andreus009 Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 So who has any experience with these bushings? I recently changed all the front bushings to Energy Suspension Polyurethane. When i first put it back on the road it had a terrible pull to the left so I had to adjust the driver side caster like double what it was when I took it apart. Also, I noticed when I jack the truck all the way up so that the front wheels are off the ground there is a gap between the bushing and the A-arm on one end. It happens on both the passenger and driver side. Both sides (driver and passenger) gap about the same. The gap appears toward the front bushings (of the A-Arm), but you can slide the A-arm so that the gap is at the rear bushing. Here is a pictures of the passenger side. When its on the ground the gap closes up so everything 'looks' normal. I know the metal sleeve in the center of the bushings is bottom so I can't really crank down the nut anymore with damaging something. Are these supposed to be cut-to-suit bushings? Seems like that shouldn't be the case. I drove the Pathy to work yesterday and the handling just didn't feel right. I'm not sure if its related to the bushings or not. I suspect so with the gap, even though it closes when sitting on the tires. I suspect that the bushings aren't compressed at all and that there could be front-back movement of the A-arm at this location due to compression of the bushings while under road loading. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 You didn't cut the sleeve down, did you? The standard proceedure is to take about 1/16"-3/32" off of the OAL. I took almost 1/8 and it was a bit much... Here, read this. http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/26143-unexceptable-tolerances/?hl=%2Buca+%2Bbushing+%2Bsleeve B Can you reuse the old sleeves? Are there even sleeves from the factory? I can't remember... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreus009 Posted July 18, 2013 Author Share Posted July 18, 2013 Thanks B. I'll take a look at that tomorrow or the next day. I don't plan to touch it until after my wheelin trip on Sunday. I trailer so I don't have to worry about the road handling to get there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreus009 Posted July 19, 2013 Author Share Posted July 19, 2013 B, did you trim both the sleeves and the bushings? Did trim all 4 ends or just 2 (one on each side of vehicle) to make it tight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 I trimmed a little off of each sleeve and just compressed the bushing, although it might not hurt to shorten the bushing slightly as well. My thought was that the bushing would swell in diameter and be tighter on the sleeve and in UCA bore. I also cut grease grooves in the OD of the busing and drilled a couple of small holes to the center as well, so I could lube them via the zerk fittings. I could have done a better job with it, but I used a lathe at work and the truck was at home so I couldn't cut and test fit. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreus009 Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 Yeah, 1/16th per sleeve would seem about right, given that the total gap looks to be 1/8th. I'll have to give this a shot. Unfortunately, no lathe handy for me so miter box and hacksaw it will be. We have a saying where I work "cut to suit, beat to fit, paint to match" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
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 accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now