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Lower radiator support broke! Pics!

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Old 06-10-2009 | 06:54 AM
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Lower radiator support broke! Pics!





I just noticed this yesterday.... i have a feeling tho its been like that for a while. Lucky for me I dont drive the car in the summer... but I want to fix this before I drive the car again this winter.

How did most of you go about fixing the lower radiator support, and how much should I expect to pay? I would think i need that whole piece replaced, as it seems to be rusting all over.
Old 06-10-2009 | 07:48 AM
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jb weld
Old 06-10-2009 | 07:52 AM
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2" flat bar and some large bolts...then jb weld the seam..lol..thats what i did only mine was rusted by the cross member and never broke fully through
Old 06-10-2009 | 08:25 AM
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I just finished replacing mine....its not easy. well maybe thats because im 16 and still in highchool but i didnt have to pay to get it fixed.My shop teacher told me that if i were to do this in an outside shop it would cost thousands.so i dont know go check out and ask it takes a while so most shops won't even work on it probably.Good luck
Old 06-10-2009 | 10:07 AM
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ur making it seem like it's a big problem lol
Old 06-10-2009 | 01:16 PM
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0That was the first major problem i had on my max. I bought the lower support from the dealer and just went about doing it myself. It was a real pain in the *** especially if you don't have good tools(as in my case). I had to drill out all the factory spot welds on the old mount and grind alot of the old mount to get it off. If you wanna do it yourself you will save alot of money but it isn't easy iof you don't have a shop with appropriate tools.

goodluck
btw i think the mount ran me around 250 b ut thats all i paid for . i think my local body shop wanted like 800 or something. I can't really remember.
Old 06-10-2009 | 01:45 PM
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I just had this same problem and had it repaired at a body shop affiliated with the local Nissan dealership. I paid about $620 out the door, it was dropped off in the am, done by end of day. They applied extra waterproofing primer to the part. The manager said they had just done the same job on a 4th gen that belonged to one of the shop workers.

If you plan on keeping the car for a few years, I'd suggest going with a body shop that knows 4G Nissans, they've likely done alot of these repairs. Everything I've read about this on the org says that unless you know welding, it's not a diy repair.
Old 06-11-2009 | 01:49 AM
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buy a new one and replace it yourself. screw the welding shiit
Old 06-11-2009 | 02:31 AM
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Originally Posted by tosheto
buy a new one and replace it yourself. screw the welding shiit
Yea, because there couldn't possibly be a reason it was welded in place from the factory
Old 06-12-2009 | 12:05 AM
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Originally Posted by pmohr
Yea, because there couldn't possibly be a reason it was welded in place from the factory
Thats exactly what I said, so I left it unwelded

I'll get to it eventually


btw I agree with what someone said on a local forum, Those look like pictures of the titanic!

Last edited by ColombianMax; 06-12-2009 at 12:44 AM.
Old 06-13-2009 | 10:06 AM
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Originally Posted by udienow
I just noticed this yesterday.... i have a feeling tho its been like that for a while. Lucky for me I dont drive the car in the summer... but I want to fix this before I drive the car again this winter.

How did most of you go about fixing the lower radiator support, and how much should I expect to pay? I would think i need that whole piece replaced, as it seems to be rusting all over.
My support looks really bad in the middle. Did you drive with a broken support ? I thought if it brakes, the front part of the engine and radiator fall down.
Old 10-13-2010 | 12:56 PM
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Hey, Sorry to bump an old thread, But I've been searching (i think i've read almost every single support rust thread) and I need help (surprisingly). Tried to find the most relevant thread, without creating a new one.

Here is what mine looks like (Not going to link on the forums, pics are big-ish).

https://i.imgur.com/zWDcG.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/xdEcj.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/B8bid.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/oJUJz.jpg

Yea, I know it looks just terrible (Actually looking at threads, I don't think anyone has anything looking this bad), But it wasn't this bad in spring when i purchased the car. It was rusty, but not in pieces, ya know?

Well here's my dilemma, This car is my only DD these days. This is it. I also am dirt F'in poor. I've searched around and read that a few people cheap-fixed their problems with some angled steel and a welder. Well lucky me I know a guy that is highly proficient with a welder and can procure me some good steel.
My next question is, Can anyone familiar with the cheap-fix tell me measurements of how big the piece of steel will need to be, where the holes need to be drilled, any specialties that need to be done? I know this is an odd request, but this is my only car and I need it during the week, So i wanted to get everything i needed and do this on a weekend.

Before I get flamed to death, I DO plan on fixing this right when i have the money to.
Old 10-13-2010 | 08:53 PM
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Yea mine broke a few weeks ago... ive still been drivin mine although i know its not the gretaest idea, but ive had to drive the car. i ordered the new support and i plan on putting it in when i do the swap im about to do.

what i want to know is would it be wise to try and do this myself and try to save a lil money or just let the shop do everything when they drop the motor?

i dont feel like gettin ripped when i get all this done.
Old 10-14-2010 | 04:12 PM
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Originally Posted by tosheto
buy a new one and replace it yourself. screw the welding shiit
Is it really replaceable (bolt on part)? What is the OEM part number?
I thought that low radiator support is a part of the frame and welding is the only option…
It seems to be a common problem on 4G Maxima and I30.
Old 10-14-2010 | 05:11 PM
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welding is the only option if you want to survive a head on crash.
Old 10-14-2010 | 06:28 PM
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I had that on my old 4th gen.
Cost 400 for the OEM part and 100 for the work. Done within 24 hours.
Very happy with the job.

Suggest you dont drive around like that and steer clear of speed bumps.
Old 10-14-2010 | 06:56 PM
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I actually just finished painting mine today after having it welded on yesterday. I did all the work up until the welding myself, and it is no fun task with rust everywhere.

If you have the proper tools for this then it shouldn't take to long to get the old piece off. Also depends if you're leaving in the radiator and everything too. I left it in and it really sucked having to work around it all the time. Once you get the new part on you should have no problem taking it somewhere to get it welded because you'll have a decent amount of bolts holding it up. I paid $10 to get it welded by a guy down the street with a shop in his backyard.
Old 10-14-2010 | 06:59 PM
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Forgot to mention that my Maxima is a 2000 if that makes any difference, but I would imagine that it should all be very similar.
Old 10-21-2010 | 02:05 PM
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I have the same issue. I am currently having it fixed. The bar cost $180 from nissan. Screw putting it in yourself...unless your a mechanic or body shop person why go through the headache. My bar rotted right where the subframe bolted up so essentially my engine was only being support by the motor mounts. I hope the image shows up but if it does not the image shows the entire front of car removed in order to replace this bar.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...&ref=fbx_album
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