Jump to content

couple quick front suspension questions


deluded
 Share

Recommended Posts

Almost finished with the front end. Did dif drop and welded carrier, new axles from nissan, all urethane bushings, 2wd steering conversion and steering dampener, all new tre and ball joints, warn manual hubs, adjustable rancho shocks, ucas, and swayaway tbars. All steering components are MOOG

 

problem: at max bump articulation the upper ball joint boot exposes the grease reservoir. has anyone found a es/prothane part number that fixes this? The bump travel stop is a stock one with the nub removed so it isn't even as thin as the low profile energy suspension piece that many people use. source:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Moog-Ball-Joint-Front-Upper-New-Hardbody-Pickup-Truck-for-Nissan-K9022-/121563733904?fits=Year%3A1995%7CMake%3ANissan%7CModel%3APathfinder&hash=item1c4dc35f90:g:SpMAAOSwLs5XJ3SD&vxp=mtr

looks like every other manufacturer has a boot with a retaining ring to ensure that this can't happen. sucks if i wasted $60 on these.

 

second: measured front suspension travel... right at 7 inches (tbar backed all the way off and lower a-arms against stop for upward travel and measured down from fender lip with tbar preload to force uca against droop stop). I am less concerned about looks or even clearance compared to a suspension that actually works for desert/rocks. should it be divided up for 4" bump and 3" droop or 5/2 or 3.5/3.5 or is there good advice out there for this?

 

max droop introduced cv bind so i had to shim the droop stop to 0.75" to fix that. outer tre is very close to bind, as well. ranchos have lots of extra travel at max bump/droop.

 

thank you for the help!

 

20160714_131915.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thank you for the input adamzan.

 

ordered a pair of Mevotechs upper ball joints today; i'm not willing to mess with Moog's poor boot design... very disappointed in Moog. The Moog tre for the inners on the 2wd conversion had miss-rolled threads so I couldn't use them either. Can't say I'd recommend their products to anyone after this experience.

 

leaning toward 5 bump, 2" droop travel unless anyone has some discussion?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think there is enough info to accurately answer that question, even if there is a calculated answer.

Usage, speed, spring rate, shock dampening, etc...

 

I've heard that a lot of lifted vehicles have a rough ride due to not enough droop, meaning riding at end-of-travel and then taking full weight which makes some sense.

I think the question here is your need for ground clearance VS how likely you are to stuff/max travel 1 wheel, and how often. My observations are that the vehicles that keep their wheels on the ground do the best/have the best control, be it by articulation or droop.

 

If it were me, I'd start like this:

Stiff suspension 3 bump/4 droop

Soft suspension 4 bump/3 droop

and see what happens with actual usage.

Obviously, be gentle at first and have spotters so you can get some pertinent info...

 

B

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • I honestly hadn't thought about spring rate in the equation. The swayaways are supposedly fairly stiff. I'll set it up and report back; i am willing to bet the factory ride height puts it in near middle of travel at ride height... the fsm gives a lca angle for stock ride height (calculated) so I will compare and see. thank you again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The moog upper ball joints are garbage to be honest. Beck arnley seem to be the best for durability. You called it, the dust boots are the issue. They aren't sealed whatsoever and don't last due to this fact. I have however had excellent luck with the 2wd problem solver inner tie rods. 50k and 4 years of hard driving and logging roads / wheeling and they are still tight as the day we put them in.

 

As for articulation. As balanced as possible would be ideal between compression and extension travel, but having it on the higher side by an inch or two might be beneficial depending on the roads you drive on. The logging roads here have a lot of pot holes, so down travel is very important or you are in for a rough ride. We don't have a huge amount of speed bump like humps on my trails, aside from obstacles thst would be taken slowly. As for the roads, bad pot holes, so the more down travel, the better. I would aim for around 4 compression / 3 extension if possible but that would be for my roads. If you are out in the flat lands or a desert it could be completely different.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mevotechs didn't even have grease fittings: totally different than the picture from the seller so back they, too, went. Then ordered Proforged which by appearances are a quality product... even the box they are packaged in was nice. Thank you Nefarious, I can't wait to get this going. I may have to get a lifetime alignment option to be able to change up the ride height. I also got the PS 2wd inners based on recommendations here. I am all about spending what ever it takes time and money-wise to do a project once and minimize problems.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I have just purchased a 1991 Nissan Pathfinder 4x4 it is factory original and it needs some front end work. I am thinking of tackling this myself. Needs wheel bearings, tie rod ends, ball joints and upper control arm bushings. Any information would be helpful. I plan on keeping this for a longtime. I want to buy parts with a lifetime warranty and I want heavy duty. I also want to lift the truck, and I can't find information on that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BigLuke for all the suspension components moog and energy suspension are highly recommended through out the forum. As for lifting it there are several sites for lifts, both body and suspension lifts. You can buy a whole kit or go the way I'm going to and go with shocks, UCA's and JGC FRONT coil springs with the pigtail either cut flush or bent outwards. Go to the search tab in the 90-95 sub forum and type in suspension lift or body lift depending on what you want and that should get you off to a great start. Also if you want to do the 2wd steering mod which seems to help tie rod end angles once lifted just look that up too. Google and this forum will overwhelm you with possibilities so be prepared! Hope this helps, don't forget to post in the new members ride section and fill in your profile if you haven't (I'm on mobile so I can't see that) hope this helps and welcome to the forums!

Edited by RCWD21
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Luke, before you spend a dime on the steering components search 2wd steering conversion. Seems the way to go and lots of info on this board on how to do it. Look into the manual steering box for the idler, too.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had it checked out by my mechanic prior to purchase and he said they needed to be replaced. I believe that because I do not know when they were changed before, better to replace them so I know what I have.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only thing about that is you can't know if they need replaced without pulling the bearings out and inspecting them.

 

FWIW I changed out the original NTK bearings at 260k on my Pathfinder. They weren't awful but there was some spalling on the inner race.

 

On my pickup I changed them at 185k because they'd never been serviced and they got hot.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have never changed the bearings on my 1994 Pathfinder. I have 267k miles. I just repack them with grease every other year. These aren't like newer vehicles with non-serviceable hub bearings.

 

To be honest I would just pull them off and if they look good put them back with fresh lube. Changing them requires banging out or pressing out the races.

 

I am willing to put money on it the shop just felt a little play and called them bad. Had that happen to me a few times over the years when getting alignments.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Luke, before you spend a dime on the steering components search 2wd steering conversion. Seems the way to go and lots of info on this board on how to do it. Look into the manual steering box for the idler, too.

 

I'd also want long term results of this steering mod before I did it.

Grassroots 4x4 has a good centerlink replacement that doesn't require replacing everything else.

 

 

I have just purchased a 1991 Nissan Pathfinder 4x4 it is factory original and it needs some front end work. I am thinking of tackling this myself. Needs wheel bearings, tie rod ends, ball joints and upper control arm bushings. Any information would be helpful. I plan on keeping this for a longtime. I want to buy parts with a lifetime warranty and I want heavy duty. I also want to lift the truck, and I can't find information on that.

Wheel bearings may still be serviceable.

I bought a 1999 Pathy with 150k that had loose wheel bearings, and all I did was re-grease and properly tighten them. I'm due to check again at 180K miles...

 

B

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...