Hello all, I am about to replace both of my front lower control arms (including ball joints and lca bushings) and am looking for a recommendation for a good aftermarket brand. I have read on here that the OEM Nissan's are good, but they are kinda pricey (~$180 a side) when I look at some aftermarket brands that go for around $100. My only worry is that the quality of some of these aftermarket brands may be questionable, so any input is greatly appreciated.

 

If you talk to your dealers wholesale parts guy you can generally get them for about 130 a side.

If you want aftermarket... rockauto.com has a good selection of parts!

Good luck.

 

I am a big fan of RockAuto.com, but AUTOPARTS123.com has even better prices and free shipping.

 

I'd replace the balljoints and Control Arm bushings in your existing Lower Cpntrol Arm with Mood parts and you'd be better then OEM.

Moog is great stuff and usually superior to OEM.

Control Arm Bushing is part number K200152

Ball Joint is K90459

Amazon has the balljoints for $33 with free shipping

Rock Auto has the bushings for $8 but the balljoints there are $45

 

call DaveB in texas.. OEM..144 shipped to Florida... installed last Friday.... no more vibration... FINALLY

 

replaced mine, $60 a pop at Napa when i worked there and got a discount, very east to do.

 

Is any brand you can pick up in a parts store as good as the OE parts you get from DaveB?

 

NAPA.. i went with OEM just to be safe.. but aftermarket parts are mostly the same......

 

Keep your OEM and install Energy suspension busshings with Moog Ball joints.

 

Energy Suspension bushings? Don't those require maintenance such as lubrication and all that nonsense?

Picking up a set from NAPA and installing will hopefully get rid of the wobbly front end suspension when going over manhole covers, bumps and rough roads. Hopefully for a year or two.

 

How hard was it to replace it? $144 per side? I think my LCA is causing me some vibration issues.

 

Just avoid the LCA's from ebay, the canada seller.

 

Never heard of ES bushings requiring maintenance.

I have been running a set on my mirage for the past 30 000 km. Never relubricated them and I have no issue.

 

energy suspension claims their black bushing are made with a type of graphite that supplies itself with a self long lasting lubricant. or something to that effect.

 

From a quick search I've located this. http://www.suspension.com/nissancars.htm

Maxima 2000-2003 7.3118 $61.00 for FRONT CONTROL ARM BUSHING SET Left & right sides.

But this means pressing out the old bushing and installing this one, which from what I can tell is no easy task for the garage mechanic.

 

It is in fact a pain in the butt to remove the old bushings. I had to get an hydraulic press to do it.

I've got a fantastic service from www.energysuspensionparts.com

 

There was a write-up on here that suggested to place the new bushings in the freezer for a few hours and to use a reciprocating saw to cut out the old bushings. Then pop the new bushings in straight out of the freezer.

Damn it's the balljoint replacement how-to, but I'll include the link anyway http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...placement.html

 

It would have been impossible without a press. Rust has welded components together. I had to press, shear, grind and hammer in order to get everything out. But it is not so bad when you have all the tools.

The 250$ investment for an Hydraulic press was worth every penny! I initially bought it for my race car transmissions but it is so usefull for everything else!

 

So if I do this control arm job with the ball joint and bushings installed in the new unit, how bad is it really if I have a impact gun? Watched a youtube video and it doesn't seem too bad other than some on this site had issues with the bearing pin thing not coming out of the control arm.

????
Thanks.

 

Only OEM NISSAN )))

 

Hell no, ES bushings FTW. Dude, it's easy.

 

WTF?: are u saying the job is easy for the control arm? Never done suspension before but seems doable in a home garage for a novice with an air gun?? Don't want to get in over my head but it seems like it would be 'easier' than the alternator job I did last year. I either have to do/pay the whole control arm or just the ball joint, but the joint will be needing replacement so trying to look at the options.

 

Here is the quick and nasty......15mm socket, 14mm wrench, 18mm wrench, hammer, 22mm socket.....Take control arms off, use small propane torch and melt the OEM rubber out of the control arm bushings......once it gets hot enough, it will just burn and you can watch it and play in the fire. Once the metal slides off the rubber, you will have a thin....housing that the rubber was in....maybe 1/16th thick. Sawzall a slit in the hosing, and hammer it out....easy, just takes time. Take the control arm off, and it's all self explanatory. The ES bushing will slide on by hand damn near. I have full boat ES bushing throughout my whole car, with Megan springs, and eBay struts, and the car handles excellently....Bought if all off Amazon cheap. Good luck. It isn't hard at all. Do it, you will be proud of yourself.

 

Perfect description of what to do. I wanted to add that this applies to all suspension bushings. I did this exact method on the rear subframe of my 300zx. There is no easier way to do it. I froze the bushings and slathered them in bearing grease.

If you're lazy just buy new arms.

 

I would be swapping the whole arm so all those bushings would be in there all ready which would be great. I should use loctite on the bolts and replace the nuts, correct? Or am I incorrect...new nuts not required? Anything else? Thanks for your replies.

 

It is a royal pain in the *** if you have to do the bushings. You may have to burn the pin out if it is frozen. I did. Either way it is a dirty job.

My suggestion is to replace pretty much everything. That means also inner and outer tie rods. tie rod connector. they are all probably shot too. It is more expensive and the inners are a pain but that's the best way to completely freshen the suspension.

 

I don't recall that you use loctite - check the service manual. You can reuse nuts.

My biggest caution to you is BEWARE STRIPPING the bolts that hold the pin to the frame. You have to very carefully hand thread them to get them started.

I have done the job a few times since I went with ES bushings. Right now I have to helicoil 2 of those bolts. And I was very careful.

 

MaxGator, thanks for your replies. What's the tie rod connector?

Trying to sort out details. Some say loctite others say new nuts and FSM says nothing about loctite IIRC but says new nuts. Weird info out there. I just want to do it right the first time...and safely.

Thanks for heads up on threading the nuts. My concerns were getting the dang nuts off without breaking a bolt and getting the pin out. Seems like most everything else will be ok if I just take my time. What, 5hrs on the first side for a newbie??

 

I guess I got caught up with saying tie rod lol. I meant the sway bar connector. I think the parts stores call it that.

I did not loctite anything. If it isn't in the fsm, then don't do it. Im pretty sure I didn't. If you want to do it right, use the fsm for specs and procedures. Also pick up a Haynes for supplemental help. You will also find that some of the threads on here offer very useful tips.

As for time, it all depends on how much of a pain things are. 5 hours sounds more than reasonable. I would start on a saturday morning, that way you can relax. Hopefully you have a spare car available for those inevitable trips to the auto parts store.

It is a dirty dirty job, so have lots of rubber gloves handy lol!

 

A couple of things to add.

1. On the pin, make sure you pick up a torch to have handy, along with a dremel or saw. The bushing is often frozen. You need a 27mm socket for the nut too.

2. probably the worst of the whole job was getting the outer tie rods off. They were frozen. I would drench them both with a solvent (e.g. liquid wrench) the night before. Then do the same thing the next morning. Generally you tap them with a hammer to get the solvent working.

When it comes time to get them off, take a vice grip or pliers (vice is easier), put it on the inner tie rod where there are some indentations, then brace it against the vehicle wall. Then put another vice on the outer rod and start hitting it with the hammer until they come off. If no luck, more solvent and do it again. It is hard to get leverage under there.

They come off counterclockwise.

3. Get the inner tie rod tool from O'Reilly's or probably discount auto if you have one. The one from Auto Zone doesn't have the correct adapter.

4. To get the outer tie rod and ball joint loose from the knuckle, loosen the nuts, and then smack the corresponding part of the knuckle with a hammer. It makes the hole oblong and the tie rod/ball joint pop out. Doesn't really matter whether you damage the tie rod/ball joint since you are replacing, but if you weren't replacing them, leave the nut on and use this process to avoid damaging them.

5. A jack may help when it comes time to reconnect everything. Because the bushing on the lca is new, you may have a problem moving the lca up enough to reconnect it. Put the jack under the tip of the lca behind the ball joint. don't put it under the ball joint or you will ruin the ball joint.

All the tips I can think of for now.

Good luck.

 

I bought MOOG Control Arms from Rockauto. They were made in China I believe. Mechanic didn't like that part but he said they worked fine. Car felt nice after. If I remember correctly, the steering felt easier and smoother.

 

Maxgator, thank u so much for the pointers! I'm sure it will take half as long to do the 2nd side than my first, for sure. Maybe I will get the manual, but with the fsm and youtube and my yukon manual, i have learned a lot but sometimes it's the little things that make it all come together, like the jack u mentioned.

That dang pin in the lca has me concerned since many have had issues and oem seems to be only source for new ones. To me that seems like the biggest obstacle for a novice like myself where I might not have a cool tool to get it out.

On the tie rods...I won't have to separate them if I replace inners and outers would I? Couldn't I just pull it off the steering rack all as one piece? One less joint to muscle apart?

 

I found it easy to get the old bushing out - I just used a dremel to cut around the old rubber. Then I used a hacksaw to cut a groove in the outer casing, and split it with a small screwdriver underneath.

Now getting the new bushing in was another story! I tried the freezer method (in a chest freezer no less so real cold), but the measurements just didn't stack up. There was about a 1/2mm difference even with the new bushing being frozen, and the control arm being heated. I had to use the dremel again to sand out the control arm a bit. Eventually I got the difference down enough that I could pummel the new bushing in (I had something to fit over it so that it didn't get damaged). I was swinging hard to get this thing in, and needed help to hold the arm. Even then, the new bushing stopped about 1mm short, and I could not move it after no matter how hard I hit it.

Don't think I'll be doing that job again! Will take it down to a mechanic and find a press!

 

Just a great big thank you to you all who help one another on repairs. I did a lot of reading on replacing the arms and although it took me a long time, I learned tons and got it done.

Ball joint nut was the worst. But the second side was cake when I hit it with my impact wrench from the top. If u take out the axle and use a swivel with extension the impact makes the ball joint nut a breeze. I still had to hit it a few times but it sure beat my first experience with a ball joint nut. Let's not go there again. Can somebody say dremel? Live and learn.

And yes, I can see how the four 22mm? bolts can strip easily if not careful. I was ever so careful with them after reading countless warnings and they went in ok. Patience was my friend. I threaded them half way with just my fingers just so I wouldn't screw them up.

I'm glad I did the repair myself. Worth the effort. In the last 9 months I've learned to do my own tie rods, brakes, struts, control arms. Nothing original left on my front end except for wheel bearings.

Feels great. Thanks guys!

 

Is this brand Moog (problem solver) series? Looking for competive pricing is cool but good brands such as Moog, Raybestos, etc...RockAuto is the bomb and I just did 3 Maxima frontends...Using Moog of course...