The top of the shock where the washer is should be level with that top part of the mount with the 3 bolts. I debated pulling off the wheel, but realized there was nothing I could possibly do to fix the problem. So, I drove out the rest of the way on the dirt road, then hit the next town, some 60 miles distant. I was able to get a couple different mechanics to look at it, but none of them had obviously ever dealt with shocks before. I knew I was screwed when one of them said "boy, those springs sure are tightly spaced." I decided I'd cut my trip short and head back to Salt Lake City, stopping in Bryce Canyon since it was on my original itinerary (though I had to take the pavement to get there rather than the great dirt road I had planned). Made it into Salt Lake this afternoon in time to stop by my local installer. He knew what the problem was right away, and the way he explained it, it sounds like there is a problem with the OME hardware or Nissan hardware. Since I didn't install these myself, I can't say for certain. So, for those of you who have installed the OME, what do you think? I guess there is another washer gizmo that isn't visible on the underside of the shock post. I was told that the bushing or whatever popped its way through that washer. What I don't know is if this washer was part of the OME kit, or if it was reused from the old suspension. I'm getting it fixed on Tuesday, which isn't soon enough since it now sounds like a $2 ghetto car in the throes of death.
Anyway, sorry to be such a windbag again, but just wanted to let everyone know there is a problem. I'll know on Tuesday what exactly that problem is. If it is OME, I'll be contacting them to let them know. Even if it is a Nissan part, I'll still let OME know about it so that they can include the extra parts necessary. By the way, my local installer will be removing both front assemblies and fixing both, most likely heavy duty washers pulled from other OME kits he has on hand.
. Good luck with getting that straightened out. And as you remember, I can attest to a gawd awful noise when those dust shields aren't installed. :-/ .
