I bought a project max. 2003, 6spd, 165k miles. It looks like the rear beam is shifted slightly, maybe from hitting something with the driver side rear wheel. The car also doesnt sit level in the rear. Wheel gap is high on the passenger side and barely there on the driver side, the side that looks to be shifted.

I was thinking to just replace the rear beam, maybe struts too. Any thoughts?

Driver Side Rear:





Passenger Side Rear:



Thanks,
Matt

 

Photos added for illustration.

 

You really should get up under it to inspect what is going on. It's possible the beam is bent. However, it is also more likely other components are bent or bad.

The stock arm bushings are crap. If they have degraded enough, it would allow the beam to shift like that. Assuming that is the case, there may also be something going on with the lateral links on the top middle part of the rear beam. The links could have got broke, bent, or their rubber bushing torn.

Or, the lateral links may be fine but just put into a bind because the arm bushings are destroyed.

Lots to check into. You can replace the arm bushing on the beam with solid ES bushings which you can get for a good price (surprisingly) from Autozone. Get the BLACK ones as they have graphite made into them and are significantly less prone to "squeak."

I want to say someone makes (maybe ES) bushings for the lateral link, but that could be someone here on the forums, I can't recall.

In any case, no one can help you any further until you get up under the car and look.

I can say that replacing the beam (and other components/bushings I've mentioned) is something someone with moderate or higher skill and tool inventory can accomplish. I have a detailed thread with images that outlines dropping the rear beam, replacing the bushings, and re-installing.

 

Matt I had a 2003 SE and had a hydroplaning accident and had to have my rear beam replaced. My rear passenger tire was pushed forward from the impact with the curb at 50+ mph. My car was a 5.5 Gen and the beam is welded to the frame, I don't remember if the 4th Gens are though.

I had a collision shop do the work which was covered by my insurance. They had my car for 2wks and it turned out great. I had no problems with it whatsoever. If I would have paid, it would have cost me $2300, parts and labor.

 

The rear beam is not welded to the frame, in no shape or form, for the 5/5.5gens.

Buying from somewhere like a local Pull-a-part (U-pull-it) will save tons of $$. Most arm bushings on these beams are shot anyhow, so many guys are upgrading to the ES bushings given there is no other option to fix the busted stock bushings.

 

Ok, I will try to lift it up and look around this weekend. Thanks for the info on the bushings and arms. I am pretty sure this got damaged from the previous owner hydroplaning too.

Ill also look around for the detailed thread you have. Thanks for the heads up!

 

I'll stop being lazy and try to be of a bit more help.

https://maxima.org/forums/5th-genera...-bushings.html

Tons of great images in that thread. Should probably be stickied.

 

Thanks Chris. Youre the man!

 

Your strut is completely blown. And it would really be low if the spring was broken (an impact like that would bend the beam I would think, though). Perhaps blowing the strut was enough to bend the beam, too.
I can't see anything else with those pics, though.

 

Holy crap

 

I don't think it's your beam but likely the bushing is worn out could be the laterial link bushing or the trailing arm, now if the trailing arm is bent, that unfortunately is part of the beam, you would have to replace, from the junk yard.

 

The beams are bolted on, not a single weld on it anywhere,

If you need a rear beam,I have one ready to pick up for $150, excellent condition, I'm in queens/NYC 917-442-1775

 

Thanks for all the feedback on this. And Id love to buy that beam if I need it, but I am not even close to local to NY. Ill take a close look at the busings/trailing arm and report back.

You think just a blown strut will cause the car to sit low like that?

Thanks,
Matt

 

Blown struts would definately make the back end sit low.

 

Mine did...then coilovers

 

holy **** that fcucked up . struts would be the first thing i'd check. neither side looks normal, both exremely low and high for stock lol

 

So I just replaced the rear beam with one off a car at a salvage yard that looked fine. When I put it on my car, the driver rear wheel still looked like it did with the old beam. I plan to replace the struts/springs next. I'm struggling to understand how there can be negative camber with the solid axle beam and hub which is directly connected.

Since the hub is directly connected to the solid beam, how would swapping the strut/spring fix my negative camber problem?

 

Wait, it has camber?

 

Yes, negative camber. This beam is straight. What could cause the negative camber on a solid axle beam that has the hub directly connected to it?

 

You sure that's stock springs?

 

Not positive, but pretty sure. The passenger rear is much higher than the driver rear. I doubt the previous owner would have lowered just one corner of the car..

 

I dont think op knows what camber is when you lower the rear of a max it pushes one side out further then the other.there is no way unless your beam is seriously bent that there will be camber.your differing hight issue might just be a weak spring or strut.maby the car had serious rear end damage causing the strut tower to be off or bent.

 

I know what camber is, but this car was not lowered with lowering springs or coilovers. There is something wrong with the driver rear area and I'm just trying to figure out what it is. I've already replaced the axle beam and plan to replace the strut/spring assembly next. Because of the solid axle beam design, I was trying to get an explanation of how I could have negative camber due to a bad strut or spring.

 

I think you're seeing an optical illusion. Like you said, it's impossible.

put a level on the rim

 

Good thought. I wish I were seeing an optical illusion but I put a level on the rim yesterday which verified what we were seeing. The bubble was all the way out of the center. And yes, I measured in the garage which has a flat surface. Ill try to take better pics tomorrow while I'm looking for some kind of structural damage.

 

Im thinking that the only places where damage would affect the wheel is where the top of the strut mounts and where the trailing arm bolts to the car. Does this sound right, or is there more?

 

Unibody bent....Our rear beam was replaced after my wifey was ran off the road at 55 mph by a DUI driver and the rear beam was damaged and replaced with a new unit but my passenger side has a 1/4"-1/2" less clearance difference from the driver's side when measuring tire to the rear fenders clearance. I have no abnormal tire wear but it is kinda puzzling.

 

A bent unibody would be unfortunate. Where would I need to take my car to have the unibody checked? An auto-body place? I presume a regular alignment shop doesn't do that because I've already had the car aligned and the guy didnt say anything about it.

 

That's the perfect excuse for coilovers! Set them to hard and it's the fastest way to make sure those car destroyers don't touch your maxima

 

So I swapped struts from left to right and the driver side was still low and had negative camber. So that rules out the strut/spring being the cause. Calling a collision shop tomorrow

 

Your beam is bent then if you have negative camber!

 

This still doesn't make any sense!

 

I doubt the rear beam is bent. It looked fine on the car it came off of before I put it in mine.

Not sure what this would mean, but after I removed both struts I bolted my wheels back up to the axle and put the level back up to it just to test without the struts, and the bubble was nearly in the middle. But as soon as I put the struts back on and put it back on the ground, its back to negative camber and not even a two finger wheel gap on the driver rear. Passenger rear has always been fine. So I'm also pretty sure this shows that the beam is not bent. But since I moved the known good passenger side strut to the driver side and still had the same problem, it also shows that the struts arent messed up either. I think it points to some part of the unibody/frame being out of spec.

While doing the work yesterday, I did notice that the inside of the strut tower on the driver side is painted black and the passenger side is white. I didnt see anything else that points to something being messed up. I bet they were both white from the factory but for some reason, one has been painted.

According to the previous owner and an autocheck, there is one accident on file which was a front end collision. It's labeled as moderate but being front end, Im not sure why there would be damage to the rear end.

Anyway, planning to call a collision shop today.

 

Good idea on the body shop..this definitely sounds more invasive than what we originally discussed.