I was thinking of using them, but Jerry Rome has been real good lately with prices. plus there close to NY.

 

ive been having this same clunk/cling/clang ocassionaly on the driver front side. I jacked the car up and took the wheels off(twice- and its not the coilovers) but when i started yanking on those end links there was no play in them like some have encountered. Im not even sure where the LCA and subframe bushings are or how to even diagnose for that sound. Sigh

 

How many miles on your car? I am almost positive its your endlinks.
When i inspecated i couldn't get them to make the noise but sure enough after removal it was indeed these items.

 

Do you guys think this end link is shot?? Don't pay attention to the red arrow.

 

Red arrow showing how close your traction bar is to your oil filter?

Anyway I would remove the top nut from the endlink, unloading the bushing. If the bushing is all squashed still then it's time to replace it, but if it springs back into the shape of a cylinder then it should still be good. I don't think the endlink itself is actually "dead" until it breaks/disconnects somehow, feel free to chime in or correct me here... but if you're going to replace the bushing then you might as well replace the endlink as it will eventually go bad anyway (and it's pretty cheap/easy).

 

Yep the red arrow shows how close the oil filter is to the traction bar. I used this pic at another traction bar related thread.

As for the end link, I do plan to replace them soon. I just wanted to get an idea of the condition of this end link by the way it looks on the pic. Thanks for the reply.

 

122k. Since they are relatively cheap and easy to replace im gonna do it.
If that doesnt work its on to the LCA's

 

thanks for all the information, !!! exactly what i need, myne is almost compleatly gone :P

 

good post. I am getting ready to go out and do mine right now. You must get a really good discount or else you were not charged for some parts. Because I bought all the parts you did from my local nissan dealership, and they were about $50 with tax. I also get a discount at the dealership


Ok, I finished a little while ago. It took me about two hours as well, I also did a strut bearing while I was on the driver side. The job was not hard but the nuts were not the easiest to get off. The only things I can add that helped me are: 1) use channel locks or vise grips to hold the nut on the the lower part where it goes thru the LCA...it spins when its a little loose and the nut will not tighten or come off with out holding it. Also they were helpful in holding the rod, so that I could tighten the top nut with out flexing the boot too much. 2) I took out my camber bolts as well once the sway bar end links were loose...the just fell right out after I did that.
I have not really driven the car yet. I'll post back if I notice any difference. My car had 165k on it and the bushings were all cracked up.

 

sigh, it did not do it for me. Replaced both sides w/ OEM endlinks and that driverside clunk/knock sound is still there. Its driving me nuts. Gonna swap the stock suspension back in tomorrow to see if that gets rid of it. And if it doesnt its on to the mechanic with her.

 

i did this awhile back and only problem i had was the passenger side would not straighten up.

 

I am also getting a clunk/knock when I put load on the axles (i.e. when I back off the gas then hit it again there seems to be a little play in the axles) I dont know what this mean is bad) When I had the car off the ground last night I put the wheels back on after I was done and turned the driverside wheel back and fourth and the axle was clunking around in the tranny...I am guessing something is worn out.

On the drive to work this morning the front end does feel more stable. All though I cannot say that I noticed a night and day change like some others are reporting.

 

Hmm the axle is the only thing i didnt tug on to check for play.
But i thought when you have axle problems its a constant clicking sound

 

I should have been more clear. I do not think my axle is bad. I think that something in the tranny has some play in it.

 

That sounds like a tranny in need of a rebuild. Don't wait or else the bill will get worse.

Dave

 

I just checked my car and the bushing are extremely cracked at 137K, plus I've been having what sounds like the same clunking that zack had. Just order new end links and bushings, thanks for the thread!

 

Could you tell me what kind and how much grease was used before putting the lock pin. Do you need to rotate it 360 to see if the tie rod is well lubricated?

I got mine from Autorock.com but then there is no installation instructions to go about with these greasable tie rods.... Any help is much appreciated

 

are you sure you are talking about the right thing? These are sway bar end links...not tie rods (though the do look kinda like outter tie rod ends). Also these do not have cotter pins, but tie rod ends have cotter pins and crown nuts. When I did my tie rods I did not add any greese to anything.

 

This is what mine look like right now. Turned to the side. They have 214K on them. Does this mean I need new ones or anything? I have heard no type of noises or anything.

 

Hmmm....are you sure??? My max has 160k and the bushings are cracked and split. It's hard to believe that at 214k, yours would look like the pic. It could be that yours was replaced not long ago.

 

Well I mean that the way the bottom of the end link looks where it bolts to the lca it is turned sideways and not straight like shown in the pic(the bushing). I didnt mean they looked like that in new condition.

 

The joint that connects to the LCA needs to be straight not angled like that at all times. It's hard to tell the actual orientation of it when the car is jacked up. The joint should be straight when the wheel is on the ground.

 

This is a great write up. I'm ordering the parts. I was wondering what that clunking sound was. I thought it was my struts. You might have just saved me a bunch of cash.

 

Are they the same parts for the front?

 

Does anyone know if each trim level has a different size sway bar up front? I am asking because the sway bar to frame bushing that I replaced today, did not seem to fit very well. The hole in the bushing was a little too small.

 

Yea, I have Loose Stab links on my old Taurus and it makes the most painful clunk and click sound when you hit a bump.

 

Tomorrow will be ordering some of the Moog's end links. Good write up Zack!!

 

i bought the MOOG parts. they came with directions but its not like full directions.

i need to know some info because they are slightly differnt from oem.

they have some sort of L shaped valve on the back with a ball at the end of the valve (like a ball point pen). and it mentions of greasing the assem. where do i put in the greese and how do i put this L shaped thing in?

yes these are sway bar end links, they are differnt because they are from MOOG and they are not OEM. leme know more details, pics if ya can


ALSO, would an alignment need to be done after the install of these parts?

 

...............................no.

 

Does anyone know if this process is basically the same for the 5th gen?

 

Got mine done, and it did help get rid of some of my klunking, but not all of it, I'm thinking now its probably the lca's or my struts

 

I bought the Moog end links, installed and the bushings are now shot after 2000 miles. The bushings on the lower side are ripping, and not holding up. Now I'm going to rebuy using oem. I should have done it right the first time.

 

Interesting. Good thing I haven't bought any end links to replace mine yet.

 

great write. thanks zack

 

While you're at it I'd do the sway bar mount bushings too. They're only a few bucks and they we're the ones thatwere shot on mine. The DS was split right through!

HUGE improvement in handling.
A must-do for all 4th gens (by now)

 

Does anyone know the torque specs for the nuts?

 

when the link goes bad, does it affect the spindel or anything else?

 

torque the endlink bushings to 16-22 ft lbs

here's my write up for sway bar bushings/endlinks & LCA's i've made while back
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/348507/15

Nick.

 

Please advise if these Part Numbers being the same for '96 I30. My car has similar 'clung' sound from driver side whenever I make a left turn, and getting very loud at low speed left turn (when I made a left turn into my driveway). I also got the shop to install the Addco sway bar last year, so at this point I am confused if these noises coming from the worn-out Addco bushings or the Nissan worn-out parts? Please suggest. Thanks.

 

Just did this repair last weekend. If there is a lot of rust on the lower bolt (the one that connects to the LC) you will have to cut the bolt with a hacksaw, at least I did. I got a quote on how much it would cost to replace these guys while doing the LCA's and they said $91. Thats $91 to undo two nuts, one from each side. They already have to undo the lower nut to get the LCA off. That was enough modivation to continue doing work myself. If your PS rack is leaking you will probably need to replace the swaybar bushings too.