Death Wobble

[jds1217]

I have a 2002 pathfinder 4x4. I noticed yesterday while on the freeway what is referred to as the death wobble. Anyways I am going to replace the bushings in the rear control arms. My question is that I know it will be easier to just replace the entire arms as they come with bushings already in them however I can not find any that come with poly bushings. Which would be better, to just replace bushings with poly ones, or will the new rubber ones that come in the arm fix the problem.

[rgk]

I ordered complete Moog upper and lower arms five years ago. It solved the death sway completely and has not been a problem since. I never understood the obsession with replacing bushings for poly, as the work involved is considerable, and the cost is negligible. I can't imagine the performance is noticeable.

[jds1217]

Thanks, I know Moog is one of the best names when it comes to parts. However, as can be expected you pay for quality. Are there any other brands you would recommend. I recently saw upper and lower arm set by TRQ for 150

[rgk]

What I like to do is go to Rockauto, browse the "Daily Driver" section, and look at warranty and price.

[jds1217]

Thanks, I've found I can replace both upper & lower control arms as well as the sway bar linkages for about $175. Thus is using all Moog parts. I also plan to replace all of the front suspension bushings as well but as I do not need to do this as quickly I can tackle 1 component each weekend.

[Chris92SE]

Thanks, I've found I can replace both upper & lower control arms as well as the sway bar linkages for about $175. Thus is using all Moog parts. I also plan to replace all of the front suspension bushings as well but as I do not need to do this as quickly I can tackle 1 component each weekend.

What website did you find these at? I was going to replace all my original shocks and struts and I might as well do the LCAs and sway bar links, too.

[jds1217]

Rock auto

[rgk]

Looks like the Moog warranty is 3 years, whereas the AC Delco is limited lifetime.

[Thommykent]

MOOG used to be good and still can be, but you`ll find them interspersing Chinese parts into their lineup now

[rgk]

Yeah, they have varying levels of parts quality, which they usually specify by lineup name.

I'm no longer afraid of parts made in China. They run the gamut from absolute s*** to high quality.

[AlanAZ]

I use 'Proforged' suspension components whenever I can. The front sway bar links for the QX4 were noticeably heavier and stronger than the Nissan OEM they replaced. I have never needed to replace any of the Proforged components on the many cars/trucks I have used them on, but have other manufacturers.

[jds1217]

I went with acdelco upper and lowers as well as sway bar links and track bar. Hopefully it will return the rear suspension to like new. Next I plan to replace the front suspension components. I love my R50, its an 02 with 191,000 miles and im hoping to still be driving it at 400k. I leak a small amount of oil, its really negligible but I hate seeing oil spots after cars been parked all night. So my next adventure is tracking down the leak. Thanks for all the help so far.

[attofarad]

I replaced the arms on my wife's QX4 with factory ones. I was glad that I had recently purchased a pretty powerful air impact wrench -- it still took a while to loosen a few of the bolts!

[Buzzman]

It's an 18 year old truck, so unless you plan on driving it another 15 years, poly bushings are not really necessary.
I replaced mine a few years back with OEM control arms (dealer installed), and the truck has been fine.
My Pathy is on it's last legs now, and will be headed to the junkyard soon, but in the meantime, the death sway has not come back.