After re-installing my stage II LTB (had the stage 1 on for the last 6 months or so), I was getting periodic banging over speed bumps and hard turns...a really loud "clank"....

After tightening the LTB bolts up again, still there.

Finally foudn the problem...the rear passenger-side attachement bolt (where the rear control arm bolt is)....the bolt is in fine shape, no strippage, but after looking up in the hole into the subframe where it screws into, I can see it's mostly stripped....this is bad news. Right now the Stage1 is back on until I figure out what to do...

1. get a junkyard front subframe (I don't even want to think about what a PITA install that might be)

2. get a shop to re-thread the hole for a larger bolt (though then I'd also have to bore out the LTB and control arm bracket holes as well.

3. drill through the subframe and put a large nut on the topside with a longer bolt (don't think that's possible because of the angle of the metal on top though.

Overall, quite frustrating....just when I thought i had the car where I wanted it to be (apart from the wheel bearing that is going bad again)....

thoughts?

 

I assume it's a PITA because you don't have a lift. So why not have a shop install it for you? Since they have a lift it will not take long for them to do the job, thus, it should not cost you an arm and a lag.

 

Welp, that'll kill my desire to get one of those.

 

Tap the hole out to the next size thread, then use a helicoil.

 

I don't think it's "because" of the LTB...I think it's because I've taken it on and off so many times with an impact....must have cross-threaded it once. Hmm....

 

well i guess i have to wait for your stage 1

i got a bearing for you. come get it. i'll even GIVE it (back) to you

 

hmm...that doesn't seem to be my bang problem. With the stage 1 on it does the same thing

this all started the day we did the brakes....like something got messed up while we jacked the car up from the corners. The noise comes from somewhere under the passenger's floorboard, not from the brakes so I know that's not the issue...

 

Jason, I may have to take the day off work tomorrow to figure this crap out. You gonna be around?

 

the removal of the subframe isnt as bad is you might think it is.

 

any chance this could be a bad motor mount? I thought it was suspension of frame related, but everything seems fine under there, and I've looked a TON of times.

The only other thing I recall is that I scraped the crossmember in the driveway when testing the brakes....but it's shimmed pretty low to clear the b-pipe and it doesn't "look" like it is hitting.

 

so it started after you put the new brakes on?

 

i'm off all day

 

about the same time, but I'm 100% positive it's not from the brakes....the noise comes from more centered in the car, and farther back...my wife thought it was coming from under the passenger seat area.

 

i'll lay on my back in the street and you can drive over me. i should be able to figure out where it is coming from

 

welcome to where the stage 2 ltb got me!

Nissan dealership wanted $1250 to fix the problem (i had the exact same problem as you) - they were going to replace the subframe.

I ended up ordering 2 bolts from Midway Parts Team for $16. The bolts I bought are the ones from the row of 4 matching towards the front of the car from the control arm mounts you are talking about. They are longer and slightly larger.

I then bought a tap to match those bolts ($18), rethreaded the holes, put the new bolts in, and it's good as new. Certainly the cheapest and easiest way to go.

I actually just came inside from fixing this problem, so you need any more specific info, feel free to PM me. good luck!

 

actually, I have a couple of those spare bolts around for the bush pin (I assume those are the ones you're referring to?) What size, exactly, was the tap that you bought?

 

It was a 14mm X 1.5mm pitch. Package says "HSS SPP 14 - 1.5"

 

please, please, please take video!

 

Just mount your handy dandy autox cam under the car at the suspected area and drive around. Better than getting soonerfan all over the underside of undercarriage.

 

well i posted a couple weeks ago about replacing my subframe. i didnt go to indepth with a how-to because it is so straightfoward of a job.
the piece cost me $100 from a junkyard, and it took me about 13 hours with all hand tools and just using jackstands
i had the junkyard throw in all the extra bolts/nuts that they took off with the front subframe.
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=484406

 

hey Josh, I had the same problem. What I did was used a helicoil kit (you can get it at autozone). Mine had been doing it ever since the installation, because that's when i accidentally stripped it out, but after I did the helicoil fix, it was fine. THEN i hit a huge bump in the road just like you and the f-in thing came loose again. I need to find time to re-fix it

I really don't want to have to install a new subframe, so I'm just going to put a new helicoil insert in (a longer one this time) and hope it'll hold. It's only the right rear corner of the LTB that does this. The left side is fine.

EDIT: does it make a creaking noise now whenever you brake or accelerate? lol..it sucks going through parking lots with all the people staring at you

 

i'll let him know. he is on his way over here so we can look at it

 

turns out the LTB had nothing to do with it...the stripped bolt is holding fine, tight as hell (though I still plan to fix it - we have a huge helicoil kit at the ski shop I work weekends at that we use to repair skis and boots)...

as it turns out (and thanks to soonerfan for being persistent in finding this) it was a sway bar endlink that was shot and binding up making the loud bang, nothing to do with the LTB. Odd since I replaced the endlinks less than a year ago

 

get it right...it was a bad "rod stabalizer"

 

i wander if it got "hyper extended" since you had the car in the air while putting the brakes on

 

pretty sure it was the extra pressure put on it from being lowered and autocrossing