Front suspension clunking on 2010 SE with 32K miles *FIXED*

[doctahjones]

finally figured out the 'clunk/tick' kind of noise whenever the body would flex (usually while doing slow turns).

it was the oem skid plate i put on that's next to the oil pan. apparently one of the bolts had come slightly lose. gave it a few turns and the sound is -gone-.

i know there's another thread that carl said fixed his, trying to find that to mention it working on mine too...

[doctahjones]

in addition to the skid plate, i did find that my sway bar bushing is also cracked/worn pretty bad. looks like i'll be replacing those real soon as well. not hearing the clunking, but it's felt like it was swaying alot more through turns over the past 6 months or longer, wonder if this might be why. i'll post my results after i change it in a few weeks

[volvite]

Are you able to take a picture of the cracked sway bar bushing while it's still on the vehicle?

[doctahjones]

this was while the wheel was off at discount tire. drivers side, looking towards the engine

i'll get a better pic tomorrow or something, this was just cell phone pic

[smj999smj]

If you're referring to that split, it's not a crack but the split that allows one to slip the mount bushing around the sway bar. There's some wear on it, but I can't see where that would cause much of difference in handling. Might want to check your struts and shocks.

[doctahjones]

yeah i know there's a slit in it to get it on and off the bar, but i'm pretty sure it's not supposed to look like -that-.

i mean look at the beginning of this thread....it has a pic of an older and newer one. and i get that they moved the slit, but even if they hadn't it shouldn't be spread open like that imo. plus it only being a $10 part (each) and easy to do (no re-alignment needed) it's kind of a no brainer to go ahead and replace it.

[smj999smj]

Yeah, they're not hard to replace nor expensive. Go for it!

[volvite]

Let me know if that tightens up your steering when you replace them. I've noticed my steering has been not as tight lately.

[05pathyse]

i replaced mine along with the end links. the new ones dont have the slit in the middle. The slit is on the side so you dont get the separation.

[doctahjones]

i replaced mine along with the end links. the new ones dont have the slit in the middle. The slit is on the side so you dont get the separation.

swwweeeett. how hard were the mounting bolts to get off? did you take (or have to take) off both sides in order to change the mounts?

did you notice any difference in body roll or anything after they were changed out? i was planning on getting some of those end links too...i mean might as well, they're "cheap"

was also thinking about getting 'upgraded' bushings instead of oem:

http://www.jcwhitney.com/energy-susp-sw ... 0d1685u0j1

[05pathyse]

The bolts came out easy. I ended up taking it completly off along with the endlinks. I suggest doing it all at once. Improved body roll around corners im doing the rear one next.

i replaced mine along with the end links. the new ones dont have the slit in the middle. The slit is on the side so you dont get the separation.

swwweeeett. how hard were the mounting bolts to get off? did you take (or have to take) off both sides in order to change the mounts?

did you notice any difference in body roll or anything after they were changed out? i was planning on getting some of those end links too...i mean might as well, they're "cheap"

was also thinking about getting 'upgraded' bushings instead of oem:

http://www.jcwhitney.com/energy-susp-sw ... 0d1685u0j1

[doctahjones]

wow, WHAT a difference in handling for me. now when i take a turn, i'm 1/2 way into the turn before the body starts to roll. i might try to tackle those body mounts in a few more weeks. i just rolled 60k the other week. oh, and i'll be ordering the end links and replace those this or next week. i also bought the rear bushings, dunno when i'll get to those though.


for those that want to do this yourself, the bushings are -really- easy. i think it took me 20min for both sides? there's only two bolts per side. i did have to put quite a bit of force to get them off with a breaker bar, but once started you can pretty much get them off by hand. i left tires on and just attacked them from the front. they are 17mm bolts. after switching out the bushings, it was a little "hold your mouth in the right place" to get the bolts back on, as the mounts didn't seem to fit easily over the new bushings. so, i put the bottom bolt in a little first, then got the top one started, and then tighten down. I don't have a torque wrench so i did just kind of try to put them back on with the breaker bar with as much force as it was to take off.

there's a good amount of room under there to do it with a regular wrench.





smh.....the bar can actually touch the frame.




new/old

[Captain]

Replacing the sway bar bushing in the morning. I was getting a cracking when the suspension was cycled. Found the original ones are falling out. Post pic in the morning.

[doctahjones]

Replacing the sway bar bushing in the morning. I was getting a cracking when the suspension was cycled. Found the original ones are falling out. Post pic in the morning.

you'll notice a huge difference in handling.

also, be careful not to cross thread when you put the mount screws back on. my buddy (with a frontier) did that. sucked, we just had to power through it and try to rethread.

[Captain]

Since I'm still under warranty the dealers going to do it