i have a 1998 nissan pathfinder SUV truck that i bought about 5 years ago. its very dependable, but lately my wife has been getting on my case because i need to fix the car.

the problem is that it wobbles back and forth when you are driving on the highway/freeway. so i replaced the front and rear shocks. while it did help, it did not fix the problem. everytime while driving downhill or when it hits a bump and rocks from left to right, its very scary and dangerous when it rocks side to side like that.

so today i went under the rear car and check the rear suspension to see what i could find.. and i think i may have found the problem. so i crawl under the truck and there it was, the upper and lower control arm bushings seem to be broken. check out these pictures i took with my cell phone:

so i went to the local auto parts store and they did not carry the bushings for this car. they said i have to go to the dealer for that.. which sucks, cuz them punks are going to charge alot.


ok, later in the day i went to the local nissan dealer and i asked for the lower and uppper control arms bushings, and before i can finish my sentence, i noticed that look on his face. then he replied, yes i know what you are talking about, you have a problem with your pathfinder excessive play right, there is a service bulleting. he showed me that bulletin and it says:

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SERVICE BULLETIN

Classification: RA97-002
Reference: NTB98-001
Date: April 1, 1998

PATHFINDER VEHICLE PULL AND FRONT/REAR SUSPENSION EXCESSIVE PLAY

Applied Vehicle: 1996-98 Pathfinder (R50)
Applied VIN: Vehicles built before JN8AR05Y*WW256932

SERVICE INFORMATION

If a 1996-98 Pathfinder exhibits the following conditions, the cause may be from worn bushing(s) in the rear suspension upper and/or lower links.

* Excessive play in the rear axle especially during moderate acceleration or deceleration.

* Vehicle pulling at a constant speed

* Excessive sway and rocking motion in the front suspension when coming to a stop.

To correct these conditions, use the service procedure on page 2.

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SERVICE PROCEDURE
1. Test drive the vehicle under the conditions described by the customer to verify the incident.

2. Inspect the upper and lower rear suspension links (indicated by the arrows in Figure 1 ) for damaged or worn bushings as follows:

A. Remove a suspension link from the vehicle.
B. Use a screwdriver to move the inner metal portion of the bushing in all directions while inspecting the rubber portion of the bushing for damage or wear (see Figure 2).

3. Replace the links that have damaged or worn bushings.

4. Tighten the link retaining bolts/nuts to specification.

IMPORTANT: Before tightening the link retaining bolts/nuts, the rear axle !lli!§! be
positioned in its normal ride height. Use one of the two procedures listed below to correctly position the axle before tightening the link retaining bolts/nuts:
.Place the vehicle on the ground.
.With the vehicle on the lift) support the rear axle with jack stands and slowly lower the vehicle lift until the rear lift arm pads just separate from the vehicle. Stop lowering the lift as soon as the gap between the lift arm pads and the vehicle is 1/2 inch.

5. Test drive the vehicle again to ensure the incident is resolved.



here is how to fix it
http://www.wallpaperama.com/forums/nissan-pathfinder-how-to-replace-suspension-links-t6856.html