i can only assume i should find this deeply troubling?
#1
i can only assume i should find this deeply troubling?
on my sister's 96
i've been telling her to get rid of this car for ages...was doing the brake pads when i noticed that the ball joint does not appear to be connected to the tie rod. see image:
is this normal? she's been driving the car occasionally and i moved it around on the driveway, so i assume that the joint must have popped open while i was lifting the car. i should note that the axle was replaced a few thousand miles ago (and somehow is already completely rusty???) so the car has been lifted and lowered recently.
i've been telling her to get rid of this car for ages...was doing the brake pads when i noticed that the ball joint does not appear to be connected to the tie rod. see image:
is this normal? she's been driving the car occasionally and i moved it around on the driveway, so i assume that the joint must have popped open while i was lifting the car. i should note that the axle was replaced a few thousand miles ago (and somehow is already completely rusty???) so the car has been lifted and lowered recently.
#4
That's just the sway bar end-link. Not to downplay it, but it's not a grave cause for concern like the actual ball joint would be. That could certainly cause some body roll/control issues under heavy/high speed cornering conditions though. I wouldn't want to be in a high speed emergency swerving situation with the end-link unattached. You do want to fix it sooner rather than later obviously.
And holy rust Batman! Where do you live?
And holy rust Batman! Where do you live?
#5
That could certainly cause some body roll/control issues under heavy/high speed cornering conditions though. I wouldn't want to be in a high speed emergency swerving situation with the end-link unattached. You do want to fix it sooner rather than later obviously.
And holy rust Batman! Where do you live?
And holy rust Batman! Where do you live?
the car is in chicago, where every maxima seems to be made entirely of rust. it's really frustrating how it refuses to give up. i want it to break down catastrophically so she gets rid of it. timing chain failure, cracked oil pan, anything. i always knew it was a POS but after working down there today it seems downright unsafe to me.
#6
Maintenance here is lacking for sure. Although it is very rusty, that sway bar end link did not just pop out on its own. That's been there soo long that even the rubber boot that is usually around it is completely disintegrated without a trace. Replace them and she should be good to go.
#7
Sway bar link kits are not that expensive, $11 at autozone. Replace both sides.
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...26775_10302_0_
The sway bar links will wear out on every car, just like the struts do. This is normal maintenance on an old car.
Since this is a snow belt car, check the front cross member that the radiator sits on. If it is rusting out, that is your catastrophic repair that you are so desperately hoping for. This is something like a $1500 repair that needs to be taken care of before the thing gives way completely as the engine is supported by this cross member.
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...26775_10302_0_
The sway bar links will wear out on every car, just like the struts do. This is normal maintenance on an old car.
Since this is a snow belt car, check the front cross member that the radiator sits on. If it is rusting out, that is your catastrophic repair that you are so desperately hoping for. This is something like a $1500 repair that needs to be taken care of before the thing gives way completely as the engine is supported by this cross member.
#9
Sway bar link kits are not that expensive, $11 at autozone. Replace both sides.
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...26775_10302_0_
The sway bar links will wear out on every car, just like the struts do. This is normal maintenance on an old car.
Since this is a snow belt car, check the front cross member that the radiator sits on. If it is rusting out, that is your catastrophic repair that you are so desperately hoping for. This is something like a $1500 repair that needs to be taken care of before the thing gives way completely as the engine is supported by this cross member.
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...26775_10302_0_
The sway bar links will wear out on every car, just like the struts do. This is normal maintenance on an old car.
Since this is a snow belt car, check the front cross member that the radiator sits on. If it is rusting out, that is your catastrophic repair that you are so desperately hoping for. This is something like a $1500 repair that needs to be taken care of before the thing gives way completely as the engine is supported by this cross member.
however, different places different prices. that could be your saving grace for your sister to get rid of it, because I know where I live it would have gotten a rejected inspection sticker. My rad support was so bad nobody around me would pass it for inspection.
#10
on my sister's 96
i've been telling her to get rid of this car for ages...was doing the brake pads when i noticed that the ball joint does not appear to be connected to the tie rod. see image:
is this normal? she's been driving the car occasionally and i moved it around on the driveway, so i assume that the joint must have popped open while i was lifting the car. i should note that the axle was replaced a few thousand miles ago (and somehow is already completely rusty???) so the car has been lifted and lowered recently.
i've been telling her to get rid of this car for ages...was doing the brake pads when i noticed that the ball joint does not appear to be connected to the tie rod. see image:
is this normal? she's been driving the car occasionally and i moved it around on the driveway, so i assume that the joint must have popped open while i was lifting the car. i should note that the axle was replaced a few thousand miles ago (and somehow is already completely rusty???) so the car has been lifted and lowered recently.
#12
easy fix, but it might be like putting lipstick on a pig. is the rest of the car completely trashed (suspension, brakes, aesthetics)?
i too have noticed that basically every 4th gen in chicago is rusting away to nothing. meanwhile mine aren't. it's strange.
i too have noticed that basically every 4th gen in chicago is rusting away to nothing. meanwhile mine aren't. it's strange.
#13
I have a bottle of rust converter sitting in my trunk if you need some, LOL. But I don't think my one bottle is going to be enough to change all that rustiness into a beautiful black paint-able surfaced after a 24 hour curing time.
But I was surprised how cheap it was, I bought some for the minor rust spots on my car and so far so good. Just got to put in a bit of elbow work and scrub off the loose surface rust.
But I was surprised how cheap it was, I bought some for the minor rust spots on my car and so far so good. Just got to put in a bit of elbow work and scrub off the loose surface rust.
#16
the struts are totally shot...the sway bar seems like a sort of deck-chairs-on-the-titanic repair
the car is in chicago, where every maxima seems to be made entirely of rust. it's really frustrating how it refuses to give up. i want it to break down catastrophically so she gets rid of it. timing chain failure, cracked oil pan, anything. i always knew it was a POS but after working down there today it seems downright unsafe to me.
the car is in chicago, where every maxima seems to be made entirely of rust. it's really frustrating how it refuses to give up. i want it to break down catastrophically so she gets rid of it. timing chain failure, cracked oil pan, anything. i always knew it was a POS but after working down there today it seems downright unsafe to me.
#17
Sway bar link kits are not that expensive, $11 at autozone. Replace both sides....
Since this is a snow belt car, check the front cross member that the radiator sits on. If it is rusting out, that is your catastrophic repair that you are so desperately hoping for. This is something like a $1500 repair that needs to be taken care of before the thing gives way completely as the engine is supported by this cross member.
Since this is a snow belt car, check the front cross member that the radiator sits on. If it is rusting out, that is your catastrophic repair that you are so desperately hoping for. This is something like a $1500 repair that needs to be taken care of before the thing gives way completely as the engine is supported by this cross member.
the rad support has some rust creeping in around the edges, but it's not rotted through, and i can hit it with some POR-15..might be worth doing. i also read something here about grinding out the rusty parts and welding in a 1/8" plate, which seems like a pretty easy fix if it's rusted on just the bottom.
chicago is really bad to cars and i don't think it was until the early 00s that most carmakers solved their rust susceptibility problems - galvanized steel, good basecoats, etc. makes a big difference. you don't see too many cars past that era rusting, except proteges and windstars.
A 17 year old car in the rust belt refuses to give up and you call it a POS? Is every car that has used up its' first set of brake pads a POS also, or do you maintain it and keep driving? You're not the first guy on here to have a separated end link and you won't be the last.
and i mean that, too. since i bought my volvo, every little noise and warning lamp makes my wallet quake with fear. nothing expensive has failed yet, but the list of possibilities is huge: rear main seal, $800 (with labor); throttle module, $500; air conditioning, $1000+ (with labor); turbo oil lines, $900 (with labor); turbo, $500; the list goes on. i only owned my 97 for two years or so, but i don't think i ever spent more than $60 on a part, and there was nothing i felt like i needed a shop to do.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
bryants95max
4th Generation Maxima (1995-1999)
10
10-02-2015 12:52 PM
markevans999
3rd Generation Maxima (1989-1994)
7
09-10-2015 04:29 PM