My idiotic self hit a curb yesterday goin pretty fast. It blew my tire, and I switched it w/ a rear one and put the spare on the rear (front wheel drive)

Now, I just noticed that my wheel is sitting SO close my fender...like, where the front of my door is.

Every time I turn, it scrapes the inner fender

I turned the wheel all the way to the left, and I got down and looked to see what I could see...and I saw silver metal showing...NOT on the axle, but behind the axle..?

Is that my control arm?

It drives, good...it doesnt pull hard, (left or right)...but I know something's not right.

Any help?

 

 

someone please help

 

the part w/ the silver (paint rubbed off) is your lower control arm.
you might've bent the arm or bent the frame that the arm attaches to.

 

are those easy to replace? what about the tie rod? what is that? is it hurt (in the pics?)

 

can't see tie rod. if your car tracks straight the tie rods are ok.

control arm is not THAT hard..but it depends on your ability and if you're asking about a tie rod i'm going to assume you don't know too much about it to mess with it.

it's time to take it to a pro.

 

Control Arm cost $200 from the dealer. About $80 from the junk yard. Make sure the bushings are in good shape if you get it from the junk yard. It takes less than 1 hr to replace. It's easy...just bolt off and bolt on. You will have to know how to operate a socket wrench. You may need a cheater bar to break loose some nuts. Piece a cake!

 

right..then the front bushing is seized on the stud and you have to use something to cut it off. then at the same time you have to make sure the bushings are ok on the new arm. if not you'll end up pressing the old bushing out and pressing the old bushings in.
also he'll need to take the balljoint flange off and the sway bar bracket/endlink is off.

sometimes things are not as easy as it seems. i don't want to be responsible for someone taking on a job they can't handle.

i've done the job before..it's not difficult..just a big pain in the rear. if you can do the job in less than an hour please show me.

 

Well, Danny, I've got friends that could help me...JAY25 - but, yea, the only thing wrong that happens is that my wheel will scrape the fender or HARD right turns

 

Aren't those pictures of the back (rear side) of the right side (passenger) control arm?

What's the front of the arm look like? Did you hit the curb moving forward with just the tire and then backed back off the curb, thereby hitting the back side of the arm? Or did the tire and the arm hit the curb?

To move the wheel backward that much, you must have damaged the arm at the front bushing end, and possibly the rear one also. I don't know if the arm would bend backward that much anyplace else.

Anyways, if you're not sure what to look for bring it to a mechanic and have them look at it and explain to you what is needed. You can then decide on whether you what to tackle the job or not.

Tim

 

I hit the curb goin pretty fast. Thats what I think did it. I don't know about bushings.

There's no noise when it turns...(squeaking)

 

awww man, you're bringin back memories....i hit a curb doin at the least 50 mph...i blew out 3 tires and bent one of the rims....had to throw the rim away and get another one from the junk yard...it has no chrome on it whatsoever and all my other rims have decent chrome on them. car just doesn't look the same no more...anyhow...my wheel was just like yours...it rubbed on left hand turns...drove it to goodyear, they told me i bent the control arm beyond recognition and they didn't want to touch the car because they thought i bent the frame....took the car to a frame shop and they said i bent the control arm pretty bad. they put a new one on and aligned my car and it was about $350..maybe a lil more, but my car still makes creakin noises...i think i did bend the frame a lil, its no way in hell i didn't!! But if you get it fixed by a shop, expect to pay around $350.

 

Ouch! Well, if I get the part, there's a local guy on the org (JAY25) that's gonna help me do it. (If it's not too serious)

People told me control arms cost about ½ as much as axles...so thats about $90?

 

I just bought new arm...$200. You don't have to worry about busshings if its new. To change, all you have to do is remove the 3 ball joint nuts, the sway bar nut, and the big pivot nut and the a big bolt. It is probabaly easier than putting together a gas grill. My 5 year old could do it if he was strong enought to break the nuts loose.

Just do it man.

 

$200?!?!?! dayum! Did you get from a dealership or junkyard....?

Will all 3rd gen control arms fit each other?

 

Seems a bit high. You can get 4th gen arms with integrated ball joints less than that.

The price at www.nissanparts.cc for OEM is:

SE,right side: 54500-85E10 Arm Assy-lower list $188.27 sell $143.46

GXE,right side: 54500-85E01 same price

Tim

 

I got it new from a Nissan dealer in Phoenix. That $200 includes tax you know. They didn't carry them at auto part stores. I don't have the Part Number handy.

I checked the junkyard first. $80 there, but it was still on the car. I would have had to wait all day for them to take it off. Also, those integral bushings are nototious for wearing out and a ***** to change. I didn't want to take a chance with a used one. Of course they will tell you the bushings are good at the junkyard regardless. So, I just bought a new one. It really was a piece of cake to change.

If someone finds a cheaper source, let me know. I am sure I will have to do the other side at some point.

 

By the way. I still have the old control arm. I was just going to pitch it. The front bushing is shot but metal is straight. There is a procedure on some personal maxima sites that tell you how to change the bushings. You need a press, a torch and a freezer. I think you buy bushings from a 2nd Gen for like $20 and then press them on.

 

dammit!

 

What?

 

I dont want to spend a lot of $

 

well u will spend alot more if u don't get it fixed man cuz i had to replace the one on the left side and it also caused my tires to wear out pretty quick. but what i paid was $350 for the control arm and both axles plus the labor. but yeah man get that fixed quick.

 

You could just get it re-aligned to save the tires, and don't turn right ever. The damage doesn't look that bad.

 

yea. no right turns

 

Here is another idea: Measure how far the tire is from the fendor on the good side. Wrap a chain around your control arm and connect to a stout tree. Backup until the control arm is pulled back into place. You may have to jerk it a little as opposed to steady reverse pressure because its front wheel drive. Then, go get it realigned.

When I was in high school, I fixed a badly recked Mach 1 this way.

I bet this will work. Just be careful not to overextend or pull too hard.

Good Luck!

 

OK here is the deal. Do you want to spend the money now or possibly have a totaled out car and have to spend big money later. Suspension is not something to play around with. Blackandwhite totaled his car out because he hit a curb or something and messed his control arm up. The control arm broke later on and sent him into a wall on the interstate.

So whats it going to be spend a little for a used control arm and new bushings (take it to a machine shop to get them pressed in) max of say $100, buy a new one and put it on...or take a chance that nothing will happen and mess up your car.

Your choice.

 

from what i know mike is that jayson a.k.a. blackandwhite's max rolled over cuz his ride hit a pothole and broke a ball-joint or something like that and like u said messed up his control arm before that happened. i also forgot to mention that my ball-joints were replaced on both sides when i had my control arm replaced and axles at the same time. jayson posted up pix of his wreck i think in his webpage but i can't find it.

i wonder what happened to jayson now???

 

yea I see - but I should try a junkyard 1st no?

 

 

ok he actually bent a knuckle and thats what caused jayson's accident.

http://www.cardomain.com/member_page...=211217&page=3

go there and u'll c his wreck.

 

BIJAN

You can have my old control arm if you want it. Have a machine shop press the front bushing on it. I would have to ship it to you or something. It's the passenger side, right?

 

yea, passenger side.

I know for a fact nothing is broken...if something WAS broken, my steering would be totally f*cked up.


cmuehlenb...(damn thats a mouth full) where would you be shipping from? I'd pay for shipping...(send you a M.O. after recieving it or whatever)

 

I live in Phoenix, AZ. Give me your address Dude, and I will ship it to you. I am guessing it would cost about $10-15 to ship.

There are links on this site somewhere on how to change that bushing.

 

whats your name? i dont want to spell out cumbelssma every time.

I'm gonna wait on it, I still don't know what the problem is.

Thanks tho

 

Carl is my name. You can email me at carlmuehl@aol.com if you need the arm.

 

.org members helping each other out... what a lovely concept.

 

 

They are different for SE & GXE.

OEM from www.nissanparts.cc as follows:

SE,right side: 54500-85E10 Arm Assy-lower list $188.27 sell $143.46

GXE,right side: 54500-85E01 same price

Left sides are 54501-85E01 or 85E10.

Tim

 

i think the only difference is the bearing or something. I have GXE arms on my SE and they were identical when I put them side by side.

 

It's due to the different bushings that are used in the SE vs. the GXE. I would think the bushings between the two arms would not fit right as the bracket and anchor arms (front and rear attachments for the control arm) are the same for the two models.

Anybody ever actually check the sizes/differences?

Tim