Hey guys,
I'm feeling the effects of the death wobble in my 2001 pathfinder. I went under the truck body and was able to wiggle 2 of my control arms by hand with not too much force. I'm also getting the classic shake when putting on and taking my foot off the gas above 50km. I have a few questions about replacing them?
When replacing the arms is it OK to only replace 1 or 2 of the arms or does it need to be all 4?
How difficult is replacing the bars(with common tools, I don't have a shop to work out of)?
It's cheaper, but is it easy to replace just the bushings?
I don't want to spend a lot of money if possible but I don't want to compromise safety. I've found these parts online, are there any I should stay away from?
Amazon
Ebay 1
Ebay 2
Death wobble - replacing rear control arms
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darragh3277
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2018 6:40 pm
Re: Death wobble - replacing rear control arms
I did that repair last year and only replaced the lowers since they are most critical to preventing the swaying when the bushings are loose or distorted. I got my lower arms at Rockauto.com and I paid about $100 for them.
It's not too difficult to replace them provided you have two main tools: a large 1/2 breaker bar and an impact wrench (I bought an electric impact wrench that exerts 220 ft/lbs.) You also should have a propane torch on hand in case you have to heat up a stubborn bolt in order to break it loose. After you replace the lowers it's really important that you do not torque the bolts until you have lowered the car to the ground. Have fun!
It's not too difficult to replace them provided you have two main tools: a large 1/2 breaker bar and an impact wrench (I bought an electric impact wrench that exerts 220 ft/lbs.) You also should have a propane torch on hand in case you have to heat up a stubborn bolt in order to break it loose. After you replace the lowers it's really important that you do not torque the bolts until you have lowered the car to the ground. Have fun!
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Mike W.
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2002 BMW 525it
1998 BMW 328is - Location: California Whine Country
Re: Death wobble - replacing rear control arms
What kind of mileage do these typically fail at? Mine seem fine, but with 140K on the clock it's no virgin.
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darragh3277
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2018 6:40 pm
Re: Death wobble - replacing rear control arms
Not too sure about other peoples experiences. I bought mine at about 260km and it has a slight wobble, I'm at 271km now and I don't think it has degraded at all really. Hard to tell as it may be gradual.
Re: Death wobble - replacing rear control arms
My son replaced his at 125k miles last year. The rubber bushings were falling out in small chunks. He bought the $120 full set of four on Amazon and so far so good. Night and day difference in the ride and no more "bucking" under acceleration. We sprayed all the bolts with WD40 3 or 4 times in advance and had no problems removing using a 500 lb rated impact wrench. Since you are doing them anyway you should do the uppers at the same time even though the lowers will be worse. As mentioned, fully torque them when off the jacks under full weight.
Re: Death wobble - replacing rear control arms
Here we go again, I highly recommend you use the split polyeurathane kit for both upper and lower control arms. It doesn't matter if you buy new ones cause they are made with the same low quality rubber which I know for a fact will fail again, hence why I did this job twice. The kit comes with replacement nuts and bolts. There is another thread on this forum which tells you how to remove the old rubber, sleeves and bushings from the old control arms.
Re: Death wobble - replacing rear control arms
#3 in this list is a good guide on the task:
https://forums.nicoclub.com/post6769515.html#p6769515
https://forums.nicoclub.com/post6769515.html#p6769515
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mdmellott
- Posts: 1147
- Joined: Mon Sep 02, 2019 3:32 pm
- Car: '13 Kia Soul+ 2.0L AT
'02 Pathfinder SE 3.5L AT P/4WD - Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Re: Death wobble - replacing rear control arms
I don't have the dreaded wobble so often described but I can tell for certain it feels a bit loose in cornering and sometimes I get noise back there that can be described as "bucking". This is the first post I have read that describes that. With over 220K miles it's likely due for a set of bushing replacements. Is there a test that can be done to convince me it is time? The "bucking" I occasionally experience I have always written off as wear in the rear-end differential but now I'm not so sure about that.PathyPop wrote: ↑Wed Nov 07, 2018 11:09 pmMy son replaced his at 125k miles last year. The rubber bushings were falling out in small chunks. He bought the $120 full set of four on Amazon and so far so good. Night and day difference in the ride and no more "bucking" under acceleration. We sprayed all the bolts with WD40 3 or 4 times in advance and had no problems removing using a 500 lb rated impact wrench. Since you are doing them anyway you should do the uppers at the same time even though the lowers will be worse. As mentioned, fully torque them when off the jacks under full weight.
Re: Death wobble - replacing rear control arms
mdmellott wrote: ↑Fri Dec 25, 2020 5:32 pmTo check the condition of the rubber bushings you need to get under the vehicle and get a firm grasp on the middle of each control arm and try to twist it in either direction. If you're able to rotate the arm in either direction then your bushings are worn.PathyPop wrote: ↑Wed Nov 07, 2018 11:09 pm
I don't have the dreaded wobble so often described but I can tell for certain it feels a bit loose in cornering and sometimes I get noise back there that can be described as "bucking". This is the first post I have read that describes that. With over 220K miles it's likely due for a set of bushing replacements. Is there a test that can be done to convince me it is time? The "bucking" I occasionally experience I have always written off as wear in the rear-end differential but now I'm not so sure about that.
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mdmellott
- Posts: 1147
- Joined: Mon Sep 02, 2019 3:32 pm
- Car: '13 Kia Soul+ 2.0L AT
'02 Pathfinder SE 3.5L AT P/4WD - Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Re: Death wobble - replacing rear control arms
Thanks for that. They all seemed stiff enough but I really have no idea what 'enough' really means. I can twist them all a bit back a forth when I grip the rods with pliers to rotate them. What I did notice though is that one bushing on an upper arm is not centered like the all the others. That's probably the one making the occasional clunking or bucking noise I sometimes hear. I have to stop looking for trouble. These may all be fine for quite awhile longer but given their age and mileage, I think I'll make a project of it and replace all the bushings with OEM parts, including the Panhard rod bushings. I'd rather press out all the old ones and replace them with original parts rather than trust the length specs and bushing durability of aftermarket rod assemblies.
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VStar650CL
- Technical Expert
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2004 Nissan Altima 2.5 S
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