Guest scottdogg Posted April 12, 2004 Share Posted April 12, 2004 I have a '95 XE, AT, V6. It is my 4th Pathfinder, and 6th Nissan truck. It just turned 170k. It is running strong, and I only have 1 complaint: the ride quality. I have owned several Pathfinders, and they rode fine, but this one is terrible! I have replaced upper and lower ball joints, front brake calipers, shocks (all 4, KYB gas-adjust with heavy duty valving), and replaced all tires with a smooth a/t toyo top end tire. The tires did not help, the shocks did. At highway speeds it seems very unstable and 'darty'. There is noticeable wheel shimmy, and is noticeable through the steering wheel. Body roll and tracking on corners is scary, espescially at high winds. I ordered a steering stabilizer kit from a/c complete with the idler arm brace. I hope this will fix it. I am also thinking it could be the sway bar or sway bar bushings. Perhaps some other bushings? any help is much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted April 12, 2004 Share Posted April 12, 2004 Swaybar end link bushings, front AND rear. Check your upper control arm bushings, as well as your rear axle control arm bushings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Repack Posted April 21, 2004 Share Posted April 21, 2004 Swaybar end link bushings, front AND rear. Check your upper control arm bushings, as well as your rear axle control arm bushings. How hard is this work to do yourself? I am having almost the exact same problems. My front end feels aweful right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted April 21, 2004 Share Posted April 21, 2004 Swaybar bushings are easy. Simply unbolt and replace. Rear axle control arm bushings are hard, so are upper control arm bushings. Generally requires a press to remove the old ones, or burning them out with a torch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pickles Posted April 21, 2004 Share Posted April 21, 2004 88, on the same note, you mentioned the center link on the front before. How hard is this? I live in a townhouse with no garage, so it would have to be a 1 day, general tool kinda project. Is this repair in that category? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddawg Posted April 22, 2004 Share Posted April 22, 2004 sounds like something i need to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted April 22, 2004 Share Posted April 22, 2004 Removing the CL is pretty straightforward, actually. Remove skidplate, pull castle nut cotter pins, remove castle nuts, apply BJ puller to joints on CL and tie rod ends. Install new CL in reverse order using the proper amount of torque for each joint (sorry, I don't have torque specs on hand), then install new cotter pins. A balljoint puller is pretty much required. If you try it with a pickle fork you'll regret it, frustrate yourself, waste time and the rubber boots on the tie rods will end up ripped all to hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pickles Posted April 22, 2004 Share Posted April 22, 2004 Guess I'll have to crawl under and see what you're talking about. I don't have a ball joint puller laying around, and I'm not exactly versed on suspension work. Maybe I'll be getting the shaft at a local shop on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Boy Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 You described my problem perfectly ...I always hated the steering at highway speeds. I looked at some of the bushings and they do look all dried up and warped. I wouldn't of thought bad bushings would create this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavelow Leaks Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 you can rent the puller from auto zone, its really pretty easy to take all the stuff apart, I replaced my centerlink, tie rods and got it aligned good enough to drive in a few hours...anybody with any kind of mechanical skill could do it in a day. Mine came out with a pickle fork and a lil persuasion from a BFH (big f*&king hammer) but I don't recommend that unless you are replacing the tie rod ends. This isn't stock, but same basic idea..disconnect all the connections to the center link and voila, it's out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 you might also want to check wheel bearings for the shake...i've been fighting the same thing for about a year now and i've pretty much narrowed it down to my shocks and tires/wheels ( 1 is 9 oz out of balance) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriskaw440 Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 I replaced my rear control arm bushings a few months ago....wasn't too terrible to do (cheaper too than buying whole new arms). The rubber was blown out so I just used a big screwdriver and hammer to whack most all of the rubber bushing out....but the outer metal sleeve still remains as they are pretty much 'frozen' in place (rust or whatever....they were the original equipment) Rather than risk setting my garage on fire by heating them up with a blowtorch and trying to drive them out with hammer and chisel, I just put the arm(s) in my bench vice and used my sawz-all to GENTLY cut through the sleeve....and not into the control arm. Then with a light tap of a screwdriver they fell right out. Getting the NEW bushings (Rock Auto Parts by the way...awesome) was a bit a of work as they dont just slide right in. I dont have a press so I used a drill with a sanding drum on it and honed out the insides of the arm ends to make them just a tad more open, until the new bushings could be tapped into place. After that, my rig now rides like a dream! straight with now wiggle wobble down the road. also replaced the sway bar bushing while I was at it. some had fallen completely off. 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