MaxET

A while back I ran up on the curb and blew both right side tires and mangled the rims. Luckily it was just the steelers bc it was a pretty hard hit. Since then the steering wheel is not centered, slight constant turn to the right to keep it straight. I made my wife drive my car today as I followed in her car and noticed it has a slight dog track where the rear follows slightly to the right of the path of the front tires. If I were a NASCAR driver I would be OK with a yaw set like that. Since I am not, I need to fix it.

I never worried about the steering wheel issue since it has not chewed any of the tires at all. Now that I've confirmed a dog track, that perceivably comes from the rear being out of whack, and since there isn't an alignment adjustment for the rears, what could be bent?

Anyone else ever had this happen?

I'm hoping a bushing is just stretched out as opposed to a bent trailing arm or mount.

asand1

iTrader: (1)

The axle beam is bent. Replace it with a wrecking yard part.

MaxET

Yeah, when I get some time I will put it up on stands and take some measurements and we shall see.

I just put struts on it and they went in without any problems. It's a minor enough bend that it's not tearing anything up. Since I did the struts it needs to be realigned. But it won't align up with a 4-wheel alignment as is.

asand1

iTrader: (1)

There is no adjustment in the rear, its a solid axle. When you get an alignment, make sure they know that you know its a toe only alignment. It should cost less than a "4 wheel alignment".

MaxET

Local junkyard said the axle beam has to come from a 95-96 only. They have a 98 on site that would save $50 on freight if it works. I have a 96 (09/95 prod) GXE w/ comfort pkg and no ABS. Will the axle beam from a 98 fit if I take the hardware off mine or is it truly so different?

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

I looked at Nissan part numbers and the 96 and 98 are different part numbers. The parts book never says what is different. Then I looked at the chassis alignment dimensions in the FSM for the 96 and the 98.

In the rear of the car, the width dimensions are the same. But the front-to-back dimensions are different. The 98 is longer by almost 50 mm ( approx 1.75 in). So I assume that means the trailing arms that are welded onto the beam are longer on the 98.

Check with a collision shop that does body alignment. They may be able to bend the beam back into shape.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

I'm trying to wrap my head around these numbers you've picked up from the FSM. I've been under the impression that the 4th gen 97-99 body was only longer due to beefier bumpers. But what your numbers seem to be saying as well is that the 4th gen 97-99 body is just a wee bit longer in the body too. 1.75 inches by the rear wheel. I guess that translates to more rear seat legroom and such due to the rear seat fuel tank etc moved just a bit further back. Interesting.

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

That is what I'm assuming. The chassis alignment chart is in the BT section of the FSM. If you have the time, take a look and see if you agree or not.

MaxET

Thanks for looking that up for me. I need to get my hands on an FSM since I don't want another car payment anytime soon.

I will check with a body shop on doing the labor for me.

arcticracer

Check the beam center pivot bushings, ears and arm. I ripped the ears off the axle beam on my 98 last season then swapped one in from my 96 parts car and didn't have any trouble fitting it in iirc. Will try to double check the year if you think it will help.

schmellyfart

iTrader: (46)

Vehicle length ≠ wheelbase.
The 97+ is longer than the 95/96 due to the bumpers, the wheelbase remains the same 106.3" for all A32 Chassis.

Finkle

If the wheelbase changed, then the doors would not swap between 96 - 97. Front or back would have to be longer

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

I'm sure with this very small dimensional change (1.75 inch or less because most went into the bumpers anyway) , other parts could be stretched, like the B and C pillar, like 5 or 6 mm without drastically affecting structural integrity, or the doors.

I once rented a Dodge caravan, got a flat, and was substituted a grand caravan. Externally, the difference was 3 inches. I was like "what's the point?" Inside, however, the cabin difference was surprisingly significant.

Anyway, I somewhat loosely at the BT measurements comparing the 96, 98 Maxima, and the 98 I30 FSM. You would think that the 98I30 and 98 Maxima would be pretty much identical, but NO, which is really weird. The measurements also suggest that left side is longer than the right side , and these differences vary between all 3 FSMs I checked, which doesn't make sense. So this inconsistency in several places has me like

I guess we should keep in perspective the history that during this time. During the 4th gen Maxima/I30 production run Nissan was bankrupt....like 10 billion dollars due to management, so things got understandibly sloppy. Ghosen and Renault had not yet swooped in to save the day.