03 ford explorer; the front sway bar link bushings (the ones at the ends of the long rod that connect to the bottem swing arm) are missing , is this a simple unbolt and bolt back on with new bushings job, or should i have the dearler do it?

Check for bad wheel balance, struts, lower ball joints ( no upper joints) , outer tie rod ends, inner tie rod ends, stabilizer bar bushings, lower control arm bushings , and finally a wheel alignment ,you have some bad looseness in one or more of these front end parts. GOOD LUCK FRIEND.

When the brakes are applied there is no noise? This means the anti-rattle clips are missing from the brakes pads.

check your rotors

front shocks? Make sure battery is secured .

A sway bar is a suspension piece that keeps the left and right side of vehicle connected to help with turns. They are held together through sway bar links at each end, which are fairly common to break or rattle over bumps.

If its a sort of long rod with a link at each end that attach it to the control arms and a couple of bushings that mount it to the chassis then it may be the sway bar.

definitely sounds like a ball joint problem, bushings would not cause it to chew up tires a worn moving mechanical part would such as steering components,wheel bearings,ball joints, and believe it or not shock absorbers

Hello emaci.
There are several items that can create a clunk.
Struts and mounts, broken coil springs, ball joints, tie rod ends, sway bar links and bushings and control arm bushings.
The most common problem I see in my shop on these cars are sway links and control arm bushings.
I would suggest you take it to a competent front end shop and get it checked over.
I hope this helps you.
Take care........KL

I recommend you get a Haynes or Chilton repair manual for most auto parts stores ($20-$30). But to save you some money:
Tie Rods:
1. Loosen the lug nuts.
2. Raise front of vehicle.
3, Support it with jack stands.
4. Chock/Block the rear tires.
5. Set the parking brake.
6. Remove the front tire.
7. Mark the nut shaped end of the tie rod and the jam nut with a straight line on top.
8. Using two wrenches - one on the tie rod (nut shaped) end and the other on the jam nut,..loosen SLIGHTLY the jam nut (clockwise turn). While loosening the jam nut - make sure you count the number of turns 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2 etc...
9. Using 11/32 Socket remove the tie-rod end to steering knuckle nut.
10. Use a tie rod end separator (fork) or ball joint separator (jaws) and separate the tie rod from the steering knuckle.
11. Before turning the tire rod off the steering arm: Count the number of turns coming off the arm using the mark you put on the tie rod nut shaped end.
Notice on the final turn off the arm what the mark position is. This wil be the position you start when screwing the new tie rod on.
12. Place the jam nut back just short of it's original position.
13. Screw the new tie rod back starting with that start position and with the same number of turns.
14. Connect the tie rod and steering knuckle.
15. Tighten the tie rod to steering knuckle nut to 40 ft-lbs.
16. The tie rod end and jam nut should then be tightened. They should be close anyway within a 1/8 turn.
17. Install lug nuts.
18. Lower Van.
19. Tighten lug nuts to 100 ft-lbs. Using the everyother nut until all are tightened process.
20. Wheel alignment? Test drive Van and have checked at an alignment shop.

The Stabilizer Bar Bushings:
Steps 1. thru Step 6 above. Remove both tires.
7. Remove bolts (should be 10 of them) attaching the cradle plate to the bottom of the front suspension cradle.
8. Remove the cradle plate.
9. Remove the stablizer bar links from the stabilzer bar. Confused? There is a straight bar coming from the Strut down to the sway (stabilizer) bar (which goes from one side of the Van to the other). Remove this nut.
10. Remove the stabilizer (sway) bar bushing retainers (one on each side) from the front suspension cradle.
11. Be careful this bar is heavy and will fall suddenly and may hit you on the head!!
12. Remove the bar and bushings as a unit (together).
13. Install the new bushings with the slits facing the rear of the Van and the square corners facing the ground.
14. Make sure you clean the areas on the bar where the bushings are positioned.
15. Use lubricant (non-petroleum based, like vegetable oil) to easy re-assembly.
16. Re-assembly is pretty much the reverse.
Hints:
a. Align the stabilizer bar in position using the depressions in the cradle.
b. Do not tighten all-the-way the bushing retainers until later.
c. Tighten stabilizer bar to link stabilzer (sway) bar to 65 ft-lbs.
d. Tighten bushing retainer nuts to 50 ft-lbs.
e. Tighten the cradle plate bolts:
M14 at 123 ft-lbs
M12 at 80 ft-lbs.

Let mne know if this worked for you. Good Luck!!
Any other questions? Drop me a line on fixya.com!

The sway bar bushings are under the large clamps that hold the bar to the frame. The ends of the sway bar are connected to the struts by the sway bar links. When the links wear out, they clunk--not squeak. The bushings are under the retainer in the pic below.