Looks like an incorrectly installed upper spring perch.

 

Haha!!! After a couple of weeks of soaking the dampening screw it finally moved today. Thank you PB Blaster!
Everything is freed up and good to put back together. I'm going to cover everything in anti-seize and I would recommend that to anyone. I don't want to go through that again.

 

Clean those threads seasonally ateick

 

As for what was changed, I believe if I recall correctly I either did all 4 struts or strut mounts. That was around Oct-2012!

I got lazy and went to a shop. The front left strut mount was done, lots of rubber shavings. Also threw on the control arms, sway bar end links and stablizer bar bushings. Weird thing now is some popping sound if the steering wheel is turned fully to the right then turned back to center. I'll let the shop play with that on Monday.

 

^^^ I'll bet $5 nonexistent dollars its your tie rod end .
I just finished doing lca,all four mounts,stabilizers ends and bushings jan 4 2014 and last summer i replaced the tie rod ends(bushings were bad) and my car is doindg the same exact noise. It's the right tie rod end in my case it started last night.
RR5 I'll suggest have someone try to replicate that noise while you look under the car.

 

Yup, above makes sense.

(assuming everything that's replaced has been installed correctly)

 

Hey, I don't know if this was asked in one of the previous "22" pages, but I'm curious how much to rebuild a rear JIC MAGIC FLT-A2 monotube 15 adjustable coilover? Also, I hear JIC was bought out by another company (although with a quick web search, I found what appears to be an outdated website and contact number for the company). Where could I send the coilover to be rebuilt? LMK. Thanks!!

 

Try the "search this thread" option, it's fairly easy. But I'm sure dj is glad to answer your question.

 

Yeah, I did that, which is how I found this thread and a few others like it, but no direct answers yet or there were too many pages to "thumb" through searching for the proverbial "needle in a haystack".

 

I haven't worked with JIC for a little while. Not sure about their current status but I'm sure someone at the company can point you in the right direction if you find a good phone #.

 

Getting closer to doing my suspension overhaul, just ordered my tein street advance coilovers. I made the mistake of getting rid of my stock struts and springs. I am getting new moog strut mounts, but what other parts in this picture do I need with the Teins?







I know that 54320 and 54325 come with the moog mounts, but what else do I need? Also, I am doing new hubs and bearings. Do you have any input on choice of brand to go with?

 

To use Tein coils, luckily the only other part you need is 54322.

 

Ok that's what I thought. Any input on hubs and bearings? i.e. what brand and where to buy from? Thanks!!!

 

Typical respectable aftermarket brands should be fine. AC Delco, Beck/Arnley, etc.

Unless your bearing is completely trashed, your hub should be reusable.

 

I am new to this forum and a new 5.5 gen owner. I just encountered a noise coming from the rear area sounding almost identical to driving over a loose man hole cover when driving over bumps and potholes in the road. It doesn't seen like it matters which side the bump is on. Has anyone encountered anything similiar? Could anyone enlighten me to what could possibly be wrong? I really appreciate any opinion on the matter. Thanks in advance!

 

Have you done any diagnosis?

Clunks are visible. Recommend getting under the car while someone bounces it up and down, to try to isolate where the noise is coming from. There aren't many suspension related components that can go bad in the rear of the car.

 

Yes I did that yesterday but I could not see anything. I will go out in a few to take a video or the noise and post it. I have never heard anything like it. Very odd.

 

possible bad exhaust mount that is letting a pipe or muffler bounce up and hit the undercarriage?

 

Yeah turns out that it is a snapped sway bar

 

In the rear???

Or did you have a RSB installed...?

 

Yes the rear.

Please enlighten me? I don't know what that means.

 

On second thought, it doesn't take that much brain power to figure out. Rear Sway Bar. Correct?

 

Rsb is rear sway bar, yes

 

There is no factory RSB. So that means you have an aftermarket one installed. Which you failed to mention when you first said you were having noise problems. Would have made diagnosis much easier.

 

i have questions im looking for a camber kit and all i find is the nut and washer kits is that all there is for my maxima can anyone recomend a good kit i know the front is adjustable but how do i make the rear adjustable pls message me if you know the answer im about the buy some d2 coilovers and want to order the right rear kit

 

1. Please use punctuation.
2. You do not need a camber kit with D2 coilovers. It comes with a camber plate as the tophat, and you do not require camber bolts.
3. The rear of our cars is not camber adjustable, it is a solid beam.

 

I just purchased the car frome a dealer. I have only had it for a few weeks. I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to suspensions. Therefore I wasn't aware that the car had a aftermarket RSB. My apologies.

 

No worries. I figured as much - just threw me for a loop

 

Though I was reading online that the altima came with a stock RSB that was hollow. I just figured that the case was the same for the maxima. So would you suggest replacing it with a solid RSB? Or would it be OK to just remove it completely?

 

Depends which year Altima you are referring to, as the suspension setup varies by generation.

The aftermarket RSB you have installed is solid. Are you certain it is snapped? That is very very hard to do. Perhaps it's just not installed correctly.

 

Well I am not certain of anything atm. We are in the middle of a snow storm here in ct. Tomorrow I will try to get under the car. Also record some audio of the problem and post it. If you could listen to it and give me your opinion I would really appreciate it. The current diagnosis is from a Firestone in new haven. I don't really trust them. But I don't have anything else to go on atm.

 

the RSB bushing could be the culprit. Had this issue after installing Tein coilovers... Had to move the right bushing a little to the left.

 

I have an odd one that I just can't locate, so any help would be much appreciated. Here's the symptoms:

1) Sounds like a metal bowling ball going down a bumpy metal alley, and it can be constantly there.
2) I would say the sound is linked to engine revs, and not wheel speed
3) The intensity of the sound changes a bit with suspension movement
4) The sound might be present for a couple of weeks and then nothing for a couple of weeks. It can also be there for part of the day, and not the rest of the day
5) The sound seems to be more prominent in cold weather, and does not appear to be related to the temperature of the engine
6) It sounds like it's coming from the RHS of the car
7) I don't think I can feel it through the steering, though it sounds like I should be able to!
8) I've replaced the right strut (the whole thing). Left one has only recently started to seize so will be changed out very soon. Noise was present before strut issues.
9) Engine mounts look ok. If I use the brake and accelerate, the engine will move less than an inch in either direction.
10) I replaced the right lower control arm busing (it was stuffed). Left one has a little bit of play, but it's not too bad. Will swap that out soon.
11) Vibration will generally only occur on slower acceleration at revs above 2k. If I accelerate to around 3k and hold, it will start to build up vibrations & noise, and it can get quite violent the higer the revs go, assuming I'm not accelerating.

I'm sure there's a logical solution in there somewhere, but it's beyond my abilities!

 

First, what year maxima? I don't think it matters but Auto or 6/mt? Was anything else replaced or removed on the front suspension? Look at the fsm in my signature and check the SU.pdf for part names/locations.

Also it goes without saying but suspension parts are best replaced in pairs.

What happens if you go driving around in a parking lot and alternate with driving straight with making sharp turns?

 

Hi, the year is 2000, and it's an Auto. The noise / vibration started before any work was done up front. So far I've replaced one strut (have the other one to install now), and a lower control arm, but the noise / vibration continues. Nothing else has been done.

Making sharp turns / straight driving makes no difference. It might be present, or not, it might be loud or not so loud. I've had the car up on blocks with the engine running, and have turned hard left and right with a bit of speed, and no noises. Only when the car is actually moving does it happen, and it can occur on bumpy and completely flat roads as well.

Something else I should mention is that if it's in 2nd, and then downshifts to 1st (e.g. slowing down, and then accelerate a bit), then at the downshift it can make a fairly big clunk sometimes which you can feel.

Thanks

 

Sounds very much like your passenger side motor mount. Have that checked out. Also while you're at it check the front/rear/tranny mounts as well.

 

I was doing research and some threads are older than others but I figured i'd finally just go straight to dj because after reading threads, you are the guy. So here's what i'm looking for. I'm looking for adjustable comfort first/better than stock handling(i need to get front strut tower bar huh) With a slight drop for appeal. Now I've heard some coilovers are comfortable but here is the thing. I've bent a 2 rims...and destroyed a strut(which was probably kinda bad to do this) going over pot holes and stuff. THESE ATLANTA ROADS SUCK!! My rear struts and pretty much toast now, my fronts are cheap replacements. Every time i go over a bump its like AHH my poor car. I feel it all over lol. My fear is that ill get coilovers and it will be the same. So are there affordable coilovers that give me this? or what is the best reasonably priced strut/spring to go with for what I want. Daily Driver/ occasional race with a random car (when 2 street cars make contact you gotta race ^__^)

 

It sounds like you'll be better off with a PROPERLY mated spring/strut setup.

First, pick your ride height. Use this link as a guide. Then report back with your spring selection and I'll help you pick a suitable strut.
http://www.shiftice.com/spring_strut_decision.html

Also, let us know what your budget is for parts.

 

I agree that a spring/strut combo would best satisfy your needs. Affordable coilovers = cheap coilovers and will not provide comfort or longevity. Save the coils for actual track or stance applications. Quality coilovers cost much-much more than a quality spring/strut combo and need to be re-built periodically. Based on 10 years of Maxima ownership, I can recommend Tokico Illuminas (adjustable) and either Eibach or H&R springs (slight drop). My first set of Illuminas lasted over 80k (fronts - and rears still going strong). The Eibachs and H&R are very similar for ride and handling and my recently installed Eibachs are about 1/4" lower than the H&R.

That said, I recently installed new fronts and have a minor but annoying "crunching/creaking" sound on the passenger side only.

It's like a faint metal on metal rubbing noise that occurs when:
1. Accelerating or turning right (i.e. problem corner is unloaded).
2. On high frequency bumps (i.e. washboard pavement).

Things recently changed:
1. Illuminas
2. Eibachs
3. Moog mounts/bearings
4. Nissan dust boots (trimmed upper 1/3).
5. Nissan rubber upper spring seat
6. Nissan rubber lower spring isolator

Things I have checked:
1. Visual inspection of install (done by me, probably OK, but who knows).
2. Bearings - no spring binding or shaft rotation when turn wheel lock to lock.
3. Torques.
4. No noise when push on hood.
5. Spring isolator was installed with 1/4" extended beyond spring to avoid metal spring on perch.

My thoughts/next moves:
1. Is it possible that Tokico is defective?
2. Dust boots do not "snap" into upper mount due to trimming and hangs at bottom of assembly. Could this make noise? Maybe apply grease?
3. When the car is jacked up, I can grab the spring and rotate it a little bit. Too loose?
4. Obviously I do not what to have to dissemble everything, but may have to.

Any other ideas?

 

1. I do not recommend Eibachs. I've seen too many broken Eibach springs.

2. Are you POSITIVE your upper spring perch is installed with the OUT stamp facing outwards?

2. If so, check your brake dust shields.