I was going to do my sedan sport shocks this weekend but now i cant because my drivers side a arm is shot. We first noticed it when i did my Z springs, but we werent sure if it was bad, but now we know it is.

I need a new driver's side A-arm stat. Since the bolt inside my A-arm is spinning that means it sheared off and my A-arm could detach from my suspension at any time causing my wheel to droop to a 45 degree angle with the pavement and drag me off the road.....

The bolt in this picture by the arrow on my driver's side A-arm spins when I try to take the nut off. This bolt should be stationary so that when I turn the nut, the nut turns. This means that the bolt sheared off inside the a-arm and is now spinning freely. This isn't safe because that bolt holds the suspension in place. If the shaft of the bolt is no longer connected to the A-arm where it should be it could pull out of the a-arm and i could have one hell of a ride if i am cruising down the road. There for I need a whole new A-arm since the bolt is built into it.


My question is, should this thing that sheered off at 35k miles???? This doesnt seem like normal wear and tear so do you guys think the dealer would replace it under warranty?

 

If the bolt was sheared off, wouldn't it fall apart?

 

might not fix it because you're lowered. that affects the camber which is affected from that point

 

^it was like that before i lowered it though.

Jeff: its spinning it place and the a arm is like, worn down.

 

You might be right. Service manual talks about this. Good luck and let us know how the replacement goes

 

BTW i dont even think my dealer would notice im lowered. its like, an inch. Im on z springs remember? They look pretty OEM lol

 

Thanks, i will take it in tomorrow morning and tell the dude what the deal is. Im not going to mention being lowered lol

 

Made an appointment for tomorrow warranty.

It will most likly be warranty work because he said 'any defect.'

 

i know the bolt should be spinning when the nut is loose,

did you try pressing down the A-Arm and then unscrewing the nut?

 

If they tell u got aftermarket springs tell them the car came like that and it should be fixed under warranty. Don't let them turn u away because of the springs. Good Luck.

 

well i guess i was lucky cuzz last year when i had my S-techs for 2 months my shocks had went and i had 20's so i went to the dealer and they replaced it under warranty with no problem and now that my buddy works at infiniti service as service manager i;m good to go. hehe

 

My shocks havnt gone. lol The a arm is like, worn down and weak...


I will tell them the car came with the z springs lol

 

That nut is attached to a ball joint so there is a good chance that it could spinning while trying to loosen it. Generally the bolt is tightened enough that it will stay stationary while trying to loosen in, but sometimes they can work loose. One thing you could try is tightening the nut in order to seat the bolt and then try loosening it. Or you could also use a ball joint seperator(pickling fork) and try to keep pressure between the a-arm and what ever the vertical part that the bolt goes through and loosen the nut. I honestly don't think there is a problem. If you have access to an impact gun, it would probably zip it right off. You just have to be smarter than the bolt

Damian

 

^^ +1 thats what i was trying to say, but better explained,

 

I agree, I really don't think there's a major problem here. My question is does the nut itself thread downwards towards the cotter pin or does turning the nut also turn the bolt it's attached too. Do you have funny nosies coming from that side of the suspension? Is the bolt/nut loose (ie you can jiggle it, it has play, etc). I could be wrong here, but I don't believe there is much load placed on this particular part of the suspension. Additionally, this part of the suspension is made to pivot and move about through the travel range.