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Installing a lift, question about the front struts


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So I bought a spacer style lift for the Pathfinder.

 

 

The front spacer only has 3 holes, and came with longer bolts. That looks okay but..... The strut has studs that are pressed in to the top of the strut. How do I get them out so the spacer and longer bolts can drop in?

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You'll need to disassemble the strut assembly to remove them. That top plate has the studs pressed in, and they won't clear the upper spring seat for removal once loosened if the strut is still assembled. (At least that was the case for me.)

 

A clamp-type ball joint press, a vise and sockets, or a hammer ought to work (I'd recommend them in that order). You can rent the 1st item from any auto parts store for $0.

 

Put the new bolts in and re-assemble the strut. Chances are the new bolts won't be knurled at the ends, so they'll be loose (they're probably hex bolts). You can tack weld them, or put some JB Weld on the heads, but I was able to use an offset wrench wedged against metal to keep them from spinning while putting the nuts on.

 

If you bought spacers from Fleurys (4x4Design), he threads his holes so that you don't have that problem. Before re-assembling the strut assembly, sandwich the top plate with the threaded spacers and bolts.

 

There are a few posts about strut disassembly if thats new to you. It's a pretty straight-forward process, and the tools for it can also be rented for free.

Edited by hawairish
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You'll need to disassemble the strut assembly to remove them. That top plate has the studs pressed in, and they won't clear the upper spring seat for removal once loosened if the strut is still assembled. (At least that was the case for me.)

 

A clamp-type ball joint press, a vise and sockets, or a hammer ought to work (I'd recommend them in that order). You can rent the 1st item from any auto parts store for $0.

 

Put the new bolts in and re-assemble the strut. Chances are the new bolts won't be knurled at the ends, so they'll be loose (they're probably hex bolts). You can tack weld them, or put some JB Weld on the heads, but I was able to use an offset wrench wedged against metal to keep them from spinning while putting the nuts on.

 

If you bought spacers from Fleurys (4x4Design), he threads his holes so that you don't have that problem. Before re-assembling the strut assembly, sandwich the top plate with the threaded spacers and bolts.

 

There are a few posts about strut disassembly if thats new to you. It's a pretty straight-forward process, and the tools for it can also be rented for free.

 

 

Awesome post. Thanks.

 

 

Now to drive the stink bug around for a week until I have time to do the front end :/

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OME makes 1.75" front struts....

 

 

Lost me there :). 1.75" struts? Didn't think the OME struts were any longer. Where you see them for $105?

 

Nonetheless, the OME springs, struts, and shocks are excellent if you can justify the price. I've got them at all corners, though I had to remove the rear shocks to go with longer non-OMEs (and it's noticeably rougher).

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Ah....yep, a misread.

 

In order to get the 1.75", you only need the springs ($167/pair). They replace the springs on your current struts. The strut is just a fancy shock, and doesn't provide any lift, but the two are installed together.

 

The $105 price tag is for a KYB GR2 strut (formerly their Excel-G line). KYB is a different manufacturer than OME. They're a good upgrade over stock, I hear. The OME struts are $209.95 each, and you'd need a left and right one. That said, if you went full OME up front, it'd be $587.

 

Similar logic for the rear...only the springs will give you lift; the shocks are a supplemental item. You can mix-and-match here, too. OME makes it a point to advertise how complimentary their springs are with their shocks.

 

Since you bought spacers, though, you might want to reconsider OMEs, or any lift, depending on how tall your spacers are. The front suspension can't really support more than 2.5" of combined lift without dropping the subframe (a la SFD). The rear can support a little more, but then you'll need to think about longer shocks. What spacers did you go with?

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They are 1.5" for the frontI bought them off Ebay.

 

For the rear, they looked like 2" and I bought the Bilstien 5100's that were 2" longer than stock shocks.

 

 

I was hoping for an easy out, the spring/strut that is 1.75" longer than stock that I could just swap out and not have to fight with the studs to get the spacer to work. Not gonna happen, so I might as well get used to the fight and go with the spacers.

Edited by IchWarriorMkII
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Gotcha. Yep, I have that spacer lift, too...1.5" strut spacer and 2" rear spring spacer. I run those plus another 0.5" spacer up front, and OME springs all around. I also have a 2.5" SFD to offset things.

 

Either way, whether to replace the springs or studs, you gotta disassemble the strut...and as such, it's actually less work to just do the springs. No one sells a complete OME strut assembly that I'm aware of.

 

I wouldn't sweat strut disassembly, but that's just me. I had a tougher time just re-installing just one strut with spacers than I did taking apart and re-assembling both struts.

 

You can buy new "BRACKET-FRONT STRUT MOUNTING INSULATOR" (official Nissan name, p/n 54322-0W010) and press out those studs before disassembling anything. They're $14/ea at courtesyparts.com, and I think "NIS10" is still good for a 10-15% discount. You should also consider replacing other parts like the strut mount (the upper "hat" that has a rubber bushing in it) or the strut bearing since you'll have everything apart, and depending on how your existing parts are holding up.

Edited by hawairish
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  • 4 weeks later...

Sorry to seem confused, but I too looked at the pacers as well as the OME prings. Am I correct in understanding I could buy just the OME springs for front and rear and get the list? Or is it required to do spacers as well or struts? Again im completely new to Pathfinders and still learning so apologies up front for my ignorance.

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Unless your front struts are fairly new, less than 10k miles. Its a good idea to change em out. A typical shock/strut lasts around 50-60k miles. Depending on use.

 

OME springs provide about 1.5" of lift new. However the Pathfinder will still have a rake, of the rear higher than the front. The usual setup that most do with the OME setup is: OME springs plus a 1" strut spacer up front. Which will level out the truck. Reason being is that the the front springs settle about .5-.75 inch. Thus only lifting the front 1". So adding the additional spacer evens out the lift front to back.

Edited by Rebelord
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Unless your front struts are fairly new, less than 10k miles. Its a good idea to change em out. A typical shock/strut lasts around 50-60k miles. Depending on use.

 

OME springs provide about 1.5" of lift new. However the Pathfinder will still have a rake, of the rear higher than the front. The usual setup that most do with the OME setup is: OME springs plus a 1" strut spacer up front. Which will level out the truck. Reason being is that the the front springs settle about .5-.75 inch. Thus only lifting the front 1". So adding the additional spacer evens out the lift front to back.

 

Ok thanks for the info! So being that I have no idea how old these struts are im thinking it would be safe to say they need replacing. Now Where can i find those spacers?

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Awesome! ok now that i got the spacer stuff figured out, what about rear shocks? Im looking at the 2 inch spacer lift for the rear so im assuming i need longer shocks. Any part numbers for easy reference?

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