hi new owner of a 2001 anniversary addition and aside from o2 sensors that im replacing to keep light off i noticed a broken spring on front strut also it feels sloppy going down freeway or rattley so i need to know is there a good strut to go with?or just springs? also is ther common parts i should be replacing as well?bushings,control arm ect?car has 160xxx but is clean and pretty nice so willing to dump some money into it also i dont think it has electronic suspension is there an easy way to tell?any info would really help thanks

 

No American model of the Maxima has electronic suspension so you do not need to worry about that. Common parts to replace are: tie rods, strut mounts and wheel bearings. If you are going to go as far as to replace your bushings you might as well see about getting the entire front control arms fixed. As far as springs and struts are concerned the general consensus around here is if money is absolutely no object go with the JIC Magic VIP coilover if money isssss a object: Tein Advanced coilover and if money is tight: tokico illuminas with H & R springs or Eibach springs. Are you sure your springs are broken because I know those things are pretty tough to crack it just might be your shocks have no rebound left in them.

 

Here's a list of things to consider. Each line item should be done at the same time. Different line items can be done at different times.
- Control arm bushings / Ball Joints
- Sway bar end links / sway bar bushings
- Inner Tie Rod ends
- Outer Tie Rod ends. Do your suspension first. Then when you go for an alignment have them do your OTR's while it's on the lift. Only have to pay for alignment once.
- Subframe collars - they're pretty awesome.
- Core suspension

You have my number. Let me know when you are ready to action any of the above. I am 100% ready when you are.

 

Agree with most of the above. Very unlikely for OEM springs to break - haven't seen one yet. HOWEVER - I've seen a TON of broken Eibach springs. I don't recommend Eibach for this reason, and also because the ride quality (when the springs are freshly installed) is still pretty poor.

Illuminas are overkill for H&R's. You can get GR-2's and they can handle H&R's just fine.

 

They're poly. And price differential is nominal. I always recommend ES sway bar bushings.

Correct, 23mm. ES 7.5125 is the model number.

 

supertrucker - where are you located?

 

On acceleration in a straight line - suspension isn't involved THAT much. Sure it's not motor mounts or something axle related?

While turning however is a different story.....If isolators are not on correctly and spring is binding/jumping/popping - the root question is - why IS the spring binding?

And the answer to that is...the upper spring perch is not properly aligned! (OUT stamp facing out)


...popcornish sound could also be strut mounts.

 

Yes, it occurs during acceleration in a straight line. And this sound did not exist before my recent clutch job. No suspension components were changed at all. The only suspension/steering components even touched was disconnecting the steering knuckle to remove the axles.

I am 100% certain the axles are NOW perfectly fine. I did have to replace the right axle but I replaced it 3 times (kept getting bad axles - aftermarket #$!@#) and the noise was producible for all of them, and not affected by changing them.

Motor mounts? I replaced the front and rear motor mounts with ES mounts when doing the clutch. What are the chances I damaged the right/left mounts during the job? It obviously wasn't a problem before so it had to happen during. I did quite a bit of other work with the engine slung between these mounts. Could I have damaged them while shifting the motor back and forth? Does it even make sense that this could be the problem given the lower mounts are stiff enough to prevent that much movement?

I really don't have enough experience to say. I'll take a look today and see if I see anything obvious. Any feedback you guys have would be great.

 

Random question here for you. 2,000 miles back I installed some DNA springs on Illuminas and I've been very happy with the ride. One thing I've noticed recently is that the driver's side front has settled lower than the passenger front (rears are pretty even). Is this due to the weight of the tranny and/or me on that side? Or is this something I should be concerned with? I'm sure I'll be the only person that notices this and it's not THAT big of a deal I guess, but I figured I would just check to be sure.

 

If motor mounts have been done, then probably not the issue.

Take a look at your passenger mount - COULD be it but hard to tell. Post a vid?

 

Probably due more to general settling and slightly lower quality springs.

 

I've been wanting to get one posted but I currently have an exhaust leak between y-pipe and the catalytic converter. The flange on the converter was pretty tore up and doesn't seal properly anymore and the noise from the exhaust leak overpowers the sound I was trying to capture. I just got my new cat and cat back in the mail yesterday though so that will be fixed as soon as I have the free time. If I don't have it solved by then I'll get a video up. Thanks for the help so far.

 

Sounds good

 

Thanks. Threw them on knowing I was going to go with coilovers down the road anyway. I'll just live with it for now.

 

have you done the infamous trailing arm bushings?

in the near future i am considering replacing all common bushings....w/ black ES.

 

Believe it or not, I have yet to tackle trailing arm bushings. Not sure if I care to

 

It is not alot of money but the es are 20 and the moog are like 5 on rockauto. Also the sway bar end links are half the price on rockauto than anywhere else. Are they different ?

 

Which brand sway bar end links are you referring to?

Moog's are the ones I recommend - ~$17 each from Amazon.

 

moogs on rockauto
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/cata...&parttype=7580

 

Since I dont have a press, would it be cheaper to just by new loser control arms which i assume come with new bushings?

 

Wow great price. Go for it.

 

Correct, new LCA's come with fresh bushings and ball joints.

Some take this route. Or take it to a shop and get ES bushings/Moog ball joints pressed in.

You have a 5th gen? I might have some control arms already gutted.

 

the shop wants close to 400 to do the replace of bushings/ball joints.
I have this crazy noise that sounds like metal grating against metal coming from the front passenger wheel which is intermittent.
If i rock the steering wheel while driving then i get it but i also get it sometimes when braking and when turning right. it does not make the noise when the car is on the lift. Two different shops looked at it and could not find it. They checked my bearing and hub but they seemed fine. One shop said that the front bushing on my control arm is shot so it might possibly be the cause.

 

Sounds right.

Did you have a power steering leak? Textbook - it affects that bushing.

For $400, you can buy arms, ES bushings, Moog mounts, and pay to get them installed. Quite a bit for just bushings/ball joints.

 

yes i did . anyway i can do it myself? money is somewhat tight.

 

I would replace the entire arm with a decent aftermarket replacement. It will come with bushings/ball joint. The part should be between $50 and $100. You should be able to do it yourself - but you'll need a 24mm socket. And I hope your ball joint castle nut isn't softened to mush. Otherwise you'll have to remove the axle from the knuckle.

 

ok will order a moog for 90 shipped.

 

If you can swing it...

Another $90 arm and $60 for ES bushings - might be a good opportunity to upgrade to ES.

Perhaps you can spot the shop a few bucks for the press work. Should still total way less than $400.

 

when i order the es bushing is each package for one side or does a package include the bushings for both sides?

 

i am still not sure what is making the noise.

 

ES bushings come both sides in the box. Moog ball joints come individually.

 

Which parts should I only purchase OEM? And if not OEM what should I get?

 

None of the above parts NEED to be OEM except dustboots as part of core suspension.

For everything else that's up to you. This is why I provide phone consultations for local members. 95% of the time I order everything and they reimburse me on install day.

 

Dj what is your experience and opinion on the hpk245 for a 4th gen?i had a complete failure on my front xyz coilovers due to cheap manufacturing and need to do a replacment and i found the hpk245 kit cheap so let me here your opinion good brudder.

 

Not a bad alternative at all. Tokico Blues which are soft - but should mate well with the Tokico springs.

Are they assemblies? picture seems to indicate so, but those are not Maxima struts in the picture.

 

Do they come with mounts? Every pic i see of them it shows mounts on them

 

Not sure, have the same question. Those pictures are not Maxima specific. Best to call and confirm. If they're assemblies it's definitely worth it.

 

Yeah and for $368 i caint beat it struts,springs and possibly mounts!if no mounts ill just get oem front mounts i never seen rear mounts go bad

 

Moog. They include bearings too. Presume you have all the other hardware?

Yup, only had to replace one rear mount ever - due to severe rusting.

 

Moog it is then ill order them today as long as its not the kyb like i used on the 03 man thise things creaked and squeaked like crazy