2009 G37 lower front ball joint assembly Design Flaw Alert!!

[wolfgang's G]

I've noticed that both of my lower front ball joints on my 2009 G37 need to be replaced. But it appears that they are pressed into the A-Arms, without bolts or nuts on the upper side. Can the lower ball joints be replaced, or do I have to replace the entire A-Arm ??

[STLHKYGUY]

Coupe or sedan? AWD? Looks like lowers are serviced separately from arm according to Mitchell OnDemand labor guide. If no bolts, should have a flat snap ring that holds it in place.

[wolfgang's G]

is a 2009 G37 Jouney sedan 2WD. Can you scan and post those pages of the manual? Does it describe how to replace them?

[wolfgang's G]

For whomever is interested, the problem turned out to be: the nut securing the ball joints had backed out, allowing the lower suspension assembly to become loose and rattle - fortunately, my ball joints were still OK, 'cuz they can only be fixed by replacing the entire A-Arm assembly at $300 per side! I merely had to replace and tighen the nuts using Slotted nuts from a hardware supplier (much like the spindle nut on older vechicles).

There is a flaw in the design of the assembly... Infinity should have used slotted nuts, so that the cotter pin could keep them from turning/back out, once tightened. Instead, they just used regular nuts, and the regular nuts worked themselves loose, down to the cotter pin which is 1/16"-1/8" lower than the nut. ENGINEERING BRAIN-FART! ...had to buy and replace with slotted nuts from a hardware supplier. SLOTTED NUT SIZE is 14mm ID x 1.5mm pitch

[asoomal]

But regular nuts are cheaper. Unfortunately, cotter pins and castle nuts aren't selling points, but bluetooth, electric power steering and back up systems are.

Spend less money on hardware and use the money towards refining the CVT.

On a serious note, the stud has a hole in the threaded section but no cotter pin? Both sides?

Da faq.

[audtatious]

Hmm, I've not seen any issues on either of mine with the lower ball joints. Are you sure someone didn't perform maintenance on them at some point and not properly torque them down?

[AsitaG]

Hey guys,
I have a similar issue with my car, where I need to replace my lower ball joint. Does anyone know the part # so that I can order a replacement?

much appreciated

[wolfgang's G]

The ball joints are not replaceable by themselves. You have to replace the entire lower control arm at $300 bucks a pop! BUT, seriously, I would check those lower nuts on the ball joint threaded pin. If your problem is like mine was, all you have to do is tighten the nuts for now. Then go down to your local hardware store and order the "crown" nut for about $3 each. (or you can get ripped off by Infiniti for $16.95 each...your choice) Replace original nuts with the crown nuts and re-install the cotter pin. DONE! $6 bucks instead of $600.