1999 pathfinder rocking on high speed

[smokimon001]

it is 99 pathfinder se auto. once it reaches 60mph with a slight right turn, i felt the front driver side rocking/vibrating really bad, i had just replaced the axle cuz of the crack rod boot, still didnt solve the problem.
some forums say it is the lower control arm bushing, some said change the upper or lower ball joint.
i dont wanna replace something that is not broken, anyone know what cause this problem? bushing? ball joint or shock?
when i was replacing the front driver side axle, the ball joints are looking fine to me, didnt see any cracks, didnt bother to look at the bushings thou.
thanks

[Ron Burgundy]

Well if it's what i'm thinking of, its a pretty common problem on Pathfinders.

It's known as the "Death Sway" or "Death Wobble". Does it feel like your vehicle is rocking side to side? It seems to stop when you let off the accelerator?

If so, then you have researched correctly. Replace your lower control arm bushings and this should solve your problem. These seem to reach their life expectancy around 60,000 miles.

Note: OEM bushings will once again wear out around another 60,000 miles. For a little extra $$, you can replace the worn out OEM with polyurethane bushings that will never wear out.

[smokimon001]

yes, it stops when i decelerate. should i change the bushing on both driver and passenger side? i am thinkg advance auto or auto zone/pepboy should have teh parts i need, so i dont need to wait for the shipping.

[smokimon001]

would taht be the strut tower as well? it was poping on driver side when i turn right on high speed.

[Pathfound49]

I believe the best way to check if it's a ball joint issue is to raise the front end off the ground, grab the the wheel in question at the top and bottom and push in on the top and pull out on the bottom at the same time. Like you're trying to pull the wheel off. If there is a loose feeling, chances are that one or both ball joints are bad.

Please correct me if I'm wrong on this.

[smokimon001]

i bought a set of front lower control arm bushings for both passenger side and driver side from 4x4parts.com, as well as teh strut tower.
the problem is i cant get the strut out, i had the axle removed, brake cylinder hang up, lower control arm ball joint removed, the nuts on the sway bar linkage is seized. do i have to removed the sway bar linkage inorder to get the strut out? at the point, should i replace the 2 ball joints? they look fine. and dont feel loose.

[ARKQX33V6]

i bought a set of front lower control arm bushings for both passenger side and driver side from 4x4parts.com, as well as teh strut tower.
the problem is i cant get the strut out, i had the axle removed, brake cylinder hang up, lower control arm ball joint removed, the nuts on the sway bar linkage is seized. do i have to removed the sway bar linkage inorder to get the strut out? at the point, should i replace the 2 ball joints? they look fine. and dont feel loose.

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Verify that the lower ball joint is bad. If it is remove hub cap then circlip on drive axle and slide hub assembly off board enough for old and new ball joint to move out in position.

[Wrenchmuch]

To cure the Pathfinder Death Wobble replace the rear lower control arms with parts from Nissan. I replaced shocks, struts, front control arms, rear upper control arms and had an alignment, but the problem was the REAR LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS. But don't replace the bushings. Replace both control arms OR replace the bushings with NEOPRENE bushings. Took me a year and a half of messing with it to find this out. Don't waste your time with all the other stuff. I replaced both arms myself for under $200.