OME issues

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guinnessjim
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Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:58 pm
Location: Newport, OR

OME issues

Postby guinnessjim » Fri Sep 26, 2008 6:41 pm

hi guys:

been awhile since i posted anything, and i wish it could have been something positive, but unfortunately i am stuck w/ this:

i had my tires rotated yesterday and there is a TON on wear on the insides of rear tires. i went back to the dealer that aligned my truck after the OME suspension and laid into them. well....long story short, my alignment is fine, according to the dealer. they say it is the suspension causing the problems. they also said that the rear passenger side is >0.5" higher than any of the other points.

i will be bringing it back to the shop that installed my OME on monday, but was curious if anyone had any advice as to what might be wrong. as far as i can tell, there are two scenarios:

1) installation was done incorrectly and something is off therefore i neeed to take it up w/ the installers

or

2) the dealer doesn't know who to do a proper alignment (although the numbers looked good) and i need to go somewhere else to get it checked out.

any advice would be appreciated.


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NVSteve
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Location: Salt Lake City

Re: OME issues

Postby NVSteve » Sat Sep 27, 2008 11:16 pm

guinnessjim wrote: i had my tires rotated yesterday and there is a TON on wear on the insides of rear tires.
Jim, I immediately thought "alignment" after reading this. I know other things can play on adverse tire wear (under or overinflation, etc.), but I'm betting it's the alignment.
i went back to the dealer that aligned my truck after the OME suspension and laid into them. well....long story short, my alignment is fine, according to the dealer.
Right, and did they do an actual alignment then to find that out? Did you get a printout as proof?
they say it is the suspension causing the problems. they also said that the rear passenger side is >0.5" higher than any of the other points.
That's not surprising. Of course they want to take the easy way out by blaming it on something (OME) they have no accountability for. I can't remember my measurements, but I do know that one side, either front or rear, was also a bit off from the other. Did you measure it yourself to confirm their findings?
1) installation was done incorrectly and something is off therefore i neeed to take it up w/ the installers

or

2) the dealer doesn't know who to do a proper alignment (although the numbers looked good) and i need to go somewhere else to get it checked out.
Blink can probably offer the best advice since he installed his OME all by his lonesome. We aren't talking that many parts, and they are all pretty ovbious as to where they go-even to a blind mechanic. The only iffy parts are on the fronts. Since you say the wear is on the rear, I'm still going to say alignment. You have a shock and coil in the rear, and I can't see installing a shock wrong otherwise you would have heard/noticed something strange. Maybe one of your coils isn't seated fully? I highly doubt that considering the weight that is pushing down on it, but you never know. I'd say take it to the shop that installed the OME & have them put it on a lift and have a look, preferably with you alongside them. If nada is found, maybe hit up another alignment place?

I have my tires rotated every 6 months, which is about every 5,000 miles. I have been watching my tires closely for uneven wear, etc., but so far things look good.

(EDIT: I just checked all 4 tires with my tire tread depth gauge, measuring the inside, center & outer tread on each tire. All 4 are spot on between 10 & 11 mm. They were 16 mm when new, but supposedly the uppermost compound is the softest. If not, these puppies won't last too long.)

Let us know if you discover anything.
Last edited by NVSteve on Sun Sep 28, 2008 5:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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socal4x
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Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 7:40 pm
Location: southern california

Re: OME issues

Postby socal4x » Sun Sep 28, 2008 4:02 pm

guinnessjim wrote: my alignment is fine, according to the dealer. they say it is the suspension causing the problems. t
Typical...in other words..."We are too dumb or lazy or both to figure out what your real problem is...so we are taking the easy way out and...Oh, look, you don't have stock suspension...yup, that's what the problem is."

My bets on alignment too.

I am having a similar problem with a mysterious "knock". They (the dealer) were adamant it was my bike rack (makes some noise, but I KNOW what noises it makes) so I told them I'll take it off...then they played the "sir, you have altered the vehicle"... Now if I told them to look at it while I was purchasing another, new Pathfinder, I am sure they would be right on it.

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Fofiddy
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Location: New England

Postby Fofiddy » Wed Oct 01, 2008 7:41 pm

I've got 10k on my OME so far, never got the front knock. I did have alignment issues that drove me nuts caused my VDC to go nuts on rainy days, etc.
I'd ask for a print out of your alignment for your records anyway. From the printout you can tell if it is the newer windows based alignment software or if it is the older stuff. If the rear is even a tiny bit off with the newer software your reading for the front is off too. Which if you drive 20-40k through salty or muddy conditions there is a good chance of your Rear LCA bushings seizing like mine did. Which is great if your alignment is spot on and never change out from or bend the stock.
Bad news is if your LCA bushings sieze you have to replace the entire LCA. Good new is they are $30 a piece from courtesyparts.com + new cam washers and other hardware.

Billy T.
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Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2008 2:46 pm

Postby Billy T. » Thu Oct 02, 2008 1:25 pm

suspension install is pretty much brainless.

Alignment, on the other hand, leaves lots of opportunity for errors.


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