Maxim(a)SerjVQ

So, anyway, today i head up to my mechanic's to align the rear beam and while im at it, do lotsa bushings...

Mechanic thinks that the give in those bushings may contribute to my mis-alignment, and since i already had them, we get cracking...


5 HOURS LATER

we're all teed off, there's liq bushing filler puddling on the shop floor, both mechanics on staff are nicknaming my car "The Nightmare Nissan" and it's after 5 o'clock with only ONE bushing installed.

this has got to be the biggest PITA to work on. ES has these simple, matter-of-fact instructions that are barely a page long. what BS. Nissan does NOT have a replacement sleeve/bushing listed on their guides, so, if you manage to mutilate it in the process, you're FINISHING, or getting a whole new axle assembly. Through out the entire day, just to do this one bushing, my mechanic was splashed in the face with whatever toxic crap they fill it with, and trust me. . .it burns. (he had to flush his face with water, and it still burned), the rubber got Torched to see if it could be burned out, a chunk of metal got rammed deep into it by use of their 30T press, and got STUCK in the bushing. Oh, not to mention, we killed 4 cordless drill batteries. Finally, the solution seemed to involve a hole saw on an air drill, an air hammer, and lots of prying. thats PRYING, not praying. . .although we almost needed it when we were looking at the ONE bushing at 4:30 in the afternoon and neither mechanic had ate lunch.

...On the plus side, even with the ONE bushing installed, i could tell the difference. It actually felt like the side the bushing was installed, rode like a new bimmer, and the other side felt like the tire was low on air and a screw was lose.

I know it wasn't ACTUALLY a screw because they used an impact wrench on the bolts. . .set fairly high iirc.



the moral of this story is that no matter how big a PITA this is, the results are worth it. oh, and TIPS for YOU should you EVER decide to do this:

1)make sure you have pluggable tools or air. in a pinch, make SURE your cordless batteries are charged, you'll need at least 2.

2) let the fluid out of the bushing in a direction that doesn't concern your body.

3) don't try to torch the rubber. I think it turned into adhesive.

4) Hole Saw FTW.

5) a shot to the nuts may actually be more pleasant. get your friend to try one on you prior to proceeding. If you're still OK with doing this, then rock on.

ptviperz

Guess I can't complain about the ES shifter bushings I just put it *ducks*

Good luck with the rest man....

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

http://www.nissanperformancemag.com/...mo_suspension/

This is why research is a good thing...

If it took your "mechanic" 5hrs to install ONE... I would find a new one fast.

Also... Several have just torched them out all togeather and just press in the new ones.

Maxim(a)SerjVQ

well, Thank you for the link, but please, sarcasm at the door. The main point of this post is forewarned = forearmed. As stated, there are simple instructions regarding this process in the ES bushing kit and in the haynes manual I have. they are VERY misleading. In our specific encounter, these bushings REFUSED to let themselves be removed. These guys are very good mechanics, and I was with them the whole time. I made specific information known, such as there are rings inside the lip of the bushing sleeve, and that these are liquid-filled bushings. having a press at our disposal actually embedded a piece of metal that was being used to press the bushing out, which, in turn, made things worse, because the lip on the fixture wouldn't clear the embedded piece.

Bottom Line: Alldata and Nissan have little to no information on replacing these pieces, and misleading instructions on the 'simplicity' of this project were provided from ES. this also would have gone ALOT better had there been the foresight by Nissan to make sleeve/replacement bushings available.

Their current 'official' solution, as judged by scrutinizing their parts diagrams: replace the entire rear axle assembly.

I trust these guys; they are fast, detail-oriented, and in general are knowledgable in most aspects of automotive repair. They may not be a nissan master-tech, but they represent a shop that has been in business for over 30 years by simple word of mouth advertising.

Stardust

iTrader: (10)

can't be done.





edit: your very good mechanics suck.

Maxim(a)SerjVQ

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=527195
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=527646
http://forums.nycmaximas.org/showpos...3&postcount=16

several people seem to think the opposite is true. Why would there be a write-up here on the .org to help with this? There's even pictures and references to the ESM on this!



I stand by my previous statement. They could have very well a)refused to work on this and blamed my wider tires like the stealership did, or b)They could have royally farked up and made me pay for a freakin' $600 assembly + installation.

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

You just used the wrong term... It is re-centering the beam, not align it.

Maxim(a)SerjVQ

Alright, Fair enough

Cattman

iTrader: (77)

Thanks for posting this information. As you say, forewarned... And, just because your mechanical team (sounds like it ended up being a team rather than an individual) didn't necessarily divine the optimal method the first time the removed one of these bushings, doesn't mean they're incompetent. Their ability to learn from experience should be reflected in the second procedure.

Brian

Maxim(a)SerjVQ

yeah, I think the other bushing install will go alot more smoothly. I've gotten some work done in the past and they have very fair prices on labor. back when i got new Rotors n' pads, one guy there managed to do all four corners, bleed the system, and test it in the parking lot in roughly an hour and a half. They've always taken a peek at any concerns I have, and give me a good idea of what it'll take and how long. Awesome for me since this is my only ride.

Omegasrk

iTrader: (1)

Okay, I know this is a little to late for Maxim(a)SerjVQ, but I have written a how to for this ES RTA Bushing way back when these came out from Cattman. Anyone else who wants to install these bushings could use this instruction. Polo has graciously hosted my instructions on his server.

http://www.digitalpolo.com/Cars/2002...ngArmBushings/

Maxim(a)SerjVQ

Thanks. It's still pretty looney to have to remove the whole suspension just to work on these. Why can't Nissan supply new sleeves/bushings seperate from the axle?

PS-thanks for the link.