So, this is my first post. I have a 2003 Infiniti QX4, and it is in good shape, but has a lot of miles on it. 196,000, to be precise.

I have been having issues with death sway, and from all of the other forum postings about it, I need to replace my rear bushings. However, I have some questions that I cannot find the answers to.

1.) Do I have to do anything about my track bar/Panhard rod? I have not heard this mentioned anywhere in any of the other forums or videos of people mentioning this issue, so does it even matter? Also, are the bushings the same at the body and axle side, or are they different?

2.) I heard that there is/was a technical service bulletin for the rear suspension, but I can not find this anywhere. Is this an actual thing?

3.) I have also heard that the bushings for the Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX4 are slightly different. Is this enough of a difference to matter with aftermarket bushings?

Thanks in advance.

1. The track bar bushings are critical as well. If you have serious side-to-side sway already, primarily because your control arm bushings are shot, then your track bar bushings are taking an excessive beating. They are likely shot as well or very age hardened. I just replaced mine with OEM bushings which made a noticeable improvement and I haven't yet got around to installing the OEM control arm bushings I purchased as well. The control arm bushings I have are all the same for the lower control arms (body and axle ends) and they are all the same for the upper control arms (body and axle ends)

2. I'm not aware of any TSB regarding control arm or track bar bushings.

3. There are so many part numbers and slight variations, based on numerous variants of the Nissan and Infinity models, it makes my head hurt wondering how so many aftermarket brands can offer a one-size fits all bushing, which I have seen offered as the same part for a Pathfinder or QX4 even though the dealership part numbers may be different between the Pathfinder and QX4. The OEM upper and lower control arm bushings I have in hand but have not yet installed are all the same diameter and length but the design shape of the internal rubber portion and the inner steel bushing portion which the mounting bolt fits through are very different for the uppers and lowers. Without knowing which one goes where, these could easily be mixed up.

Nissan/Infinity made the various engineering design differences for performance reasons based on the model variants the specific bushings were intended for. Aftermarket one-size fits all brands made me a bit apprehensive so I went with OEM bushings to be sure I get another 220K miles out out my Pathfinder. Like, nothing else could possibly go wrong in the next 20 years.

2 follow up questions:

I was asking about the track bar bushings, but I should have made that more clear. On the track bar, are the bushings the same at both ends, or different on the body and axle ends?

Where did you get your new bushings?

Thank you. I also noticed that you have an '02 Pathfinder, just like the one I had before I had a nice accident and had to get my QX4.

The two track bar bushings are completely different. I purchased all the bushings from ParsNext.com
They are half way around the world in the UAE. The shipping cost is quite a bit higher to the USA than you will find domestically but the low part costs more than made up for that. They ship via DHL Express, which takes about a week to arrive and you will have tracking info all the way through Customs to your doorstep. Just don't make a mistake on ordering the wrong OEM part numbers you need because you are not likely to get a refund. (been there, done that) Domestically, you can compare reasonable part costs to InfinityPartsDeal.com and see for yourself what the savings will be. Use your QX4 VIN to begin the search for your vehicle specific parts through InfinityPartsDeal or a dealership ordering site to be sure you select the correct part numbers.

So, I have some more questions.

How did you get the bushings out? I thought about using a ball joint press, but that wasn't actually big enough. I could not fit all of the components in there to get the bushing to be pushed.

So, what did you use?

Saberwing007 wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 07, 2021 5:57 pm

I could not fit all of the components in there to get the bushing to be pushed.
So, what did you use?

I used a large ball joint press from Autozone (a heavy c-clamp looking thing with a 3/4" press screw) but the press sleeves were not suitable. For the control rod bushings, which are 50mm in diameter, I am using as a press piece a socket from my wrench set that just happens to have an OD that is close to 49.5mm. For the receiver side, I am using a very short steel pipe nipple which has an ID just a bit larger than the OD of the bushing. I used that set up for the larger bushing on the track bar as well. However, that bushing does not have an outer steel body like the other bushings and it has a rubber flange at each side which needed to be cut away from the old bushing before pressing it out. For the smaller track bar bushing, which is 40mm in diameter, I used as a press piece a socket that has an OD that is close to 39.5mm and for the receiver side I used a very short pipe nipple as well. The "nipples" I used are actually referred to as "close" fittings. There is no length specification at all because there are only NPT threads at each end and no bare pipe in between as you would typically see on a pipe nipple. It's still a nipple but it's the shortest length possible you can buy. The stacked lengths of the socket, control rod or track bar, and the pipe nipple fit very well into the ball joint press I used.

Interesting, I could not get everything to fit, but I think that's because I tried using the sleeves that came with the press. Do you happen to have any pictures? What did you use to hold the nipple in place? Did you use one of the plates that came with the press?

I didn't take any pictures. I used both plates that came with the press and carefully lined up every piece so they were all perfectly concentric while I clamped them all into the press. Adding those to the total stack-up, the inside width of the press itself was at least 8". None of the sleeves that came with the press set were of any use. They were too large or too small in diameter and too long. The press sleeve (a socket in my case) must be a precise fit to engage the steel body shell of the bushing but less than the diameter of the bushing. If it's more than 1mm smaller than the diameter of the bushing, it will not work because it will not engage the edge of the outer shell of the bushing. It's an awkward setup but it worked for me.

mdmellott wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 07, 2021 10:25 pm

It's an awkward setup but it worked for me.

If you are going to do the rod removals and installation yourself but the bushing replacements are too awkward and inconvenient, a local machine shop, with a vertical hydraulic press and proper press sleeve sizes, can perform that step of the process quickly and fairly cost consciously. However, the control arms need to be done one side at a time, removed and installed, so you would have to make more than one trip to have someone else deal with the bushings.