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

Topics relating to Lift Kits, Suspension, Steering...

Moderator: volvite

1armyguy
Posts: 81
Joined: Sat Aug 13, 2011 6:42 am
Location: Massachusetts

Postby 1armyguy » Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:37 am

slavabon wrote:After a few months of looking for the cause of this noise I was finally able to find the problem and get it sorted. As I have mentioned above - I would hear clunk when taking a turn when driving over a bump or uneven road surface - anything that would contribute to more flex on the frame. Dealership kept telling me all suspensiuon components are in good shape. Replacing sway bar bushings and front end-links did not get rid of the noise, though I though it made it quiter originally. After spending hours here, as well as Xterra, Frontier and russian Pathfinder club forums I figured its worth to check the front body mounts (bushing that go between your frame and body on the very front). These are impossible to trouble-shoot unless you take them off, but I as I found out mine were damaged and were making metal on metal contact with the frame, causing the clunking noise. They were tightened to spec (65 lbs/ft) but there was a very small amount of rubber that got worn off on the part of the mount that fits inside the frame and it was impossible to see unless you remove them and take them apart. You can see the damaged area in the pictures. First pic has one mount intact and the other on its side and taken apart:
Image
This picture is a close up of where the damage was found:
Image
Both units required replacement and were about $60 from Courtesy. To replace them, you have to partially remove your fender liners, unscrew the bolts on both mounts to give you more play (I even loosened the second set of the body mounts back on the frame to give it more play. Once replaced, torque them to 65 lbs/ft and things will be quiet again. I was only able to find one thread on the NewX.org discussing this - guy replaced one of the mounts and it took care of the clunking. Russian Pathfinder owners seem to be more aware of this issue - must be due to their bad roads that wer them out quicker. I saw a lot of folks on Frontier site replacing bushings, end-links, even struts to come back to the same problem. If you have front end clunk and your suspension is in good shape and your sway bar bushings and ens-links are OK, this is your culprit. This would apply to Pathfinders, Frontiers and Xterra's.
Just wondering if you might happen to have some pics of the actual location of the bushing and a better instructions of what it took to replace them? I have the new ones and am ready to replace them but, it's a bit too cold out right now. So, I will be replacing them the first chance I get when it warms up.

Thanks for any and all help and/or advice.
Wayne


slavabon
Posts: 215
Joined: Wed Jul 08, 2009 9:56 am
Location: Northern New England

Postby slavabon » Mon Feb 18, 2013 4:57 pm

These parts in question are labeled 95510m on the diagram found here:
http://www.courtesyparts.com/pathfinder ... _6993.html
Pull back the front fender liner and you will see the mounting connecting the frame to the body (top is bolted through the body and is located behind the headlight, bottom is bolted through the frame and is accessible from under e car. Keep in mind that after you unscrew the nuts you need to created some room to wiggle this bushing out of place. This requires loosening up both sides and you may even benefit from loosening up the next pair of mounts down the frame. Mine was loose after this, but still not enough to get it out. I ended up jacking up the body off the frame at each corner to get these out. I picked a sturdy spot in order not bo bend anything and used a floor jack with combination of wood planks. Once you get in there, you will figure it out.

1armyguy
Posts: 81
Joined: Sat Aug 13, 2011 6:42 am
Location: Massachusetts

Postby 1armyguy » Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:01 pm

slavabon wrote:These parts in question are labeled 95510m on the diagram found here:
http://www.courtesyparts.com/pathfinder ... _6993.html
Pull back the front fender liner and you will see the mounting connecting the frame to the body (top is bolted through the body and is located behind the headlight, bottom is bolted through the frame and is accessible from under e car. Keep in mind that after you unscrew the nuts you need to created some room to wiggle this bushing out of place. This requires loosening up both sides and you may even benefit from loosening up the next pair of mounts down the frame. Mine was loose after this, but still not enough to get it out. I ended up jacking up the body off the frame at each corner to get these out. I picked a sturdy spot in order not bo bend anything and used a floor jack with combination of wood planks. Once you get in there, you will figure it out.
Thanks for the help. How long did it take you to get yours switched out?

1armyguy
Posts: 81
Joined: Sat Aug 13, 2011 6:42 am
Location: Massachusetts

Postby 1armyguy » Wed Feb 20, 2013 6:10 am

Well, thanks to Slavabon's guidance, I was able to get my front body and frame mount bushings replaced. The second one was much easier to replace after I figured out what I really needed to do and also didn't have any interruptions. :lol:

Thanks for the assistance Salvabon. I didn't hear any noise this morning but, with it being so cold here in the New England area, I haven't heard it much.

freerider
Posts: 18
Joined: Sat Jan 05, 2019 12:23 pm

Postby freerider » Mon Mar 18, 2019 5:45 pm

Thanks guys this worked for me solved my problem with annoying creaking sound on passager side when I did right turns or just drove over bumps .I only removed bolt and botom rubber than put grease around touch points.I didn't even removed whole body mount .Pathy is perfectly quiet .


Return to “R51 Suspension and Steering”