Kittamaru Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 (edited) My back end is now able to sway, side to side, almost 2 inches either way (total 4 inches movement)... I'm assuming my anti-sway bar broke / broke free? Is this a problem? It makes cornering at any speed over 10 mph feel... loose. Comments? Edited January 3, 2008 by Kittamaru Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yozsi Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 i suspect frame failure. common in salty winter states. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPath88 Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 STOP DRIVING IT NOW!!! Sorry, but for your safety and everyone around you you need to do that! Then look at the frame rails from the side (above the rear tires) and crawl under the truck and take a very good look around, find and correct the problem before you drive the truck again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denisb Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Suddenly or over time? I know the control arm bushing will give you sway, but 8" side to side seems excessive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 yeah, check the sway bar first, then the panhard and the other arms there and then the frame. good luck.. 8in is a whole bunch.. hope it's not the worse case scenario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Sorry but, the anti-sway being bad won't help or hurt that situation. I have no sway, and I have no movement like that. It's either the trailing arm bushings, pan hard or it's bushings, or frame failure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostPath Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Yeah, "anti-sway" is really a misnomer. It's really an "anti-roll" bar; it keeps the car from leaning or rolling the body to the outside of a turn and thus transfers "weight" to help keep the car from rolling over. The primary control mechanism for sway in the back is the panhard bar, the thing attached to the axle that runs parallel to it, and is connected to the frame at the other end. However, as others have pointed out, if your frame is shot due to rust (common problem in your area), this will no longer work and you have other, more serious problems. Such as needing to either have the frame repaired or needing to find another truck or frame. If your frame is OK, check the panhard bar, then check the bushings on all four trailing arms. These are the four bars that run parallel to the frame that attach to the frame and the axle. Also, check for bodged welding of studs and fastening points for everything on the rear axle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittamaru Posted January 2, 2008 Author Share Posted January 2, 2008 The frame is intact, I've already made sure of that - was the first thing I checked. Got under there with a lamp and checked it out... cause that was my first concern. I tested it again today. It only moved about 4 inches total again. Looking at my first post I mistyped that. It can move about 4 inches total side to side, maybe less. I appologize for the misinformation ( it was a bit late at night so I wasn't really with it ) but yeah, i guess it's a non worry then I'll lookup info on the panhard bar and the brushings on the trailing arms, then attempt to check them myself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittamaru Posted January 3, 2008 Author Share Posted January 3, 2008 As for the other comments: This I guess has been happening over time... though it's gotten progressively worse quite quickly with the lack of good torsion bars (I still haven't had the chance to re-index them... damned weather and I can't fit the truck in the garage thanks to our dog's crates... parents... heh...). Could that be contributing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 I have a sagging tbar in the front right, and 220,000 kms on my 95, and it seems to be pretty tight, or at least better than I expected a wd21 to handle (my first time driving one on the road in 3 years) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittamaru Posted January 3, 2008 Author Share Posted January 3, 2008 Well, what I'm wondering is: My t-bars are both sagging terribly (max torque and they still don't give me the proper ride height... need to reindex them as soon as the weather permits) My suspension and shocks are an aftermarket setup that A) Isnt' gas adjust and isn't really the right set... it was the best fit at the time... my mechanic filled me in on it but I wasn't, and still am not, able to buy actual nissan parts. They'll do the job... just... yeah. so Couple those two together and I sit low... plus now the wiggle *shrugs* I think once I get the t-bars reindexed (or I may just order new ones... not sure...) and have a new alignment done, plus get the new, correct shocks and springs, things should be much better. *shrugs* time will tell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostPath Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 Sagging torsion bars will not cause this. Bad shocks won't generally cause this. You have something else wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittamaru Posted January 3, 2008 Author Share Posted January 3, 2008 I checked the frame, and it looks solid. Barely even any rust patches on it, and those are more towards the front end. I don't know about the control arms and brushings, but they checked out as good last time I had it in the garage (a few weeks ago). I'll have it go in if the problem doesn't go away once the new shocks are on. I don't know if I just never noticed it before or what... it seems the more I drive the truck the more I notice about how it drives and feels. *shrugs* Could it just be I'm simply getting more used to it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark94XE Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 PLEASE don't take this the wrong way... Are your tires properly inflated? I alway look at the most simple retarded thing first. Then I'd check you panhard bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 there is usually a lot of clunking with frame failure as well..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denisb Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 Get someone to look underneath at the lower control arm bushings (were they mount to the frame) as you put presure on them (brakes on and drive, reverse and a little gas) and I'm willing to bet my lunch money you'll see your bushings are gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittamaru Posted January 3, 2008 Author Share Posted January 3, 2008 My tires are properly inflated - i check that at least once a week and have nitrogen inflation (because it was free ) My truck does clunk a little, but nothing like what frame failure would sound like (we had an old dodge stationwagon where the left side of the frame, literally, pulled in two. That sounded... like hell.) That and, like I said, I'm 99.99% sure my frame is intact. Other than taking the body off the frame, I've checked it and my mechanic has checked it very thoroughly. As for the control arm brushings... that may very well be it. How will we know if they're gone? Will they move a certain way / at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denisb Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 The original control arm bushings were made of rubber, so there was a little bit of movement. But there should be minimal movement. If you see anything over 1/2" of movement back to front you would be safe to say they are toast. My guess by the way you describe your sway, you will see closer to 1 or 1 & 1/2" travel. If you can see inside the mount, you might even see the rubber seperated from the metal and if they are bad enough, you will be able to move them up and down by hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittamaru Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 I'm talking side to side... like if I stand by the left side of the truck, and press on it, it moves a little bit. If I press really hard, it moves almost two inches or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 I'm talking side to side... like if I stand by the left side of the truck, and press on it, it moves a little bit. If I press really hard, it moves almost two inches or so. Does it move back when you let go? If so, it is probably all tire sidewall movement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittamaru Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 ... actually, yes it does. I didn't even think of that... this all started when I got new, all terrain tires... doh. I'm a bleeding idiot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriskaw440 Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Nitrogen in the tires is pretty much just a myth as far as being beneficial....most places you have to pay extra to have your tires inflated with it which to me is just plain silly. Whatever minor benefits it may offer at all, aren't really worth all the trouble it getting any in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittamaru Posted January 7, 2008 Author Share Posted January 7, 2008 Nitrogen in the tires is pretty much just a myth as far as being beneficial....most places you have to pay extra to have your tires inflated with it which to me is just plain silly. Whatever minor benefits it may offer at all, aren't really worth all the trouble it getting any in the first place. It was free *shrugs* the place I go to does Nitrogen inflation free of charge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriskaw440 Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 It was free *shrugs* the place I go to does Nitrogen inflation free of charge well thats a good thing then, because I have seen on the news where some places will charge you for wanting your tires filled with nitrogen, "cause its that much better and well worth it" ...and yes it was a show about common rip off practices that some business do to unknowing customers. Free would be a good honest way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 Regular compressed air is mostly nitrogen anyway Air Composition The sea-level composition of air (in percent by volume at the temperature of 15°C and the pressure of 101325 Pa) is given below. Name Symbol Percent by Volume Nitrogen N2 78.084 % Oxygen O2 20.9476 % Argon Ar 0.934 % Carbon Dioxide CO2 0.0314 % Neon Ne 0.001818 % Methane CH4 0.0002 % Helium He 0.000524 % Krypton Kr 0.000114 % Hydrogen H2 0.00005 % Xenon Xe 0.0000087 % Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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