Old girl suspension woes

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0856Beater
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Old girl suspension woes

Postby 0856Beater » Wed Feb 17, 2021 7:16 pm

After purchasing a used 2008 Pathfinder LE V8, found the rear to be unsettling. Mine has 116k miles so I assumed shock and from reading this forum, rear springs. Had a shop install rancho quick lift struts and rear shocks along with the rear lift springs from 4x4parts.com. At the same time replaced the rear most lower control arms in the rear. Now the vehicle is not drivable over 30 mph or so as it's uncontrollable.
Add to that I found the passenger rear end link broken. Camber is good but toe is out 1.8 and 2.8 degrees. Camber bolts are frozen in place so a good thing I purchased new ones in advance. Shop used a pair on the spring bucket in the rear for toe and I think that is ok. As soon as the weather permits I will replace the other 4 rear control arms and end links. Hopefully this will aid in fixing the issues. Hard to drive on ice with a RWD suv that feels like you're driving on ice in dry conditions.
4WD is also inoperable due to what I believe is a passenger front sensor according to the trouble code. Had that replaced but no change. I guess I could look for that thread about resetting the steering angle sensor while I wait since it is also part of one of the codes...


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palmerwmd
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Re: Old girl suspension woes

Postby palmerwmd » Wed Feb 17, 2021 9:17 pm

0856Beater wrote:
Wed Feb 17, 2021 7:16 pm
After purchasing a used 2008 Pathfinder LE V8, found the rear to be unsettling. Mine has 116k miles so I assumed shock and from reading this forum, rear springs. Had a shop install rancho quick lift struts and rear shocks along with the rear lift springs from 4x4parts.com. At the same time replaced the rear most lower control arms in the rear. Now the vehicle is not drivable over 30 mph or so as it's uncontrollable.
Add to that I found the passenger rear end link broken. Camber is good but toe is out 1.8 and 2.8 degrees. Camber bolts are frozen in place so a good thing I purchased new ones in advance. Shop used a pair on the spring bucket in the rear for toe and I think that is ok. As soon as the weather permits I will replace the other 4 rear control arms and end links. Hopefully this will aid in fixing the issues. Hard to drive on ice with a RWD suv that feels like you're driving on ice in dry conditions.
4WD is also inoperable due to what I believe is a passenger front sensor according to the trouble code. Had that replaced but no change. I guess I could look for that thread about resetting the steering angle sensor while I wait since it is also part of one of the codes...
I also just purchased a used 2008 V8 Pathy (more miles though) and the rear suspension needed a lot of help as it was all rusted out..
Installed near rear springs (albeit no lift, or a only a minor one via the Moogs for the V8)

Are you certain your replacement parts were speced for the V8?
Because the springs, shocks, control arms even the rear subframe assembly are different for the V8s, I myself by mistake nearly bought a couple of V6 parts and caught it last minute.

Your Toe out may be causing symptoms.

Also I seem to recall another member on here having similar symptoms, maybe his experience will be helpful to you.
topic20931.html

silverarrow27
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Re: Old girl suspension woes

Postby silverarrow27 » Thu Feb 18, 2021 12:28 am

That makes three of us that had to revamp the suspension on our V8s :lol:

Sounds like you and I had the same issue when I installed my OME springs & shocks, was the car swaying side to side and it felt like steering had no input? The link palmerwmd linked you should be helpful.

0856Beater
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Location: Michigan

Re: Old girl suspension woes

Postby 0856Beater » Thu Feb 18, 2021 3:53 am

Yes so I read his thread and one that stated to adjust the camber a bit out to help with toe. But my toe isn't nearly as far out as his was lol. And I can't get over 30, I tried and ended up no longer on pavement. Hoping soon that having both sides of the sway bar connected will help along with the new camber bolts after I cut these out. One of the guys suggested rotating the shocks 180 one at a time so I plan to try that too after the end links and tie rods. Michigan winters can be unfriendly to undercarriage.

0856Beater
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Location: Michigan

Re: Old girl suspension woes

Postby 0856Beater » Thu Feb 18, 2021 3:54 am

Oh and yes, I can recheck the part numbers to make sure they are V8 parts this morning.

silverarrow27
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Re: Old girl suspension woes

Postby silverarrow27 » Sat Feb 20, 2021 1:16 am

Good luck and don't forget to report back as it seems to be a fairly common issue that I've noticed.

I didn't test my 4wd when mine was acting up like yours, but it could be your alignment affecting it in the rear. I know when my rear was doing the same, I kept getting a weird VDC/ABS warning which I've also seen other members in the past has brought up due to a bad alignment.

0856Beater
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Location: Michigan

Re: Old girl suspension woes

Postby 0856Beater » Sun Mar 14, 2021 6:04 pm

Update, since it is getting warmer I decided to do some work myself and replaced the 4x4parts.com HD rear springs with Moog springs and Rancho spacer. Figured I may be getting too much lift in the rear but looks the same height to me. Probably should have measured before with stock springs but now the front is 2 inches lower, rear is 38 3/4 with the 255/70 tires. With max adjustment toe is still visibly off quite a bit so new control arms this week. Hopefully the bolts come out without too much drama.

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palmerwmd
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Re: Old girl suspension woes

Postby palmerwmd » Sun Mar 14, 2021 6:52 pm

0856Beater wrote:
Sun Mar 14, 2021 6:04 pm
Update, since it is getting warmer I decided to do some work myself and replaced the 4x4parts.com HD rear springs with Moog springs and Rancho spacer. Figured I may be getting too much lift in the rear but looks the same height to me. Probably should have measured before with stock springs but now the front is 2 inches lower, rear is 38 3/4 with the 255/70 tires. With max adjustment toe is still visibly off quite a bit so new control arms this week. Hopefully the bolts come out without too much drama.
Don't be afraid to order new bolts.
Rockauto has nearly all of these parts pretty cheap.

Let me know if you need a new rear subframe assembly.

I am about to send mine (brand new from Nissan took me multiple calls to dealers and nearly 2 weeks to find) back to the dealer as we didnt need it after all
they are very rare and hard for find for the V8 4x4, since that was such a small production run...

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palmerwmd
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Re: Old girl suspension woes

Postby palmerwmd » Sat Mar 20, 2021 7:05 am

Got your PM.
For some reaosn my reply is not going out.
Ill give you an answer on the price technically the dealer might still take it back..
I bought them right before the dealer had a sale that price difference was 130 bucks.

0856Beater
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Re: Old girl suspension woes

Postby 0856Beater » Mon Mar 22, 2021 7:32 pm

After removing the Rancho spacer from the rear suspension I still have the same alignment issue, now with 3 different rear ride heights. Just plain Moog replacement springs in the back. Now what are the odds that the new rear most lower control arm is the wrong part? Ordered them from Rock auto, Mevotech Supreme. Maybe I should just change them with a different brand? Didn't have these issues before the springs and shocks and those spring buckets were installed...

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palmerwmd
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Re: Old girl suspension woes

Postby palmerwmd » Wed Mar 24, 2021 9:16 am

All my new rear parts are Mevotech.
Rear left and right lower central arms, rear left and right upper control arms all from Rock auto.
But its real easy to order the V6 ones by mistake if the website isnt cookied for "V8 , 4x4".
It should show in the upper vehicle window.

Car drives perfect now despite the mild lift imposed by the Moog springs in combination with one step taller tires.

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disallow
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Re: Old girl suspension woes

Postby disallow » Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:12 pm

I did a similar job on my V6 two years ago. And my 'I did' I mean I ended up taking it to a shop for a cut and torch job due to the control arms and all bolts being so rusted in place, I couldn't do it myself.

Here is the link to my story:

topic19142.html

I would imagine your rear end will settle a bit over time.

0856Beater
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Re: Old girl suspension woes

Postby 0856Beater » Tue Apr 06, 2021 10:09 pm

20210406_160109_compress62.jpg

0856Beater
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Location: Michigan

Re: Old girl suspension woes

Postby 0856Beater » Tue Apr 06, 2021 10:13 pm

This is what the holes that the coil buckets toe adjustment bolts go thru. That is the side where the nut is, like that on both sides. Removed both coil buckets to replace the Mevotechs with genuine Nissan parts just in case. If these holes are mangled beyond usefulness, can they be repaired or does the subframe need to be replaced?

0856Beater
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Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2020 6:24 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Old girl suspension woes

Postby 0856Beater » Wed Apr 07, 2021 6:44 pm

Today replaced the coil buckets with the genuine Nissan parts and bolted them in place for max toe adjustment from the beginning. Wheels look straight, and it drives straight. Used the correct toe adjustment bolt, which looks like the one the shop used but shorter, they used the extra bolts for camber that I supplied them. Think I'll move on to the next issue now 😁.


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