Hey all - sorry to ask such a noob question but my '95 Maxima has been starting to feel strangely loose on turns over bumpy streets (like those we have in S. Philadelphia) or highway bumps like you get over the expansion joints on suspension bridges. It's as if the back feels less glued to the road than I remember it being (I don't commute by car and only drive on weekends so issues like this that crop up on this car seem to come by surprise to me). My wife doesn't seem to notice at all though she drives the car all over the place for errands in the city.

Do I have a problem with my rear suspension? Could it be the front suspension? What are some parts that could be worn out that could be causing this? How much will it cost me to get it back to normal, considering I'm not looking for a sport suspension or anything other than the most economical way back to what I consider safer handling than it has at present.

To restate the issue, when we go over a bump at highway speeds, it feels like the back end shifts and the weight is not distributed properly compared to the way it used to be. It's as if you need to be paying attention more or holding the wheel more tightly because the car isn't handling like it is supposed to.

 

Could be a lot of things on a 95. (My 96 needs a bunch of stuff replaced too)

Could be worn trailing arm bushings, lateral link assembly or dog bone looking thing.

See this page for a breakdown of the rear end parts:
http://www.courtesyparts.com/maxima-...1873_1877.html

None of this stuff is all that difficult to replace - just takes time.

 

Change the rear shocks.

Might consider doing the front as well.
Have your mechanic make sure the rest of the suspension and steering is in order.

 

 

Definetly needs rear shocks.
Rear shocks and dust boots can be had for around $100 if you can do the work yourself. If not expect to pay about $300.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. Really appreciate it!

 

Today I ordered front and back pairs of Monroe shocks / strut kits, as well as a front suspension kit from ebay. I made sure I ordered brand name shocks but apparently didn't do enough homework on the rest of my order. Apparently the ebay front suspension kit parts I ordered don't have a great reputation but I'll have to see now that I've already taken the plunge...

Made the decision kind of hastily with a baby on the way in a little less than a month. Lots of stuff to worry about and get done. With Thanksgiving in a couple days, my parts need to be here pronto in order to get things fixed in time. Want the car to ride smoothly without all the extra bumps and shiftiness.

Seems like the car's handling has become a lot stiffer since the weather changed. I also don't drive it every day and it's daily usage by my wife is less than 10 miles so maybe I could have gotten by with spending less but felt I had to make the call before I'm stuck with a crappy handling car with a new baby riding in it.

 

The suspension shiftiness I posted about to start this thread seemed to turn into loud clunking on every bump from my front left as a few weeks passed. Even as I started off from stops I would hear the noises.

So after ordering the suspension parts the Monday before Thanksgiving, the baby decided to come early and I ended up driving the 1 mile to and from the hospital gingerly with the clunking front left suspension on every bump.

All the parts came the day after the baby, of course, and by now my mechanic has installed the shocks/struts and the control arms from the suspension kit but not the end links and other links. He said the control arms are not as solid as the originals and I assume the same for the other parts which is why he didn't install them. In the mile or so from my mechanic's garage home, the car's suspension and steering seems responsive and no longer has the clunks that were so worrisome before. I'll have to drive it on the highway and report back as to whether I still feel the sway that I felt before having this work done.

Total cost of parts was around 600 and installation was 470 (which included installing 2 front O2 sensors). So I figure I spent around 950 on the new suspension.

Now my mechanic tells me the front left brake rotor and the radiator support need to be fixed. He didn't install my motor mounts because he said the old ones aren't bad yet and the radiator support made it not even worth going in to do the front motor mount.

One thing at a time!

 

Good to hear that you, the wife, and baby are all doing okay w/ the car problems that you faced. Your situation sounds the same as mine, well sort of. My father-in-law gave me & my wife a 97 GXE the day after Thanksgiving. I drove it home and noticed that the rear end was a little loose, but other than that it rode pretty good for a car with 143,500 on the odemeter. It would've been nice to get some work done on it, but I've had ankle/foot surgery since then. I've been trolling around, ordering parts off of ebay, and learning a lot about Maximas. I'm having a good time, and to think I almost bought a Cadillac.

 

been down this road before...definitely rear shocks causing the rear sway. Common front end clunks are caused by control arm bushing and/or sway bar links, though its easier to replace the whole arm.

 

Took the car out for a highway test drive before everyone got up and it's riding great now. Really happy I decided to get the work done.

Thanks for the help diagnosing what I needed everyone.