front strut bound bumper

[dkl]

Hi,

I noticed today that my 2001 pathfinder front strut bound bumper (item 6) broke into two pieces (horizontally) on the right and left struts. Not sure how long it's been like that.

Is that something that needs to be fixed right away? Strut and coil spring seems to work fine.

Will that pass Va State inspection?

how much does it cost to replace?



Thanks

[Pwnin O'Brien]

You wouldn't really notice a different unless you go off-roading and you get a lot of articulation. Is it just the bumper that's split or is the boot also split? If the boot is split that can cause dirt and excessive moisture to build up inside the boot and around the absorber which could cause premature failure. If not, then you really don't have much to worry about and it should pass inspection (well, either way it would pass inspection).

[dkl]

Here is a picture.

The entire boot/bumper slides up and down. Is it suppose to be attached at the bottom?

Is this expensive to replace?



thx

[Pwnin O'Brien]

So basically the boot separated from the bumper. You won't notice any change in ride quality on or off road. The only downside is that you can get dirt and moisture buildup around the shock absorber which could cause premature failure. I doubt, however, that failure would even occur anytime soon if at all. The bumper/boot piece (part 6 as shown in your OP diagram) is only $15.57 from CourtesyParts.com. The labor is what hurts, you will actually need to remove the entire strut assembly to replace the boot/bumper. If taken to a dealer you're probably looking at about 2-4 hours (if not more).

My recommendation is to wait, depending on your mileage, you may need to replace your struts soon anyhow. If your vehicle has a lot of mileage and the struts are original equipment, then you won't have much longer before you will need to replace the struts due to age.

[dkl]

Pathy has 141,000+ miles and struts are the original. Who knows, maybe it's been like that for years and I just didn't notice.

State inspection is not till Jan 2010, hopefully it'll pass.

thanks Pwnin