I have a 94 Q, when i replaced the rear right shock yesterday, I noticed that the bushing that attaches to the axle housing and bolts/holds the rear shock to the axle assembly is waaaaay worn out. the whole top half has no rubber and you can see right through it.--How much would it cost to replace this at the dealer approximatly? I have the TSB, but not sure if i can do it myself because i dont have the press tools. has anyone replaced this before by themselves? Im considering having the dealer do it because it will be in for a engine diagnositic. How long does it typically take the dealer to replace?-----Do the 300zx energy bushings work for the Q rear suspension?
Thanks everyone!
Rear suspension question
I've done it. Not a fun job, but quite a learning experience. Bushing was like yours, with the rubber torn off the upper wall. I thought I could use a jack and press it out against the weight of the car's frame. I laugh at that now cause I think I was about 4000 lbs short of success.
http://www.nissaninfiniticlub....d=342
If you can remove the axle housing by yourself, you might be able to find someone to press the bushings for pretty cheap.
http://www.nissaninfiniticlub....d=342
If you can remove the axle housing by yourself, you might be able to find someone to press the bushings for pretty cheap.
yeah i was thinking of taking the axle housing off. to take it off i just loosen and remove all the ball joint bolts, and remove the half shaft nut? Does the parking brake assemly come off the axle housing? I looked at the TSB and it doesnt tell you how to remove the cable from the parking brake so i can take the whole assembly off the car to a shop. any tips on removing the axle housing from the car? Thanks!
If I remember right you can disconnect the parking brake cable near the exhaust (where the 2 sides come together), and then pull it out with the knuckle body. It's a simple attachment, easy once you see it. Easier I think than unhooking it from the ebrake while on the car. Then, yeah, remove the bolts from the links, lower strut end and axle nut. I used a simple puller to remove it, made life easier. Since I was in there I repacked the joint boots with grease and replaced all bushings and the ball joint (HICAS only). Remember to have the suspension compressed (neutral load) when you bolt the links up again. If you remove the links mark the eccentric washers first so you don't change the alignment too much. I would have it re-aligned anyway when finished though.
thanks, could you clarify on "compressing the suspension." i know that when i took the strut off and put it back on i had to push the knuckle assembly down a bit for the holes to line up for the bottom strut mount. after i remove all the ball joint bolts and axle nut does the assembly slide right off or do i need a puller/mallet to pop off the axle housing (knuckle) assembly?thanks again!
By "compressing the suspension" I mean that *after* bolting up the lower strut bolt, you will need to raise the wheel hub to it's natural height...the height it's at when the car is sitting at rest. The bushings in the links are under torsion when the car's suspension goes up and down on the road. You want to make sure there's no torsion at rest, otherwise the bushings will fail much faster. You will see this when you remove the links. Each link you remove, the hub will fall a little lower down becuase the torsion forces in the bushings are what's holding it up.
Perhaps there is another way of doing this, but I pulled off the assembly with the lower link attached. Only after I got this off did I have enough room to remove the lower link from the hub assembly. I needed a puller, though you might have better luck. Then you can remove the hub assembly (with bearing) from the knuckle assembly and splash guard, and the parking brake as well. Once the knuckle assembly is out you can take it to get the bushings replaced (and ball joint if you have HICAS).
I just pulled everything off...easier to work on things on a bench than on the car. The hub and the knuckle are held together with 4 bolts. Warning...the lower arm has a ball joint that I don't think is replaceable. Also, each link has a bushing that isn't replaceable. I ended up replacing all links.
Perhaps there is another way of doing this, but I pulled off the assembly with the lower link attached. Only after I got this off did I have enough room to remove the lower link from the hub assembly. I needed a puller, though you might have better luck. Then you can remove the hub assembly (with bearing) from the knuckle assembly and splash guard, and the parking brake as well. Once the knuckle assembly is out you can take it to get the bushings replaced (and ball joint if you have HICAS).
I just pulled everything off...easier to work on things on a bench than on the car. The hub and the knuckle are held together with 4 bolts. Warning...the lower arm has a ball joint that I don't think is replaceable. Also, each link has a bushing that isn't replaceable. I ended up replacing all links.