# Is this really as easy as it seems?



## 91HB (Aug 21, 2008)

Hi there, my shocks on the right side of my '91 HB have been bad for many years, so much so, that the truck leans to one side. I been really trying to fix it up lately, so I think it's about time I do something about the suspension. When I took a closer look at it, I noticed there's no springs in the front. Does this mean that I simply unbolt the shocks, support the A-arms etc., and exchange the old shocks for new one's without the need for fancy tools? That seems too easy to me. Are my assumptions wrong? Also I'm on a tight budget, so I'll be getting my shocks off a junker if they're cheaper, is there a way I can tell that the shocks on the donor truck are good without having to tear it all apart for nothing? Thanks again for the help everyone!


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

shocks are cheap..prollie about 15 dollars a peice new..

these truck have adjustable torsion bars instead of springs.

the shocks are more for ride comfort..


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## 91HB (Aug 21, 2008)

Yes, I to have found some new ones for about $18 a piece recently, so that's good. But the leaning of the truck would be solely because of faulty shocks and not the adjustable torsion bars right? Or could the leaning be a direct result of both failing  ?


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

torsion bar would be more likely..

also check leaf spring bushings ..


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## 91HB (Aug 21, 2008)

Oh, so this is actually a bigger job than I thought. Well, how would I go about fixing the torsion bars then? Do I just have to twist them and get the truck aligned again? Thanks for helping by the way!


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

the torsion bars are adjustable ..

just measure the protruding thread shaft of the adjusting bolt .
make sure they are the same length.

if they are now the same length and the truck is still leaning ,check for breaks in the hardware and or torsion bar itself.

also be sure to check all the leaf spring bushings...


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## Oldnissanguy (Jan 6, 2005)

Check the FSM. It gives details on how to measure and adjust the torsion bars. If the leaf springs are bad, that's a replacement issue.


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## 91HB (Aug 21, 2008)

Woo, that's a relief! Umm...Old nissan guy, what's the FSM? ( just in case) I'm still sorda new at this stuff. Saturday I'll take the tires off and check everything to spec. Thanks so much for the help though guys :thumbup: .


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## Oldnissanguy (Jan 6, 2005)

Factory Service Manual. You can probably find one to download at phatg20.net. It may be combined with the Pathfinder manual.


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## 91HB (Aug 21, 2008)

Oh, okay, I'll look into that. Thanks for the clarification.


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## Z_Rated (Apr 29, 2006)

Let me know what you need from the FSM, I have one. Z


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## 91HB (Aug 21, 2008)

Thanks Z, but the Old Nissan guy gave me a website on which I was able to download everything with. It was very helpful, and in fact, I found out that it isn't the torsion bars that's causing the problem...I checked both of them today and I found out that the previous owner "maxed" the bars out so he could put bigger tires on the truck. The measurements and everything came out fine though and both were even with no sign of wear. What I noticed is that the back shocks and springs are fine making me believe that the problem is somewhere in the front passenger side suspension. It might just be that one shocks bad, or perhaps the tie rod washer is bad (it looks bad anyways, it looks squashed). So the FMS did help, but now I 'm stuck again! I am getting closer though thanks to your guys help!!! Any ideas of what I should do now?


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## Oldnissanguy (Jan 6, 2005)

Put your truck on a flat surface, get under it and start measuring from the ground up. Measure the frame and the body. You should be able to tell where the 'lean' is by comparing the measurements on each side. Keep measuring until you find the mismatch, then work from there.


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## 91HB (Aug 21, 2008)

It's funny that you would say that,because that's what I did to narrow it down to the front right tire! It took forever to measure, but the front right was way off from the rest of the truck, and just to make sure I lifted both front tires off the ground on a level surface,and sure enough the truck was level.With the help from a nearby friend, we decided that it's the ball joint and not the tie rod that's the issue. Even if it's not the problem I'm going to replace it anyways because it too is smooshed and is very dangerous to keep like that. This weekend, when I replace the ball joint, I'll let you know what the outcome was...hopefully that'll be it! Thanks again, and again, and again! lol


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## 88pathoffroad (Jun 6, 2004)

If the front of the truck's sitting crooked on a flat, level surface, it's most likely the torsion bars. Shocks have nothing to do with suspension ride height unless they're air shocks and I don't think anyone makes front air shocks for a Nissan, they're AWFUL short. 

Torsion bars do not usually stay where they're put after adjustment. They can and DO sag over time which makes for a lop-sided look if one is worse than the other. You can reindex the bars if need be, or replace them for around $300. Personally, I've still got stock t-bars on and I've reindexed them and off-roaded a TON and they still work fine. I'd look at reindexing.

Here's a link. Pics may be a little different from what you have (dunno if you're 2WD or not, you didn't say) but this is how it works. How To Re-Index Your Torsion Bars - Nissan Pathfinder Off-Road Association


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## 91HB (Aug 21, 2008)

Interesting 88pathoffroad...I followed what oldnissanguy said by measuring, but I never adjusted anything because the measurements "seemed" fine to me. I wouldn't of asked you guys if I didn't trust your input, so I'll take another look at them tomorrow and adjust them according to your link to see what happens. I'll let you know this weekend how everything went. By the way, in case it is important, my 91 is 1WD (one wheel wonder lol)! Thanks for the input 88.


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## 91HB (Aug 21, 2008)

*All done...*

Alright! It worked! I'm sure I've said it enough through out this thread, so one more isn't gonna hurt...THANKS!! It took forever with just one jack stand and a 3/4 wrench, but it got the job done. My truck looks normal again, and there's no more annoying lean. Cheers guys to a great forum with even better members! :cheers: :thumbup:


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