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Poly want a maxima? :-)

Old Sep 3, 2007 | 05:45 PM
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Poly want a maxima? :-)

Well i finally got around to replacing my rear parallel link bushings with energy suspension polyurethane bushings..

Took the better part of a day,due to some extra things i also decided to do.

Here are some pics of the carnage..





Down comes the rear crossmember


Yup,they are trashed


I used the same drilling procedure on these(yes i know they don't have a sleeve) just to make them slide out a little easier.

Old Sep 3, 2007 | 05:45 PM
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I used a couple sockets to force the bushings out of the links.




All done.



I also decided to clean up the crossmember while it was out



Finished product

Old Sep 3, 2007 | 06:38 PM
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Looks pretty slick all cleaned up under there
Old Sep 3, 2007 | 06:45 PM
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Ha ha, clever title...Did it really take you that long to finish the job, though? IMO, the parallel links are easier to do than the control arms.
Old Sep 3, 2007 | 06:48 PM
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Originally Posted by maxitech
Ha ha, clever title...Did it really take you that long to finish the job, though? IMO, the parallel links are easier to do than the control arms.

Paint takes some time to dry.
Old Sep 3, 2007 | 06:50 PM
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Originally Posted by MyGreenMax94
did one fall on the ground? it's an odd # of bushings... i count 17
Old Sep 3, 2007 | 06:56 PM
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then there's an extra. with 8 bodies, and 17 bushings.... (i guess)

edit: how much did this set you back in all?
Old Sep 3, 2007 | 07:01 PM
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Yes,there is an extra bushing in the box,it takes 16 to do the whole job..


I got the kit from courtesy nissan for about $40 to my door.
Old Sep 3, 2007 | 08:08 PM
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can the old bushing , be burnt out instead of drilled.
Old Sep 3, 2007 | 08:14 PM
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Originally Posted by MyGreenMax94
on rearward pair of links (pictured at left), is one adjuster bolt mounted further up than the other so it clears the exhaust pipe on the passenger side? if so it seems they ought to have made both of them exactly the same instead of making 2 designs for basically the same thing.
Old Sep 4, 2007 | 03:46 AM
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Originally Posted by capedcadaver
on rearward pair of links (pictured at left), is one adjuster bolt mounted further up than the other so it clears the exhaust pipe on the passenger side? if so it seems they ought to have made both of them exactly the same instead of making 2 designs for basically the same thing.
Yes,the RH side link is made different to clear the exhaust pipe,they are are marked RH/LH side on the shaft,so it is easy to tell them apart..



Originally Posted by jimbo2006
can the old bushing , be burnt out instead of drilled.

Yes,they can be burned out also(typically what most people do to get the old bushing out.)
Old Sep 4, 2007 | 07:11 AM
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Any feedback on the feel of the car before and after?
Old Sep 4, 2007 | 08:00 AM
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Originally Posted by mikekantor
Any feedback on the feel of the car before and after?

I haven't had a chance to check the handling out yet,but i'm sure it will be improved. The biggest difference i noticed was how quiet the rear suspension is over bumps now compared to the old rubber bushings,much better.
Old Sep 4, 2007 | 08:45 AM
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Originally Posted by MyGreenMax94
I haven't had a chance to check the handling out yet,but i'm sure it will be improved. The biggest difference i noticed was how quiet the rear suspension is over bumps now compared to the old rubber bushings,much better.
Thats good to "hear," since I thought poly was supposed to be firmer/louder, but I guess not as firm as old bushings. I'll add this to my to-do-to-the-maxima list.
Old Sep 4, 2007 | 09:10 AM
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Originally Posted by MyGreenMax94
The biggest difference i noticed was how quiet the rear suspension is over bumps now compared to the old rubber bushings,much better.
Good enough for me, for $40, i am ordering me a set.
Old Sep 4, 2007 | 11:44 AM
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Nice, nice. I got the set from Courtesy Nissan awhile ago but just never got around to actually doing it. I didn't realize it was that easy to do.
Old Sep 4, 2007 | 11:59 AM
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Originally Posted by rufiusblack
Nice, nice. I got the set from Courtesy Nissan awhile ago but just never got around to actually doing it. I didn't realize it was that easy to do.

Yeah,it looks like an ominous job to some,but with the right tools it can be done in a few hours. The only reason it took me longer was due to the clean up of the crossmember,it had some surface rust spots that needed to be ground off,plus it was 10 clicks past filthy on top of the rust

Since you live in k-town,you are more then welcome to stop by my house sometime,i'll be glad to help you install the link bushings
Old Sep 4, 2007 | 06:48 PM
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my bushings aren't tooooo bad. one or two are a little cracked and squashed. but i will be getting these nonetheless, just not right away. Those things most broke get the priority, that being all my front-end rubber schtuff.. The back end can wait. If i can source some poly, i might fill my mounts this coming weekend. Then i'll order some CA/Swaybar bushings, and Poly is tempting for that too. I will see as the time comes. Priorities, priorities.
Old Sep 4, 2007 | 07:26 PM
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anyone ever heard of spherical bushings? some honda guy was talkin to me about them an hour or so ago. i mentioned going with the poly bushings and he started talking about how he had the spherical ones.....any clue?

btw: he knew alot about the 3rd gen, he even said "i hear you got VTC clatter eh?" .....kinda stunned me.
Old Sep 4, 2007 | 07:32 PM
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Originally Posted by ustfdes
anyone ever heard of spherical bushings? some honda guy was talkin to me about them an hour or so ago. i mentioned going with the poly bushings and he started talking about how he had the spherical ones.....any clue?

btw: he knew alot about the 3rd gen, he even said "i hear you got VTC clatter eh?" .....kinda stunned me.
you're KIDDING!!! [pertaining to the Honda guy knowing about le Maxima]
erm, maybe he means a ball with a hole drilled in it.
Old Sep 4, 2007 | 08:32 PM
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No they are real. A lot of guys looking for better handling upgrade to them since they have no flex at all but can still pivot. Of course you get more noise and vibrations, not the best for a DD. I'll eventually have them on my 240 but my maxima wont get anything more then poly bushings.

~Alex
Old Sep 4, 2007 | 10:20 PM
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i just took all this apart on my car about 3 weeks ago cuz I bent a link playin in the rain but all it took was 3 hard hammer hits and voila! could've done while still on the car
Old Sep 5, 2007 | 05:35 AM
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How do these Bushings feel? Any upgraded feeling? Or would it have to be the whole car
Old Sep 5, 2007 | 06:16 AM
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Originally Posted by Prophecy99
How do these Bushings feel? Any upgraded feeling?
post 13

http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...9&postcount=13


Or would it have to be the whole car
Most of the suspension is poly now(front control arms/rear links) I still need to do the two large front stabilizer bar bushings.
Old Sep 5, 2007 | 07:18 AM
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did you have to drop the rear cross bar fully, or did you do it just to paint. Also, what tools were needed to do the job. Any thing to watch out for that you did not expect or took longer than expected.
Old Sep 5, 2007 | 07:48 AM
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Originally Posted by jimbo2006
did you have to drop the rear cross bar fully, or did you do it just to paint. Also, what tools were needed to do the job. Any thing to watch out for that you did not expect or took longer than expected.


17mm socket, 14mm socket, airtools are a plus, torch is a plus, I hammer will help, according to pics he used a table vice to press, drill to drill old rubber, jack and two jackstands. Yes you must drop it in order to get links to come out as bolt is so long it hits the subframe (crossmember)
Old Sep 5, 2007 | 12:46 PM
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Originally Posted by MyGreenMax94

Since you live in k-town,you are more then welcome to stop by my house sometime,i'll be glad to help you install the link bushings
Oh, that would be awesome. Would it be too much trouble to do springs & struts with that too? that's pretty much the reason i havent done the bushings yet. i was wanting to do the shocks and struts first.
Old Sep 5, 2007 | 01:20 PM
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wayyyyne... how come you haven't offered to help me with anything?

well, anything since the wreck in feb05 ;x
Old Sep 5, 2007 | 01:58 PM
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Originally Posted by rufiusblack
Oh, that would be awesome. Would it be too much trouble to do springs & struts with that too? that's pretty much the reason i havent done the bushings yet. i was wanting to do the shocks and struts first.
Well,doing the springs and struts would be a different story,teh wifey has threatened to kick me in the nuts, more than once in the past if i keep doing large jobs like what you are needing done for free..

In other words,my offer to do the links for free still stands,but i would have to charge my normal fee for doing the struts/springs(which can be discussed in PM when you reach 15 posts)
Old Sep 5, 2007 | 03:23 PM
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A heim joint is a spherical bearing with a threaded rod stuck to the end.
Spherical bearing:


Heim joint (actually it's a rod end- Heim is a brand name, just like Kleenex = facial tissue)



It's what I made my parallel link kits out of.
for 95% of the people on the boards, these are too extreme for what you need. NVH is going to go up, but your handling capabilities will too. Also realize they have to be replaced every few years since these are unsealed bearings open to the air. you can put rubber seals on them and grease them, but it only works for so long. too much maintenance for a street car for the average Joe.

basically these are race car parts, not street car parts.
Old Sep 5, 2007 | 04:52 PM
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Originally Posted by MyGreenMax94

haha, you know you gotta detail the rest of the undercarriage now.

edit - Doh! Quoted the wrong pic, you know which one I mean!
Old Sep 5, 2007 | 05:40 PM
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Originally Posted by jaguax
haha, you know you gotta detail the rest of the undercarriage now.

edit - Doh! Quoted the wrong pic, you know which one I mean!
Meh,the only reason i wanted to clean up the crossmember was due to some surface rust i wanted to "nip in the bud" before it got worse.
Old Sep 5, 2007 | 06:27 PM
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Yeah,as much as like my car to handle well,i still want to retain some of it's comfort aspects as well,i don't want to rattle my kids teeth out on the way to wallyworld.


Originally Posted by Matt93SE
A heim joint is a spherical bearing with a threaded rod stuck to the end.
Spherical bearing: [img]http://www.aurorabearing.com/Images/products/Inch%20Spherical%20Group%20330px(w09dk2).jpg[img]


Heim joint (actually it's a rod end- Heim is a brand name, just like Kleenex = facial tissue)
[img]http://www.aurorabearing.com/Images/products/Male%20Inch%20Group%20330px(xw6dk2).jpg[img]


It's what I made my parallel link kits out of.
for 95% of the people on the boards, these are too extreme for what you need. NVH is going to go up, but your handling capabilities will too. Also realize they have to be replaced every few years since these are unsealed bearings open to the air. you can put rubber seals on them and grease them, but it only works for so long. too much maintenance for a street car for the average Joe.

basically these are race car parts, not street car parts.
Old Sep 5, 2007 | 06:31 PM
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Originally Posted by MyGreenMax94
Yeah,as much as like my car to handle well,i still want to retain some of it's comfort aspects as well,i don't want to rattle my kids teeth out on the way to wallyworld.

if they're under 7 year old you should be fine, IIRC their teeth grow back around that time
Old Sep 5, 2007 | 08:53 PM
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there's really no additional vibrations. since these are on pivot points of the car, the suspension takes the vibrations by moving up and down.
the only difference really that I've seen is noise- especially on gravel or when I'm going very slow on uneven pavement.. ride comfort doesn't change at all.
Old Sep 6, 2007 | 05:46 AM
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Do you need to use washers to make sure the bushing dont walk ?? did the washers come with the kit or are they on as OEM or did you buy from the parts store.
Old Sep 6, 2007 | 06:08 AM
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The washers are supposed to come with the kit, but in the 30 or so ES bushing sets I've sold, probably 1/3 of them didn't have the washers in it. you can just buy 5/8" washers from the parts store and they'll work though so it's not more than a few bucks to finish it off if they're missing.
Old Sep 6, 2007 | 06:14 AM
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Originally Posted by Matt93SE
The washers are supposed to come with the kit, but in the 30 or so ES bushing sets I've sold, probably 1/3 of them didn't have the washers in it. you can just buy 5/8" washers from the parts store and they'll work though so it's not more than a few bucks to finish it off if they're missing.



My kit didn't come with any washers either,so i used washers i already had from other cars/repairs..
Old Sep 6, 2007 | 06:26 AM
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Originally Posted by MyGreenMax94


My kit didn't come with any washers either,so i used washers i already had from other cars/repairs..
Did you use washers on every side (total of 16) or just on the outsides
Old Sep 6, 2007 | 06:28 AM
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