swaybar bushing issues..

hi, back again with another question. i recently did my entire suspension, sans the sway bar bushings, and got it aligned. the car was soundless. even more recently i decided to change my sway bar bushings. i got the basic bushings, mevotech i think, which came with a different bushing case and a different design from oem, and installed with a torque of 32/35/ and on other attempts 41lb on the four bolts holding the new bushing case. i’m having a hard time finding the accurate torque settings.
i’ve put this thing together in so many variations with/without the included washers above/below the case, torqued while rotors were resting on blocks, and it’s giving me the worst groaning and creaking sounds each time i lurch forward from a stop and while slowly driving and turning on every variation i try. i’m going mad dealing with this sound. i’ve put this up on the racks about 20 times now.
can anyone maybe shed some light on what’s happening? would this sound magically go away if i were to get the car aligned again? i’m not using the washers right now as i saw another post with pictures and there was no washers used and my bolts have a flanged head.
i feel like an idiot for throwing away the original bushings and their cases because i see dorman sells the bushing that fits in the oem case.
thanks for looking

This may be from a "rub" the bushings in their holsters - are not clearing.

Can you put the OEM ones back in? (Dumpster diving is not my forte)

So the creak and groan is usually a tolerance issue of the bar to bushing - the new ones may be improper fitment. By the sounds of your efforts to make them fit - you may have gotten the wrong ones - not by your error, theirs. They should have just fit fine with no issues about clearances or what kind of washer to use. IF they are too big, they may compress too much onto the bar so that when the weight shifts and the entire bar them moves up or down - both bushings hold onto the bar and you hear that creak from their stiffness.

Mevotech has sent me components that do not fit the intended application in the recent past. I will not purchase that brand ever again. That's just my personal experience with them.
The O.E. sway bar bushings are very soft compared to a quality polyurethane bushing set from companies like Energy suspension or Whiteline.
The Fiesta loves polyurethane bushings. Huge improvement in handling.

thanks. i can always count on you two for help
they’re trashed but i can head to my wrench a apart or now i’m thinking about polyurethane bushings
appreciate you guys! gonna go put the calipers to my sway bar now..

Should be a 19mm or roughly 3/4 in front bar diameter. You won't regret upgrading to polyurethane bushings on the front asb. Just remember that they gave you that little packet of grease for a reason! Apply it to the inside contact surface area of the bushings before you install them.

so thanks for your replies again, i just replaced the new polyurethane bushings with oem from a pristine totaled fiesta. the knock persists..
although now, i believe the sway bar bushings are NOT to blame. i was never able to replicate the sound on stilts. so i found a worn out bushing, pressed it’s housing and was shocked how much i was able to move it by hand. i usually hear this big knock when i go from a stop to first gear, as the car lurches forward. this is the bushing. not sure what it’s called but i’ll be heading back to the wrench a part when i have time to grab a replacement.
i also had an issue with the poly bushings, the 13mm flange head nuts that hold the bracket in don’t allow the nut to be fully flush with the bracket as the bushing casing is too wide.
anyway, hoping scotman or handy andy sees this and gives a thumbs up about replacing that bushing and maybe giving me the name of it?
here’s a pic of the poly bushings as well, might find some non flanged 13mm bolts and throw them back on
thanks for looking!

Will need to clarify, but was this shot taken from underneath the car?

• And so everyone knows this was not an original diagnosis - it was a condition - but the problem lies within the bushings but from where?

Looks like the lower Motor mount - seeing the pull on it, that sag usually shows up after about 5~7 years - the rubber/urethane material - deteriorates from heat and the torque. I see the material bending-separating from the housing itself.

The Manual or Auto is why I ask? Different densities of material which affects the handling

• IF this is the motor mount or thereof, then you may need to look into replacing all of them as time permits

Just need to know if this was on the case/engine housing or the rearward towards passenger compartment?

Good job on figuring this one out with what little you had to work with and was able to isolate it.

thanks andy!! yes, i think it’s my lower motor mount. it sits underneath and to the back of the engine underneath the car.
the car is standard transmission from 2012, sounds like it’s overdue for these motor mounts then..

Well, post photos if you can, I'm looking forward to having to do mine pretty soon too!

Although a standard 5-speed I know of several mounts that have worn to a point where the engine noise - the running motor and all the clackity clack of the works inside - are seeping into the passenger compartment - it's getting louder and louder.

I know because I have to play the radio louder or I have to repeat myself several times when using hands-free due to the noise in the background - ugh!

dang it! should’ve taken some photos. i replaced the two motor mounts and the transmission mount, it came in a kit off rock auto. very simple job, though i broke a bolt holding the battery compartment in place but it doesn’t seem to be an issue. seemed to take care of all the clunking sounds i was hearing!
only problem is now when i turn my steering wheel all the way to one side or another, and move from a stop, i get this loud spring sound like the stop spring in back of a door being pulled and let go. kind of. can’t figure out what it is yet but i think i’ve overrightened something maybe the sway bar bushing case since i couldn’t get an accurate torque on it.
anyway, thanks for your help!

and i was able to tell easily that the mounts were worn just by pushing in the motor and observing the play in the bushings. when taken out the rubber was terribly worn. made a huge difference andy, highly recommend performing asap

Then just double check the sway bar links - see if their bushings have failed.

I've had strange noises from the simple bolt (15mm wrench and 5mm hex combo) and nut make when they get loose.