Death Wobble

[bbrandt11]

I've read just about every single post on this issue and it seems that there no definitive answer as to the "best" method of correcting the problem.

Replacing all four arms with aftermarket arms is the most costly and seems to be the best bet for the death of the death wobble.
Replacing all four arms with OE replacements is a bit less costly but has some history of the wobble returning.
Replacing all eight OE bushings with OE type bushings seems to be the most cost effective but has a probability of the issue recurring in the least amount of time.
Replacing all eight OE bushings with one piece polyurethane bushings is a bit more costly but doesn't seem to have any history of the issue recurring.
Replacing all eight OE bushings with two piece polyurethane bushings is about the same cost as one piece, slightly easier install but I didn't see results whether the fix is permanent.

I have no problem with the R+R of either complete arms or bushings only, to me it's the same PITA either way, I just want to make sure that I head the right direction.
It's an '02 QX4, engine is fresh, the rest isn't too bad other than the usual stuff but it may only see another 3 to 5 years of service if all goes as planned.

Thoughts?

Bryan

[ILLuSioNzX]

Replacing all four arms with aftermarket arms is the most costly and seems to be the best bet for the death of the death wobble.
Replacing all four arms with OE replacements is a bit less costly but has some history of the wobble returning.
Replacing all eight OE bushings with OE type bushings seems to be the most cost effective but has a probability of the issue recurring in the least amount of time.
Replacing all eight OE bushings with one piece polyurethane bushings is a bit more costly but doesn't seem to have any history of the issue recurring.
Replacing all eight OE bushings with two piece polyurethane bushings is about the same cost as one piece, slightly easier install but I didn't see results whether the fix is permanent.

To me it depends on the ride quality I'm looking for. For my car, I'd throw in poly bushings and deal with the added NVH, but on the truck I'd prefer a quieter ride and longer durability, especially considering the time it takes to do this job. OEM would be my reccommendation in this situation, it would at least another 60K before you're stuck with another 'death wobble' situation.

[4xq]

You might go over to Rockauto and look at Moog or Dorman. Both have limited lifetime warranties. So if the problem comes back, you would get new parts free.

Of the two, I would pick Moog -they have a pretty decent reputation.

5% off coupon at retailmenot for rockauto - helps pay for the shipping.

[bbrandt11]

I took a close look at what is going on under the truck.
The lowers are worn and loose on the inner sleeve, the upper tops are worn and loose on the inner sleeve and the top shock mount rubbers are worn and loose.
Basically everything flops around, no wonder it's gets exciting to drive at times!
It's my son's truck so as a good father, well, you know, I'll likely end up paying for the parts, doing the work and continually answering the same question over and over, "Are you done yet?".
The 4x4 Parts kit is a reasonable way to go as well as Nissanpartsdeal for all the items as well as the fasteners.
The only real benefit that I see in going to urethane over the OE bushings is that they will last longer than the truck, price wise it comes down to about a $60 difference.
Either of the two will require removing the old bushings and installing the new ones.
I don't believe there is any hope of using the old fasteners so at least removal shouldn't be a big deal, the trusty heat wrench rarely fails.
Removing the old bushings shouldn't be an issue either, we have the technology.

Life is great!

[atraudes]

For all intents and purposes, both the split and single piece polyurethane bushings will be permanent replacements. I did a lot of looking before I replaced mine, and didn't see any accounts of them needing to be replaced. I did find a number of reviews say that the OEM bushings, however, could fail within the first few thousand miles. Manufacturers may offer lifetime warranties, but you'll still need to put in the elbow grease to get them off and on again, probably spring for the shipping, and be without control arms for however long replacements take to arrive.

If you go for the polyurethanes, be sure to grease them or they squeak like crazy. I used Energy Suspension's grease since it's supposed to be very resilient and not wash off. The biggest problem with the polyurethane solution is you have to get the rubber bushings pressed out by a shop (some people have cut them out too), but it sounds like that may not be a problem for you.