I just replaced both rear cv axles. On my test drive I heard loud rubbing from the back.

Looking underneath, the plastic sway bar arms/end links (that connect to the knuckles) are rubbing on the outer CV boots.

I double checked Bentley and I think everything is installed correctly.

I had to disconnect 3x suspension bolts on both knuckles, and used the floor jack to raise the suspension to driving height before torqueing down. Maybe this changed the orientation of the sway bar?

I'm wondering if the boot on the Advance Auto GSP axle is larger than the OEM boot.

Any ideas?

 

Wondering if I need to make spacers like these at the bottom of the page:
The Neuspeed rear sway Bar

Looks like the 96-97 B5's had skinnier end links.

 

I ordered some of the older style, metal (not wide plastic) sway bar end links and I'm going to make some spacers, but it's going to be the weekend before the parts get here.

In the meantime, how safe would it be to drive 1000 highway miles without a rear sway bar connected. I would guess understeer and also squirrelliness in the back but should be okay?

 

Redmond I'm still trying to figure out what happened there. I poked my head under my 99 Quattro and the sway bar links really aren't that close to the CV boots back there. Have you compared the new to the ones in your trash can?

On mine, even if you put a boot on there that was bigger in circumfrence, the sway bar link is still a good 1 or 2 inches too inboard to come near the CV boot. On mine the sway bar link is over the axel itself, not over the CV boot.

 

It'll handle like doo doo, but as long as you're not turning hard it should be fine. If you're going to disconnect the end links, i would remove them and the sway bar completely. Having **** hanging down under the car would make me nervous.

I have the plastic end links as well and I've been meaning to replace them. From what I read, the theory is that they're lighter and stronger than the metal links...right up until when they get old and brittle and snap.

 

So I found some sway bar links locally.

However I'm wondering if I somehow installed something incorrectly, though I can't figure out what that would be:

I disconnected the following to get the rear axles out:
+ Top control control arm bolt
+ Sway bar link bolt
+ Lower control arm bolt (the one with the eccentric washer, which I rotated to the same position before tightening)

I used a floor jack to raise the suspension to ride height before torqueing down -- maybe that twisted the sway bar, which is fairly rusted?

I actually did the first axle last weekend without issue, though it might have been rubbing and I didn't hear it. I remember that the boots seemed longer than the OEM boots, but the overall length of the axles was the same.

Facing the wheel, the sway bar link goes basically straight down, and about 2" from the bottom the plastic link is rubbing the outermost rubber section of the outer boot.

 

Were both sides of the swaybar connected when you lifted the spindle to torque the CA bolts?

 

Yes both sides of the sway bar were connected..

 

What I find puzzling is that you say they're rubbing on the boots, not on the axle. If you look at that Neuspeed link you left way up above, you can see they rubbed on the axle. That's about where mine line up too, though mine are pretty far away. So to rub on the boot, either the new boots are much longer down the axle, or something is really wrong with the way you put it back together.

Have you compared the boots to the originals you took off?

 

Here's a diagram of where the link is hitting the boot and also the metal style link.