I have a pretty elementary question. I am not new to cars and do my own basic stuff but when it comes to suspension parts, I get lost. Please pardon me if i am asking way basic questions.

What is the difference between shocks and struts? Do i have one or the other on my 2002?

How do i know if i need just shocks/struts or if i also need springs? There is no obvious drop in car's height if that's a measure of spring quality. I have 165K miles on the car and only symptom is i hear clicking and clacking noise over rough pavement and it sounds like my front shocks have called it quits.

 

http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...on-thread.html

Where are you located?

 

The Maxima has struts front and rear.

A strut is a structural part of the suspension that holds the car up. A shock is not part of the suspension load bearing structure. You can remove a shock and still drive the car. Not so with a strut.

If the car is at the proper height, you don't need springs. Springs should last 500,000 miles or more.

 

if u have 165k on the car and the struts are original, replace them ASAP, the car will feel like new. u must get the wheels aligned as soon as you get the struts done too.

 

Yes, I do have original struts on the car. This feedback really helps. Thanks much for taking the time to respond to this query.

 

Coupedncal - where are you located?

 

If you are replacing your struts, there are a few things to keep in mind.

1. You should replace your strut mounts - they are what you see poking up out of the body in the engine bay. They are most likely broken or on their way out at 165k, and even if they aren't they will probably break after you replace the struts, which would require you to pull off the struts again.

2. USE NISSAN DUST BOOTS ONLY. They are expensive. Order them online and in advance. From my experience replacing struts on my maximas, if you use those crap two part pieces you get from auto parts stores, they won't fit properly and will cause you problems. I would not even let a shop do the job without providing those to them.

3. Take a look at the rest of your suspension parts. I can pretty much tell you that they are all shot at 165k.

The struts connnect to the steering knuckle, which sits on a ball joint connected to the lower control arm (lca). the knuckle also connects to the outer tie rod. The lca is also attached to the body of the car (there is a bushing here that fails) and it is connected to another part of the car with an end link.

Typically, the outer tie rod is shot, but you won't be able to tell that; the ball joint is broken and leaking; The bushing is broken; and the end link is shot.

My advice would be to replace the struts and mounts, the lca (which contains the bushing and the ball joint), the end link, and the outer tie rod (plus the inner tie rod).

That is very expensive unless you are doing the labor all yourself and have the right tools - which I will say based upon your experience is above your head.

What I think you can do easily, is replace the endlinks. These are pretty simple and frequently the cause of noises.

Beyond that, find someone with tools and experience to help you is the way to go.

 

All this info is already in my thread, which I linked to in the second post. (sigh)

 

leaf springs F/R with integrated shocks

 

??? The 02 maxima does NOT have leaf springs or shocks.

 

About 2800 miles from New Jersey.

 

It is and your thread is outstanding.

 

Prove it



FYI: the GLEs have leaf springs, SEs like mine have torsion bars

 

^
what the heck is that concoction

 

Its alive. I think those SE tails complete the look.