I'm to the point of selling the car...I have replaced both lca's sway bar bushings tie rods inner and outer, had wheel bearings checked new tires and alignment and still it has a shake above 60 and to top it all off a 250 mile trip totally ate the pass tire almost completely bald...I have been fighting this car for months and I am at my wits end with....I have no idea what to replace next...

 

Who are replacing the parts? If a aliment/tire shop is screwing you over.. thats what im thinking..

 

Front passenger side tire showed wear or the rear?

Did you get a printout from the shop that did your alignment?

Do you use the same shop for everything or you do the work yourself?

 

Was the car in a major accident prior to you purchasing it? Did you get a carfax? Maybe something is way off...but I would hope the shop that did the alignment would catch that.

 

They did all the work... Passenger front tire showed all the wear...I've used the same shop for years...I watched him do it and then redo it today...everything is within specs...I've looked at the printout til I'm dizzy.... If there is slop in the power steering rack could that cause the shaking?

 

if the shop does the same thing over and over to "check and put it to specs" change it.. it has to be something else. What they're looking at is not the problem.

 

How about a bent/bad wheel. Just a guess

 

Thought about that too...roadforce balanced...any opinions on the sloppy rack and pinion?

 

The car has never been in an accident...I bought it from the original owner who is a certified Nissan mechanic and works at a Nissan dealership....this problem just started over the summer and I've owned it for almost 3 years now

 

Move the front tires to the rear. If the problem gets better, it's your wheels or tires. If not, it's something else.

 

What do you mean by "sloppy rack and pinion". Slop could be mount ushings, tie rods, or just worn gear teeth. If it's not holding the tires in alignment then it will shake and wear the tires.

 

That's what I'm thinking...bushings or gear teeth...steering is super loose..like one finger turn loose...and sensitive to any bump in the road...and will pull to either side quickly...all the tie rods inner and outer have been replaced last weekend...lcas end links and sway bar bushings....one thing I notice today....I can feel the vibration going from side to side... And there is play in the steering wheel..

 

I bought 4 new tires last year around this time. The 2 fronts wore out very quickly, the rears were still brand new but The passenger side had to be changed 3 months later in march. I changed out my old front struts with monroe quick struts, and rotated the fronts with the rears. The rears, (which are now up front) after 9 months are still in the same condition they were in before I rotated them. I knew my sturts were old but they didn't feel bad at all. How do your struts look?

 

I had similar problem, you cant replace all new suspension parts with out replacing it all, id replace axels.

 

I was going to suggest that perhaps your issue is related to an unbalanced axle shaft.

Where exactly are you feeling the vibration?

- in the steering wheel?
- in your heels?
- in your seat?

Do you feel anything upon braking and if so, what?

 

All 3..last night while accelerating it started shuttering real bad...but only for a few seconds then smooth as butter til I hit 60..no loss in power or hesitation.. Just a shudder...I'm stumped...struts seem ok...they definitely need new boots...

 

new boots won't fix worn out cv joints. bearings get dry, might as well replace your axle on both sides. labor to do boots is the same as doing the axles.

 

I experienced this with new tires. Trying to remember, I believe my problem eventually went away. I did replace all bushings, tie rods, but kept the same bearings. This may have been after I got the tires installed.

 

I'm definitely feeling it more as a rotational vibration...I read up on some CV axle info and I'm leaning towards replacing the pass side CV...its the only thing that makes any sense to me...

 

I recently experienced something very similar on my I30 during a 3,000 mile trip over 4 days but the vibration was intermittent and rather frightening. Thought it was a tire belt going out or the driver's side axle. Turns out it was the support bearing on the passenger side axle. Major play. Felt like a giant rock was stuck in the tire.

You mind as well check the strut mounts as well the rubber on my passenger side completely came apart. Seriously this is where using jobber parts are garbage which led me to more parts to replace. Once you get to a certain mileage you really should change everything nearby to save yourself from going over it a second time.

 

Thanks for the advice...I'll check that out!

 

I think I have narrowed the problem to the strut mounts...the wear on my tires is typical of strut bounce...ordered some new strut mounts...if that doesn't work I'll replace the axles next...this car is breaking the bank!

 

Check the struts man, mine didn't feel bad at all. Both brand new front tires wore down to the point of replacement before 1 year!

 

your balljoint is the problem

 

The reason im suspecting strut mounts is the uneven wear on the tire...wear spot, tread, wear spot, tread...indicitive of strut bounce...bumpy, i ordered some sensen struts...im on a budget being the car is so old and its christmas time...my wife is on the "lets just get a new car" kick...and i dont want a car payment lol

 

your wasting your time on the struts, check the balljoint by jacking up the car, and holding the tire with both hands holding both sides at 9, and 3 O'clock then push, and pull one side then the next simultaneously, movement should be very little, if not the have someone look to see the part that is moving, and that's your problem.
If your tire is wearing out on one that it could mean that you lower control arm is bad, or your tire is out of alignment , if your LCA is new, and was install right then, i'd say the alignment is off, also check that every bolt is right including the ones holding the struts at the bottom, Good Luck

P.S I just read where you said you only replace the bushing on the LCA, you might wanna check that again, most of the time it's better to just replace the whole arm, to check if that's the problem just follow the steps I gave you about 3, and 9, but this time do 12, and 6 while pulling, and pushing if anything is moving, just look for the part, and you should find your problem.

 

Ive done all that i have 2 new lcas sitting here...waiting on the strut mounts...ive replaced everything except the axles...but gonna do the lcas again just to see what happens...i also picked up some AE wheels today to throw on to see if possibly a wheel and tire issue...

 

seriously, why don't you just have it looked at rather than guessing? your buying all those parts that you may or may not need, whether you do the work or not, a small fee to be sure that your not wasting your time imo would save a lot of head banging here.

 

the car has nearly 442,000 miles on it...i dont mind all the new parts...with so many miles i might as well replace everything while its torn apart and take back in for an alignment when all is put back together

 

Just 58000 short of half a million miles and your totally irritated?

 

Only with the front suspension...i love the car...its been good to me and i have done the same...replacing broken parts, regular maintenance and so on..i driven many miles to get parts for the car, as im sure you have...some are hard to find around here...small town...im passing the car to my son in february and want it to be safe and drive right...its his first car

 

Good luck with sensen struts. Many people report them going bad within 10,000 miles or sooner after install.

I've driven several vehicles with horrible struts, ranging from "drives like a boat" to "drives like a hay wagon" and haven't had tire wear like you are describing. A strut wouldn't give you the "rotational vibration" your feeling.

 

Your problem could be the axle. I would have someone remove them and install them again. In a previous sentra I had, it developed a nasty thump thumpp thump sometime after the clutch was replaced. It only happened at certain speeds. The nasty thump turned out to be the axle somehow falling out of alignment inside the tranny.

 

Holy cow..442k miles well of course you may be irritated with this car but look at how many miles you have! That's to be expected but hey your almost at half a million, not many people reach that. Just stick to it and it will end eventually if your replacing plenty of parts.

 

Thanks...i ordered axles a few min ago...i just decide to replace the whole front end basically...being the car is going to a new driver....

 

Thanks josh....its been an awesome car and i cant see letting it go...i ordered the sensen struts because they came with a lifetime warranty...being budget minded i order from ebay alot...probably not the best way to go...but hey...she has a ton of miles and its a second car (project now) we bought an altima se-r couple weeks ago...but i drive the max to work, baseball practice daily...so its gotta be right

 

I wish I saw your reply sooner eBay has some open box new KYB Excel-G/GR-2 less than $50 for both fronts plus free shipping. Better than those Sensens.

 

Ok...so i changed the springs back to stock took off the 18s and 1" wheel spacer...put the AE 17s on and BAM!!!! SHAKE IS GONE...no vibration while accelerating....and none at all at highway speeds....so im left to conclude its one of those 3 things...im gonna put the wheel on a balancer and spin it myself this time...not sure how to check the spacer...maybe check the thickness...maybe spin it too?

 

Are those hubcentric spacers?

 

They are lugcentric....thats why i have the hub centering rings..