Hello, recently I finally got my 88 pathfinder inspected. One main issue concerns me is that control arm bushings are worn out. The mechanic said that they cannot be replaced because of rust in the frame where they are installed. Has anyone had this issue? Is living with it the only way I can do? Is it fixable?
Thank you very much in advance. I have some pics from the inspector to show if needed.

Replacing the control arms, complete with new bushings, or just pressing out the old bushings and installing new ones is typically never the problem. Getting rusted bolt connections undone is another story. Sometimes a horror story involving angle grinders with cut-off wheels and/or reciprocating saws to cut through the bushing and bolt at the same time in order to remove the control arm assemblies. This turns a typical job shop mechanic time charge for control arm replacements to be many times longer than usual so they simply don't want to bother. It can be done and it has been done by many folks that post on this forum.

Thank you mdmellott. Please see the pic below showing the place the mechanic said that might break if attempting to remove the bushings:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15_z-_D ... sp=sharing
Is this something I should worry?

BTW, based on your message, I searched and did find some useful postings about replacing bushings. Thanks.

adama924 wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 03, 2024 11:20 pm

Is this something I should worry?

It's usually the rear suspension control arms I hear so much about being a pain to work on when the bolts are rusted but this looks like a front suspension upper control arm instead. If there is a structural integrity issue with where the control arm is bolted to, this has got to be fixed. From that picture, I cannot tell for certain if that is the case. It just looks like surface rust to me. If it is a problem, as your mechanic pointed out, that structural attachment point needs to be repaired before it fails while driving and you lose control of your vehicle. I don't want to sound alarmist here but that is basically the underlying message from your mechanic and I am surprised that was not said if this is structural failure in progress.

Perhaps a second opinion is called for here.

mdmellott wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 04, 2024 8:03 am

I don't want to sound alarmist here but that is basically the underlying message from your mechanic and I am surprised that was not said if this is structural failure in progress.

The mechanic didn't say anything about structural failure. Here are some more pics showing the same location. Maybe they can tell you better whether it's surface or structural rust:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IebRIQ ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sRu-8n ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ud_nkU ... sp=sharing

Regarding second opinion, I only received your replies on this forum (thank you so much!). Are there other places I can post questions like this? NPORA doesn't allow me to register (donno why), and pathfindertalk.com seems to be inactive. Maybe I should try D21 frontier forums as well.

Again, thanks for your continued help and prompt reply.

After looking at those photos I would definitely get a second opinion. Maybe from a shop that specializes in off road since they are used to cutting & welding if it turns out to be something the photos don't show.

Yeah ... Looks like cracks in the mounts. This could be an accident waiting to happen until it is repaired.

Sounds scary. Thank you both and I'll have it checked. Will update with you later.

adama924 wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 04, 2024 9:29 pm

Sounds scary. Thank you both and I'll have it checked. Will update with you later.

I took another look and realized what I thought was a crack is actually just a shadow. I see nothing scary about these pics. The arrows point to nothing of concern that I can see. I do not see what the mechanic's fuss is all about. The rust does not even look that bad.

Doesn't the highlighted area in the pic below look like a rust hole? Or its just shadow?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q3UaYL ... sp=sharing

I just see a shadow.

Thank you mdmellott and fixer3. I'll have the frame checked anyway to be on a safe side. Will keep you posted.

I just use this thread to discuss another issue. The 4wd is not working as shown in the video below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yQ7xVh ... sp=sharing

As you can see, the passenger side wheel didn't engage in 4wd. Auto locking hub issue as the mechanic indicated.
My question is, I see that several people replaced failed auto hubs with manual ones. I even saw one mentioned there's no after market auto hub.
However, I found this youtube video:
https://youtu.be/Xhf7WoKnWNo?si=VD2srssQKDXB2Sex
It refers to this auto hub: http://tinyurl.com/5n8v897v

Would this hub work on my pathfinder? Anyone had experience on this?
Thank you very much.

adama924 wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 05, 2024 6:50 pm

Would this hub work on my pathfinder? Anyone had experience on this?

I don't know anything about those aftermarket automatic locking hubs but my experience with my old '91 is that those original hubs can eventually fail to work when they should but may only need a bit of TLC to get them working again, good as new.

The internals of these hubs are not, and never should be, heavily lubricated with grease. Since there is only a minimal amount of grease originally lubricating the parts, dust and age over time will dry out what little grease is there which makes the internal parts sticky and fail to engage. An over zealous maintenance of packing a liberal amount of grease into the automatic locking hub will cause its parts to move sluggishly, if at all, and also cause the hubs to fail engagement when they should.

Taking the hubs apart, cleaning up all the old dirt and grime, and applying a coat of grease to the refreshed assembly may just bring it back to life.

Re: Control Arm Mounts / Frame - Why not just wire brush the metal area(s) you suspect by hand with a stiff brush or rotary tool to remove surface debris/corrosion to get a better look ?

fixer3 wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 06, 2024 9:35 am

Re: Control Arm Mounts / Frame - Why not just wire brush the metal area(s) you suspect by hand with a stiff brush or rotary tool to remove surface debris/corrosion to get a better look ?

Right, good suggestion. I just took a few more pics (see the link below, you can scroll down to see more pics):
http://tinyurl.com/4sw6wjsf

As you can see on the 1st page, there's a hole under the bushing. It doesn't look like a rust hole though. The frame seems solid with surface rust. To me the hole is more like the original shaft hole (if that's the case, does that mean the screw is loose?).
On page 4 you can see a broken ring. Is that part of the bushing?

Any thoughts?
Thank you all.

adama924 wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 06, 2024 10:27 pm

On page 4 you can see a broken ring. Is that part of the bushing?

So ... Now I can see better with more of the parts in view. What you are looking at is the tension rod bushings for the lower control arm. Correct me if I'm wrong. The Nissan Parts Deal has a great blow-out view of all the parts. https://www.nissanpartsdeal.com/parts-l ... am=401_001
It looks like the thrust washers are shot and the bushings are worn out. The bushing collar and tension rod are likely worn out as well, which is likely why there is now a space showing where the collar and rod pass through.

So this seems to be something that's doable (other than the "pain" to remove the nuts). Not "impossible" as the mechanic indicated.
https://youtu.be/KdQskyCTt3s?si=ov_DUPPrMchYgfKi
http://tinyurl.com/37cfp8kx
Instead of welding the rod, I can just buy one from ebay. The hole might need welding though.
Thank you.