rear control arm bushings

[tooelepathfinder]

I have a 93 Pathfinder with 208k on the odometer. The rear end has been loose since I got it and I've talked to others that have similar years and they have told me the same thing. I've priced out bushings to redo in the control arms and they are pricey. The rear control arm bushings for the Pathfinders is a bad design! They are a couple inches wide but only have less than an inch to connect the outer and inner pieces together. They work great when new but are going to wear and cause it to be sloppy if you have a few miles on yours. I pulled one off to look at it and took it over to a friends house who is always fixing up cars. He told me that he had a similar problem with a some bushings that wouldn't take the horsepower of the engine he put in a Lexus he tricked out and told me how to fix it for cheap. What I did was I went to the hardware store and got a tube of polyurethane that goes in a caulk gun. They had a bunch of different kinds but you want the one that will be the hardest when it is set up. Before you do the next step you want to make sure the bushings are centered in the control arms and clean out any dirt from around the bushings. I then filled in the open areas on both sides of the bushing. You what to make sure to get all the air pockets out and if you work it in with a screw driver it will probably work better for you. Mine was a little messy but as long as you make sure the hole in the middle is still clear and you don't have any on the side that would prevent you from sliding it back into place you will be fine. You will need to let it set up for 24 hours and it will harden like a polyurethane bushing. Reinstall then and it will make a world of difference for appox $5! I only did the lower control arms and that fixed it for me but you could also do the uppers if they are loose.

[Precise1]

Interesting, I would not have thought of that. I think I'd prefer new bushings but it might be adequate as a low budget stop gap measure or something to get you along until time or $ presents itsself.

 

B

[nunya]

DSMers do that with their motor mounts, seems to work for them last I remember

[adamzan]

I didn't really think the new bushings were all that expensive when I did mine, though I don't know your budget. Although mine were just starting to have some play at 190k miles that is pretty good compared to most cars. I take it you hacked all the old rubber out somehow?

[Mr.510]

The bushings in the trailing arms are only 'connected' in the center part so they can twist farther before binding. Filling them is probably fine on a truck that's only run on the street. On a wheeler doing that will limit suspension travel and apply more torsional load to the trailing arm itself as well as the brackets.

[tooelepathfinder]

I left the old rubber in and just filled in the holes on the side. I haven't taken it wheeling yet but I doubt it will limit the suspension any. Most bushings like that on other vehicles are solid anyway and the stuff you're putting in is rubber. I doubt Nissan was thinking about flex when they designed them but I don't know.