rtm5003 Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 I'm going to try to swap out my Front LCA's (4WD,) and I've searched all over this forum trying to find out whether or not I need to separate the ball joint from the knuckle... If I just remove the 6 bolts holding the LCA in place (3 to the chassis, 3 to the ball joint,) can I just drop the control arm out with the ball joint still attached to the knuckle? I think that would make my life a lot easier. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ltsnotme Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I'm going to try to swap out my Front LCA's (4WD,) and I've searched all over this forum trying to find out whether or not I need to separate the ball joint from the knuckle... If I just remove the 6 bolts holding the LCA in place (3 to the chassis, 3 to the ball joint,) can I just drop the control arm out with the ball joint still attached to the knuckle? I think that would make my life a lot easier. Thanks. You sure can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 You sure can. x2. The LCA and ball joint are detachable. After you remove the nuts holding the ball joint to the LCA, the LCA swings down, leaving the ball joint attached to the knuckle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WOT Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Not all balljoints are detachable though. My factory ones were detachable YES But I bought aftermarket ball joints off ebay from korea or whatever, and the ball joint and 3 studs were all one riveted part. It didnt have the seperate full metal plate with the 3 pressed studs in it like my OEM and now my Backarnleys balljoints do. I think breaking a balljoint apart and doing that instead of removing the 3 nuts is much easier to drop the LCA though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01silvapathy Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Why are you replacing the entire control arm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtm5003 Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 Why are you replacing the entire control arm? The replacements were relatively cheap ($70 each shipped) and I didn't want to deal with pressing the bushings in. So - basically because I'm lazy. I'm thinking of doing the split poly bushings in the rears, but I'm not sure yet. I've read about a few peoples' polys not lasting very long... I have no noticeable death wobble and the only clunk I had in the rear went away with the shock/spring/end link install, so I think my bushings might be in okay shape... Also - thanks for the help everyone. I'm hoping this should be a really quick job. My ball joints were replaced at the stealership (according to CarFax) at 60k, so I figure they should be good for another 50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WOT Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Polys not lasting long?? Poly bushings last FOREVER, Ive only had the polys in my Qx4 for 2 years, but they still appear and feel new. But Ive had poly bushings in my other cars for 10+ years and they dont show signs of fatigue or breakdown at all. A $70 replacement control arm?... I dont know if I would trust that compared to the well built oem Putting poly bushings on the oem arm is EASY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtm5003 Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 Polys not lasting long?? Poly bushings last FOREVER, Ive only had the polys in my Qx4 for 2 years, but they still appear and feel new. But Ive had poly bushings in my other cars for 10+ years and they dont show signs of fatigue or breakdown at all. A $70 replacement control arm?... I dont know if I would trust that compared to the well built oem Putting poly bushings on the oem arm is EASY Welp, the project is over and done with... About 3 hours, by myself, including clean-up and a trip to the store for some new bolts. The replacement arms are made by Beck/Arnley, have OEM Nissan stickers and part numbers on them, and were purchased on what can only be explained as an Amazon price mistake, considering they go for about $140/each usually BUT - I STILL have a clunk in the front suspension under low speed braking. And not 100% of the time, maybe 50%. It only really happens when I'm driving really slowly - making a k-turn, moving the car around in the driveway. When I hit the brakes, I get a clunk coming from the front suspension somewhere.. I've installed brand new struts, springs, sway bar bushings, and now LCAs. And the dealership replaced the sway bar end links 8k miles ago. I've only put 100 miles or so on the new suspension since I want to get it aligned before I drive it too much.. But I double-checked all of the nuts/bolts and they are tight... Does anyone have any ideas??? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camelfilter Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 ?Binding strut bearing maybe? Did you use Nissan bearing or aftermarket? Afternarkets I have read are not very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtm5003 Posted April 14, 2012 Author Share Posted April 14, 2012 ?Binding strut bearing maybe? Did you use Nissan bearing or aftermarket? Afternarkets I have read are not very good. Used brandy new OEM Nissan strut bearings and mounts... It was making this sound both before and after the strut install... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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