it is the same design as all other trans filters. That was the last straw for me, as all their newer cars are nightmares to work on and I have never seen a mazda with 200k or more.

[@ladmandiola8868]

@@TonicofSonic Thank you for your reply. I was able to purchase the parts for a total of $65 and spent about 4 hours and did it myself. I actually enjoyed the experience of just doing it myself as it wasn't hard to do, with the exception of changing out the bushings. Had I had a car lift, it would've taken me only 2 hours to do. But again, I'm glad it's done. Also, The Mazda dealership would've have changed out my transmission filter, but they didn't see the need to. So I didn't do it. The great thing is, I had a friend that worked for that very Mazda dealership and is now working for Nissan and had me bring in my car to clean my transmission pan thoroughly and fill the ATF back to the proper level. He did this for free.

[@TonicofSonic]

@@ladmandiola8868 Wow my mazda dealer is well respected and strsight up told ne they do not offer transmission filter service as it is for life. I had to fight them just to do a trasn fluid exchange. They just want to sell new cars and big jobs.

[@TonicofSonic]

@@ladmandiola8868 Man I just walked into a trap. Someone had drove in one of the swwlay bar bolts using an impact and they cross threaded it..snapped off the bolt head taking it out Now I get to drop the subframe and deal with that. Probably just put a new subframe on it. 😬 Any way had to vent that somewhere.

[@scottl31]

Mike! Help! I watched this and was all set to go. Even got the hinge head ratchet. I started on the passenger side. Bolts came out without much trouble. But I couldn't get the old bushing out, as it was stuck under the bar. Finally by pushing the bar a little, it split the bushing at the bottom where it seemed to be cracked. But now the bar is dead solid against the frame and it's impossible to get the new bushing in. Will the bar lift if I remove the driver's side also? I only had one jack stand, so I thought I'd do one side at a time. Is the only way to do this job by removing both brackets and bushings so the bar will lift and you can get the new bushings under the bar? Thanks!

[@user-qj6mf9wu5p]

Merci pour cette vidéo, et pour les autres, on se sent moins seul, face à cette auto et les galères qu'elle génère...Attention, suivant la motorisation et le modèle, on trouve pas mal de variantes, mais sur le principe, c'est tout bon^^...

[@greymohan4370]

You are such a legend for doing this! Thanks 🙏

[@anthonyjuarez1685]

Like others commented I was able to get the rear bolt off from the wheel well by removing the sway bar links (which I was going to replace as well). Was able to muscle the bracket and old bushing out, no problem. BUT when it came time to put the new bushing back in, I was able to get that on, but couldn’t get the bracket on over it. The bracket definitely fit over the new bushing when I tested it off of the sway bar, but it was too difficult to get it onto the bushing on the sway bar within the tight space. So I stuck the old bushing back on without the bracket for the short drive of shame to the mechanic. Anyone have any idea how I might be able to get that bracket back on in that tight of a space? Otherwise, I’m guessing my mechanic will have to drop the subframe to get at it. Figure I’ll have them do the tie rods and engine mounts while they’re at it. FWIW, I was working on a 2008 Mazda 3 not a Mazda 5 like the one in the video.

[@iansellers1251]

These called the front sway bar bushes ?

[@geldartm]

Why do you not lubricate bushes

[@rogeliorodriguez8518]

Can these bushings clunk even if it doesn’t have play while on the ground?

[@ldstirling]

Most garages will do this by dropping the front subframe to access the sway bar bolts. I tried to replace my front sway bar bushings on my 2012 Mazda5 by doing what you're doing, but my car is in New England, and I could absolutely not get the bolts loose using hand tools, with the limited access. I ended up having my mechanic do this job, during another service, and it cost hundreds of dollars because they had to drop the subframe.

[@Nate-or9lw]

@ldstirling yo man I hear a clunk when I turn my 013 mazda cx5 when u talking hundreds of dollars do u remember about how much tbh

[@ldstirling]

@@Nate-or9lw CX-5 is not the same as a Mazda5. I have no idea if the front sway bar bushings are just as inaccessible on a first gen CX-5.

[@texassmokingmonkey]

Thanks very much for this video! i watched a A-1 lady replace these, and she dropped the subframe, NO THANK YOU. This helps a great deal!

[@tigersnake72]

I tried this to my car and it’s not easy to remove the bolt I think the bolt have a lock tight so how did you remove the bolt

[@POTplaythrough-hf9ld]

I just bought a 2007 mazda 5 with 252k in the ODO for 4k$ the other day .. everything seems good it does have it's claim over the years which I didn't mind. but I did notice that there was a knocking noise when driving low > high speeds like there was a helicopter somewhere. could that be the same problem ? and also the A/C seems to be loud but does not blow too hard.

[@JcFadot]

AC filter might have to be changed, it's extremely easy to do, cost is little.

[@68pishta68]

@@JcFadot easy? BS those filters are a nightmare as you got to take out the friggin fuse panel out...right hand drive is easier I have heard but lefties need to swing down the fuse block and remove 5 plugs, then remove the block itself then contor yourself to remove the mountiung bracket then find the 4 screws that hold the filter cover on then figure out how to get the 2 piece filters up and in. Its a PITA but can be done in about 30 minutes but its a toolless 3 minute job on my caravan. AS of trhte helicopter noise, Id check your CV's and front bearings. Remove the front CV's and then remount tire on spindle and spin, should be quiet. replacing these is tough, I would recommend buying the hub with bearings and bring both spindles to a shop and have them press the new bearings and hubs on. you can do it with a rented bearing press from Autozone/Oreilly but its really hard work if your not accustomed to projects like this.

[@ginap42]

I have a 2010 Mazda 3 sport that I just had a shop tell me that the clunk was 100% the sway bar links and replaced them. THERE IS STILL A CLUNK! So.. I have pulled the tire off the care to see what is going on in there. The bolts that hold my bushings on look like wing nuts with no where to turn them as they are butted up to the bushing. Am I way off or missing something????

[@דניאלביטון-ת3ר]

This probably an hack due to stripped thread on the lower subframe. Probably the other side without wing nut

[@jettguerrero1737]

Are these exactly like OEM or better? Asking because if same as oem, would that mean it'll fail again sometime in the near future?

[@jtcintl4373]

Did this fix the sound?

[@mountruax]

hi buddy, where you put exactly the jack stans , manual is not clear

[@kwbalance108]

He put them under the control arm.

[@mikedoragh746]

I noticed you didn't appear to add grease to the bushing. Do others recommend grease or not, to stop any squeaking? And if yes, what grease?

[@68pishta68]

yeah, Id add some non petroleum based grease (KY, astroglide, PST poly grease) to prolong wear in this. Dont laugh about the "personal lubricant" properties, they are purposely non petroleum based for latex compatability and we know what petro-grease does to latex/rubber.

[@mikedoragh746]

@@68pishta68 I even saw someone recommend wrapping ptfe tape around the metal along with the grease particularly on any polybushings... to stop squeaking. But that was on easier to reach bushings... not sure how easy that would be to add underneath these swaybar bushings? Might be worth trying though even with standard rubber bushings, as reduced friction will slow down wearing of the inside of bushing, so they might last longer before starting clunking again!

[@David-jv4fw]

How did this take you?

[@jtcintl4373]

What size bolt?

[@killer1966witt]

What are the bushing numbers ? Your link to eBay has expired. Would have been best if you showed those numbers in your video. Thanks

[@ClubPenguin3000532]

I used Moog bushings K200624 for Front and K200623 for Rear

[@Hank039]

@@ClubPenguin3000532 TY for posting the numbers.

[@drewbush6535]

I just bought 2013 mazda3... clunk in the rear. It was the sway bar links. Stupid thing I ever saw use a Allen key and a wrench to take off a nut!. Ended up using bolt snapper Allen stripped lol.. now sun roof problems... drains out kick panel.. comes back in .....help anyone

[@PaulHamMedia]

any chance of doing a video on transmission flush and filter change on your mazda?

[@sajidrafique375]

dont flush...just change the fluid and filter

[@PhotomikesGarage]

This would be a $300 to $500 job at the dealership because they would lower the subframe to get at the sway bar bushings.

[@jadenngonzales9802]

1000$ job had it done great experience!!

[@SlowCarsFastSFV]

Might sound crazy.. but get 2 long locking extensions and put them together and with a 14mm wobble socket go in through the top of the engine.. thx Mazda..

[@georgeligouri]

Just did these on my dads car when I swapped out the control arms. Such a stupid tight spot. Came across this video when I took a break after doing passenger side wondering if I was an idiot and overlooking an easy method to to remove the brackets. Guess not!

[@vikingwoodremake]

Did it fix the clunk? Im going to do this next week.

[@PhotomikesGarage]

Yes it did.

[@Sonia4Him]

Thank you for this video!

[@bernie6355]

thanks for the video but I just broke the back bolt on the passenger side. now I am stuck. both front bolts came out fairly easily though. Still struggling with the drivers rear bolt

[@sajidrafique375]

oh no

[@christianerance]

Well it wont prevent you from driving if you just remove the sway bar completely

[@georgefrank7367]

sooooooooo did it fix the clunk? I had bad control arms and strut mounts etc.. replaced them.. still clunky better but still have a clunk.. going to change these out as well.. sooo

[@simbad909]

Excellent job

[@PhotomikesGarage]

Thanks

[@adelk7116]

Great useful video! Thank you!

[@macfady2181]

I don't think I'd ever recommend using control arms for jack stand placement, there are better options.

[@jonathangaliano2617]

Got a Mazda 5 about a year ago and in the next few weeks gonna start the process of figuring out why the front suspension is so clunky. Haven't even looked into proper jack stand placement for this car yet. Do you know off hand where the "recommended" spots are?

[@Jwk7591]

What are the better options please. I’ve been trying to figure this out.

[@Hank039]

@@Jwk7591 There are jack points located in your owner's manual.

[@carlosesquivel1314]

good job ,, ive done that is a heck of job . but o well got do wygd right .keep good work blessings

[@Dalesoil1]

What a pia, I've got both gront and back to do😮

[@Neckoslash]

With a long enough extension you can get to both by the top EVEN driver side if you have a person guiding from the ground.. that.being said you'll most likely have to use a 1/2 inch 500ft lb torque impact to get the DAMN frozen bolts off oh and pray to the cars god's they don't break.

[@Neckoslash]

Also ty for making this video it did help a ton, even with tapping out and having to borrow a neighbors impact driver 😂😂😂

[@thenexthobby]

I missed the diagnosis and the results.

[@raidersnation3832]

That’s what I said to my wife too. Is better to go from the back😝

[@JeanFrancoisDesrosiers]

Or with a really long extension.

[@seancainey3979]

Thanks

[@mustangjoe8352]

👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@ILLBlaze]

it's best to go in from the back lol

[@craigsager9329]

You never did say how long it took you from begining to end....that information would be much appreciated..

[@vermin1970]

When you go in from the back, it’s best to have fresh rubber and lots of lubricant 😂

[@billphil8235]

Buy an air wratchet

[@danyeo]

I

[@cgmf-d6t]

Asinine design