fast97maxse

Please check this thread:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....threadid=67970
It details my problem and my answers to questions from other members further clarifies the situation [I hope].

But to recap, my 2 questions are
1] Why would I have such a hard time with the passenger front - why wouldn't the hub drop down?

2] Why does the passenger front rattle/knock now when it was installed the same way as the driver front - and what can I do to correct this?

[ok, so it's more like 4 questions...]

Thanks in advance

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Fast97 - I'm pretty positive it was your sway bar holding you up. The hubs don't drop that much with the bar connected, especially if one side had the strut still in the car, it holds it up. As for the noise, I will figure this out for sure. I hope this weekend.

I'm curious what DBM has to say regarding this.

fast97maxse

But I had to take the FTSB off to remove the struts
so that isn't the reason the hub wouldn't drop.

I tried pushing down both front fenders last night when I got home.
Driver's side, no movement, no noise.
Passenger side, a slight rattle or knock
and I can see through the hole in the middle of the three strut mount bolts
that the top of the strut moves up and down a little.

Daniel B. Martin

I read your original post and did not reply because I didn't have a good answer. I agree with Njmaxseltd, that the sway bar has a role in this mystery.

How did you support the car when you did this work? Jackstands? Where were they placed? I'd want them under the box channel "frame" and nowhere near the suspension components, including the sway bar.

I don't know what you can do, other than take the car apart again and repeat the installation process carefully.

Daniel B. Martin

Don't confuse the Front Strut Tower Bar with the sway bar. The FSTB is an aftermarket accessory. The sway bar (a/k/a stabilizer bar) is factory equipment.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Good point DMB - The sway bar is connected to the lower control arm. There is a small link piece connected to the lower control arm which goes upward to a set of sandwiched bushings which hold the sway bar ends in place. This bar goes under the car beneath the firewall to the other control arm. It's like a giant brace giving the front suspension some stability or anti-sway (body roll) resistance. Like a "U" shaped bracket. If you place a U bolt on the floor and pick up one end, (threaded side) the other side moves up as well. Now place that U bolt on your suspension and you can see how one side actually holds the other side from moving around. It does give a little to absorb shocks and keep both wheels on the ground.

fast97maxse

uhh yeah, I wasn't paying close enough attention and just thought of the anti-sway bar as the FTSB.

However, I used a hydralic lift first on the driver side.
I put a thin piece of wood just behind [inside] the thin metal "rim" under the car.
I put the lift right below the two notches that indicate where the jack from the trunk is supposed to go.
I then put a jack stand under this wood to the rear of the car, as close as possible to the hydralic lift.
I then did the same on the passenger side.
[I loosened the wheel nuts first, before I lifted the car].
So, before I started any of the work, the front of the car was raised
enough to remove the wheels - but it was level.

So given the above, would the anti-sway bar cause the problem?
Is it easy to detach / re-attach and would you recommend doing that?

I guess I'll try taking the front passenger assembly off and apart and reattaching it this weekend.
Well, it was so much fun the last time...
At least I'll have a better idea of what I'm doing and the nuts won't be frozen.

And thanks for the help guys.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

One quick note Fastmax. I'm not sure why you were having difficutly in removing the strut without the hub dropping all the way down. If you disconnect the upper strut mount (3 nuts) then the 2 lower mounting bolts, just slide the strut inward a little to remove it from the hub, then I just tweaked it over twards the front of the car, turn the hub to the right, that gives you plenty of clearance to slide the strut assy. down between the brake caliper and hub. Once you slide it downwards you have plenty of room up top to swing the assy. out of the fender well. Just be careful not to damage the CV joint boot with the end of the strut.

Keep me posted on what you accomplish (noise wise) and I shall do the same. Perhaps together we can figure out and fix this issue.

Daniel B. Martin

This sounds wrong, perhaps even dangerous. For jacking and jackstand placement instructions please refer to the Sticky Thread Important: 4th Gen Maxima Maintenance Items.

I can't visualize this well enough to answer. Could be.

No. Just make sure your vehicle is supported safely and that jacks and jackstands do not contact the sway bar.

fast97maxse

I checked the thread you mentioned.
I'm not sure why what I did would be dagerous.
The first lift point was the notched area used for the jack in the trunk
and the stand whent just aft of that.
But I should use the "garage jack points" for the stands instead?
OK, I'll use them this weekend.
Do you think I should lift the whole car,
or just the "bad" side?

I do not think the piece of wood or the lift or the jack stands were in contact with the anti-sway bar.
I will follow correct proceedure this weekend and let you know if the hub assembly still won't drop
as well as the results of my dis/re-assembly of the strut/spring.

And thanks for being there for me - and all the rest of us who start threads "Daniel Martin please help"...

fast97maxse

In my earlier thread, somebody mentioned that the top strut bolt should be torqued to 50 ft lbs.
I had counted the number of threads showing above the top of the nut before I removed it and put it back on to match.
When I did this, the strut assembly was on the ground and I used the tire wrench to kind of "jam" against the three mounting bolts so that the center bolt wouldn't spin as I tightened the nut on it.
[Finally, the question...]
Should I tighten the top nut down to 50 ft lbs once I have the strut assembly mounted back on the car,
or try to match the number of threads showing.
Thanks again.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Car on the ground, strut obviously installed, torque the bolt to 50 ft. lbs. Also check the 3 mounting nuts, 30-35 ft lbs. while the car is on the ground. It's much easier to losen and torque the strut bolt after the strut is installed. No reason to use a tire iron to hold the strut mount while you torque it or losen it up out of the car. Just losen it up a bit B4 you remove the strut. It's MUCH easier that way then working on the ground with a tire wrench.

Daniel B. Martin

The danger is not to you, it is to the car. Supporting the car with a jackstand under a non-reinforced part of the floor may distort the floor.

fast97maxse

Not disputing
just thought that the wood would help distribute the load and the support point was right by the notched "lip"...but I will follow the advice as posted on the sticky thread.

Thanks