i noticed under my girlfriends 2000 protege that there was something hanging under the car near the front tire. it turns out to be a sway bar link. i'm looking online at advace auto and they have one item that is a "sway bar link kit" and also another called a "stabilizer end link kit." i'm pretty sure the latter is what i need but i'm kind of confused because everywhere i go tells me "sway bar" and "stabilizer bar" are the same thing. so what's with the two different parts? and they ARE both specified as "front."

thanks
wes

 

"Sway bar" and "stabilizer" are the same thing. The links are basically a rod with two ball joints and 2 nuts. And you need one for the left an the right side. So you can ask them if the "kit" is for both sides or for one only. Left and right are different in regard tot he stud orientation.
When i changed mine on a 98 protege I bought Moog brand links. They have grease nipples. But it was a bad choice because they were so bulky that the grease nipples interfered with the struts. So get the inexpensive ones that look like the originals.

I also had trouble removing the old ones. I had to grind the nuts down and use a chisel to knock the nut off the rusted stud.

Have fun!

 

The reason I ask is because the moog ones look a lot shorter in the photo. Like 3 inches long instead of 7 or 8 inches. It may just be a stock photo they use for all models on the site. Didn't know if there was a difference though.