# Fixing death wobble



## lowep (May 13, 2014)

Just found out about the classic 1997 Pathfinder "death wobble" phenomenom of swaying rear end at highway speeds caused by faulty rear bushes AFTER buying mine recently

 

When I first noticed the problem I thought it was due to need for wheel balancing and/or alignment, but when I took it to the shop to get this done today the owner of the shop thought it was more than that and after we went for a test drive he concluded it was due to two bad bushes on the rear passenger side suspension that turned out to be correct when he removed the suspension arms and we could see the bushes were bad, so now he has ordered replacement bushes that are expensive since he could not get just the bushes so he has had to order instead two complete rear passenger side replacement arms that include the bushes.

Now my question is what about the bushes on the other side of the car ie rear driver side? So far they seem to be ok not requiring immediate replacement as the rear left side ones do. The shop owner says they are probably good for at least another three months or so. But it would be good to change them sooner or later, even though they are not bad yet. This conversation took place before I read tonight this problem with the rear suspension bushes of the 1997 Pathfinder is a common issue.

Does this mean:

(1) to escape the "death wobble problem" I need to change BOTH rear suspension arms on BOTH sides of the rear NOW? Or only the bushes ie not the arms?

(2) if I only change the bad bushes on the rear passenger side now and wait a couple of months before changing the ones on the other side, could this create an imbalance that might prematurely wear the new bushes I am getting put on or would only replacing the bushes on one side have no effect on the other side?

(3) does changing the arms solve the "death wobble" problem or just postpone it until the bushes quickly wear out again? I read somewhere the replacement parts are a different design from the original ones and fix the problem but am not sure if this is just wishful thinking or true?

Hope not too many questions. Lots to learn :|


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Mmmm, just checked RockAuto and rear suspension trailing arm w bushings is more expensive than front control arms. In answer to question one-- its probably more expensive and troublesome to remove and press in new bushings than to buy the arm new w bushings in place.
RE question 2--I doubt a few months would make much difference to the new bushings, but you would be driving with during that period with one side that is worn which would still affect handling.
Re question 3-- dont have a Pathy but seems to me that your original trailing arm bushings lasted 17 years or so, why would you think your new ones would wear out quickly?
Good luck with your repair.


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## lowep (May 13, 2014)

*replace one side or both?*

Thanks very much Quadraria for your very useful reply.

Do you think it is the bad (cracked) bushes that cause the wobble many others have noted? If this is the case then I figure I would only have to change the bad arms and bushes (passenger rear side) rather than arms and bushes on both rear sides in order to get rid of this wobble effect. 

However if the wobble is caused by something more fundamental like the design of the original rear suspension arms and bushes and can be fixed by replacement with new (corrected?) arms on both sides then I should obviously get both sides replaced as soon as possible despite the cost, as the effect is quite disturbing and can be dangerous, right?

At the moment the car is on the workshop hoist with the rear passenger side arms removed waiting for the order of the two replacement arms (one long and on short) and bushes to arrive later today, so I have to make a quick decision as to wether I want the other rear side arms to be replaced at the same time.

My inclination is to just get the one side with bad bushes done then test to see how this this effects the wobble before going ahead with the other side that I will do if the wobble persists or the other side bushes go bad within the next couple of months, as the parts supplier predicts, as he may only be making this prediction in order to convince me to buy more parts.

What would you do?


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Nissan Pathfinder - How To Replace Suspension Links To Fix Wobble

Check out the above link, and you will find a detailed explanation of the repair with pics and a how to. 
It seems like you have found your solution and your mechanic has identified the problematic parts. I know its more expensive to do both sides, but you will have to do it in any case in a few months. Maybe your mechanic will give you a break if he is doing both at the same time. And for you why, be half satisfied with the handling improvement when you can be 100% happy. Besides that it is a safety issue. 
If you are at all mechanically inclined you could do it yourself, or try shopping around a bit. The parts are available at RockAuto, probably Ebay as well for good prices. Good luck.


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## lowep (May 13, 2014)

Great! It seems like the suspension workshop has identified the problematic parts and you have found the pointer I need to find out what needs to be done and what does not need to be done according to the Nissan Service bulletin:

_Replace the links that have damaged or worn bushings. _

So now it is just a question of price and timing that is no big deal.

Thank you very much!


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

I believe Eduardo who posted the how to, is from El Salvador, so its probably identical to your model. Good luck let us know how it goes.


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## lowep (May 13, 2014)

Got the eight rear suspension bushes (4 on each side) changed today + wheel balance and alignment. Result?

No more death wobble  ride smooth as a baby´s chin.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Good to hear. I will use it as a reminder to check mine. One of my rear link bushes was making noise last year, but stopped after I had the underbody rustproofed. 
Glad to hear your Pathy is running. Did you change the oil finally? Curious if its helped with your starting issue.


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## lowep (May 13, 2014)

It is a good idea to check. 

Even the suspension guys who did the work (while I did the talking) diagnosed after taking a test drive and visual inspection that the bushes were bad on one side. 

Our plan was just to replace those 4 bad bushes but could only find a full set of 8 replacement bushes for both sides; not just the four bad bushes on the passenger side. So we decided to replace all 8 bushes anyways, even though thought the ones on the driver side would still be ok for a couple of months. 

So we got a surprise when we removed the arms on the rear driver´s side to do that and found out the bushes on that side were also bad.

Fortunately we did not have to change the arms that would have been a lot more expensive.

Now the problem is solved will be interesting to see how long the replacement bushes last.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Next you will want to change the front control arms, and it will be like your are driving a new vehicle lol.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

You can get the bushings separately, but they can be a bit of a pain to swap out. There are also polyurethane bushings available on the aftermarket.


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## lowep (May 13, 2014)

+1 smj999smj

Got a set of rear suspension bushings separately. The parts shop would only sell as a complete set of eight but that turned out to be a good idea since on close inspection after dismounting all eight were cracked and needed replacement. They were a bit of a pain to swap out but cost far less than if included with the arms.

Quadraria10, already after just changing the rear ones feels like driving a new vehicle at least in comparison to how it was before  Hope I don´t have to change the front ones any time soon as this kind of exercise gets quite expensive quite fast not to mention the fuel bill (see my separate post)


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## SPEEDO (Jun 9, 2003)

there are two sets of arms, upper & lwr... wise to replace both, (total of 4 upper & 4 lwr) also a panhard bar (side to side) 2 more bushings..


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## qx4'n (Jun 4, 2003)

Great post...I've got this issue on my '98 QX4. Its time. this truck has been with me through thick and thin so I owe it to her to give her my own personal TLC.


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## lowep (May 13, 2014)

*so far so good*

If you have this problem then it is probably worth fixing; at least in my case it has made a LOT of difference to the stability of the vehicle. 

In fact so much difference that I now feel as if I am driving an SUV rather than riding a two-legged camel


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