Watch the vid I posted. It's not the tie rod. I checked that after and there's no play there.

@ work can't view I'll post after midnight.

Dj, what is your opinion on S-Techs w/Illumina's? I have received some good feedback from other Org members, but after seeing this new thread you started, I'd figure i'd ask you for your opinion as well. Thanks!

Man i seen that happen on a ford one time when the balljoint was shot stick a crowbar between the arm and spindle and step on it see if it lifts up.

I'll give that a try. By boy thinks it might be the lower bolt where the strut attaches to the knuckle but I've had a broken one on the passenger side in the past and have never experienced anything like this.

if its one of them camber adjustment bolts could be i snapped one when i was on spring/strut combo when i installed it they were the H&R ones

They're Eibach ones from when I had my drop. One broke before but I replaced both with new ones. Even when that one broke, I didn't experience this.

Damn dude that looks dangerous.
Youtube the vids on checking that ball joint out with a pry bar.

Yeah gonna try the pry bar in the morning when I check the lower strut bolts.

And to think, I drove to CT and back two weeks ago. Two hours each way but it wasn't this bad though.

You don't need the pry bar if you jack up the control arm like I said to. But checking both ways is a very good idea.

To do that, do I have to jack up both sides?

WHOA!!!! Sweet baby jesus! Chris I hope to heck you're not driving that car man, you're going to be in some serious trouble, things are about to get really, really, really ugly.

It's hard to tell from the video, although you did a great job of filming!! but it looks like the ball joint isn't the primary culprit. It's that lower strut mount. I don't know what was done, but something was wrong/loose or whatever. The video is choppy but I see shiny areas around the lower strut mount bolt, which is no surprise at all from themovement happening, the steel and bolt are pivoting and turning and literally eating away at the material, somethings about to go bang really really good.

Sorry for the crappy report but park that thing if you haven't already my man, she needs some love.

You may need to put those Ksports on early homie.

well i just figured out you can make youtube vids bigger well ChrisMan it looks like that camber adjust bolt did snap just like mine did it probly did it right on the offset too.DO NOT DRIVE THIS CAR you are NOT safe there is nothing really holding your wheel on but the one strut bolt and your axle is seperating.

I just watched Chris' video. OMG. Please do not drive that car.

Thanks for the concerns. I decided to take it out for a spin and the wheel in fact came off while driving.















JK. Woke up, took the tire off and inspected everything. The ball joint has zero play and the tie rod only has its usual amount of play. Yes, the outer CV boot is now starting to separate but that'll get change later. The problem was the lower strut bolts. Both were loose. I too, them out for inspection but they were fine so I put them back in and torqued them down.

All is well! My front end feels great again. No more sloppiness, no more wheel movement, no more vibration. There's still a click so I'll just change the axle whenever I get around to it.

I can't imagine that those loose bolts didn't cause more damage, but it's all you dude, and without seeing it in person it's all speculation anyhow.

Just hope you're staying safe bro.

I'm not a fan of S-Tech's in general because they're just so damn low, ride quality isn't great, and they wreak havoc on the rest of the suspension.

BUT if you MUST use S-Tech's, Illuminas are the only struts that can handle that aggressive of a drop and bring it back to a manageable level of discomfort.

The lowest I recommend going on lowering springs are Progress, but that's just me.

I suspected the mounting bolts in the first 10 seconds of the video - there was movement at the top of the wheel, not the bottom which would indicate ball joint.

Chris, you don't look like you're nearly low enough to need camber bolts in the first place.

My outer CV boot is now torn. That's the only damage.

Ball joints are super tight. There's no movement from there at all. I was on Eibach's before and used them in the upper bolt holes but now that I'm on the stock suspension they're in the lower bolt holes.

Yea I should have clarified. If there was movement at the bottom, that would indicate ball joint. I didn't suspect ball joint for a second. There was movement at the top, which made me think mounting bolts right away. Especially cause it was a controlled shift within a specific range - a range which is exactly equal to the amount of movement you get when the lower bolt is out.

Ah, makes sense. I don't care for camber bolts to begin with.

I only got em to play it safe. For $20, might as well lol That's for all the help guys. I'm happy to have my car back to the way it was.

(only lol because NOT true!)

If I still buy the used set of S-Techs/Illumina's i'm looking at, I'll keep this info in consideration.

I checked Progress's website, and the only spring they list for Maxima's is for 6th gens. Is there anywhere else to get them, or are they discontinued?

Im pretty sure, but could be wrong, that Progress has been discontinued for the 5th gen for some time.

I wouldn't doubt it. Google searching didn't turn up anything.

That's correct!!! You can only pray to get some used ones now! Mine are gonna be still wanted, when the day comes that I wanna de-Mod my 5.5th Gen....

Might be a dumb question but...With all the talk about bad camber bolts. Are there any good/strong camber bolts available that won't break/loosen etc?

I'm not a fan of camber bolts in the first place, waste of money. They require you to cut up one end of the strut mount hole to fit the cammed portion in. If you're going to this extent, notching the strut holes a little bit will 9/10 give you way more camber adjustment then you need anyways. Camber bolts are only really useful for quicker adjustment when you're tuning a car's suspension.

Most everyone uses camber plates and rods now anyways. If you're doing anything that actually requires that much camber, you don't want to be cutting your struts up anyways IMO it's unsafe.

Thanks for the info. Just curious in the event they might be needed to adjust for a new spring strut install plan. Got a good deal ($615. shipped) on a set of 4 BNIB; Eibachs, Illuminas, OEM Nissan F/R mounts and boots. Also have ES LCA bushings and need to get ES FSB bushings/Moog end links to complete the parts list for the project.

You'll never need camber bolts for a spring/strut set up on this car.

How's the FAQ coming along? Need some ideas?

• Should I replace rear strut bearings?
• Should I replace the dust boots?
• Which dust boots should I buy?
• Ball-joints, FSB end-links and Tie-rod ends... OEM or Aftermarket?
• What work requires a follow-up Front End Alignment?
• What are the symptoms of a failing ball-joint?
• What are the symptoms of a failing FSB end-link?
• How often should I pack the grease fittings (if my parts have them)?
• How do I replace my FSB bushings, when and why?
• Wheel bearings... OEM or after-market?

Probably never, if you do:



Any time you're going on a trip?

I've been more of a troll lately. I should work on that. Sorry Sir, I just couldn't resist.

Good to know, I assumed that from your reply. It never hurts to clarify things.

+1.

No worries man. Your post is true though, feel bad for anyone that ever paid for REAR strut bearings.

Good stuff man. I'll start compiling when I've got down time at work (lol, as if that ever exists) and not trying to quickly respond on the run during the weekends.

Snce you've got OEM mounts, I'd recommend getting some OEM strut bearings to finish off the parts list - that's the only thing you're missing right now.

Also, lmk if you want to make the drive down to NJ for install day

Yea, sucks they stopped making them. Def one of my favorites.

If I do buy this used set of S-Techs/Illumina's, and I don't like those springs, I'll just keep a look out on e-bay and the classifieds here on the Org for a used set that pops up.

Other than the Progress, what else do you recommend? I've driven Porsche's with H&R's, than those are really nice springs.