Congratulations on replacing yours. Enjoy that firm, stable, quiet ride. The downside of owning a car that's 10+yrs old is you'll always have something to work on. I have a list of things to do and it never ends.
That was a perfectly good brake pad with plenty of life left in it! :) Those joint kits can also be rented for $0 at places like Advanced Auto. I just replaced the same lower control arm on my 04 350Z. Same bushing destroyed in the same way as your video showed, but I just purchased a whole new OEM control arm for under $40. Let's see how it holds up for track use...
You have a good eye! Yes, that brake pad still had some life left. I don't remember why I tossed that pad in the junk pile. I think my brakes were making noises and I got frustrated and just changed the pads. Yes, there are special tools for those bushings. I bought the special tool for the Honda compliance bushing on my Acura front lower control arm and realized later its easier to buy the whole control arm. So I ended up selling that tool. I took a look through Advanced Auto's loan inventory and its pretty much the same as the other stores like Auto Zone, Pep Boys, and O Reily.
@@stephenprice9635 The lower control arm can be purchased for under $30 on eBay, which is where I bought mine. You can buy the pair for $53.97, which I just found doing a search. I’ve had a few track days with these arms and so far so good. Just do a search for “lower control arm 350z”
@@terrybo5924 yes the OEM control arm comes with bushing included. You can search ebay (or whatever) for “350Z lower control arm” and the options will come up for around $43 for one and $58 for both.
Maybe. But Its hard to say for sure because there are several suspension components that can cause clunking noises when they go bad (sway bar/stabilizer bar end links, ball joints, and bushings). Some people even hear clunking noises when the engine mount goes bad and your engine moves and shakes more than usual. With the age of the car, it could be two things that need to be replaced. Look for visible cracked and broken bushings. Use a pry bar to check ball joints, sway bar end links, and engine mounts. Eric The Car Guy has a video on checking your suspension. Ill find it and post it.
Here's a great set of pry bars that I own and bought from Amazon. www.amazon.com/TEKTON-3352-Pry-Bar-4-Piece/dp/B000NPR2Z8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1492898179&sr=8-3&keywords=pry+bars
For the original nut, get it from the dealer or the salvage yard off the same car. You can also check home Depot but you need to match the thread size and pitch, not the outer size.
@@bouncyhead64 If you have an Infiniti, yes you need to go to the Infiniti dealer. I have an Acura and even though Honda makes Acura, the Honda dealers can't help me with the parts I need.
great vid, about do that to my 03 g35. btw: hearing some squeaks in the back suspension at low speeds. are there bushings back there which i should replace too, or could that be shocks?
Thanks for the feedback. This was my neighbors car so I'm not familiar with the rear on that specific car. I'm sure there are rubber bushings back there on arms, sway bar, and shock mounts. It's going to take some testing, but use silicone spray on the areas you suspect are making noise and see if it goes away. Test one bushing/area at a time. If the nose goes away, that's an indication you need to replace that part. Also check for any ball joints that have torn or cracked boots that are no longer sealing the joint. If shocks are bad you'll have more symptoms than just squeaks. Bad shocks also have oil leaking down the side of the tube. Sometimes the oil may not be fresh but will be dry and have dirt on it.
@@ChavezDIY thanks for your response. still trying to figure out if I should get it all done or sell the car as is, since we are moving back to japan in march.
Ok, next issue I'm having is I can't seperate the sway bar end link from the rod. I purchased new control arms but they don't have the rod for end links to mount to so I need to swap over. Better to buy it or is there a way to seperate?
Some end links need two wrenches to remove. Sometimes they have a hex/allen wrench hole in the center of the nut, and you have to hold the hex wrench as you remove the nut. What happens when you try to remove it?
Hey man, did you have any issues with steering after this. I just did my suspension and took it for a spin, the steering wheel is off center and when initiating a turn the wheel pulls hard into the direction of a turn, cant figure it out.
This was my neighbors car that we worked on. He mentioned the car would pull to one side but that was because the bushing was broken on the control arm. Uneven tire pressure, worn bushings, worn ball joints, out of alignment tie rods, and worn rack and pinion can all cause a pull to one side. You said you worked on your suspension but didn't mention what areas of the suspension you worked on. You can get an off center steering wheel if you messed with the tie rods. You'll need to take it to a shop and get your wheels alignmed. Keep in mind that even with an alignment you can still have a pull to one side if there is a suspension component that is worn or in need of replacement. If you plan to keep your car for another 3+years I recommend getting a lifetime assignment. I got one from Firestone Auto it saves you money over time.
@@ChavezDIY I did pretty much everything but the tie rods and the rack and pinion, thats why it doesnt make sense why the steering started to act out all of the sudden, especially the wheel being at 2oclock straight...fml
@@belajarus because you need to align the car. nissan 350z and infinity has this thing where EVEN just removing and re-adding a simple upper or lowerarm kit, it wont drive as it needs to and you need to get it aligned
Guys I have a 2012 g37 sport coupe I need to replace the front lower control arm rubber bushing. Is it cheaper to get only the rubber not the entire control arm which is expensive
Cheaper is not always the best option, you want to consider the amount of labor and effort you will need to put into replacing only the bushing. This was my neighbor's car and I wanted to help him, so I did, but it was a lot of hard work and I'll never do it again, haha. My recommendation is to buy the whole arm with new bushings already installed on it.
Why did you hammer the bushing instead of using the ball joint kit to press it? I just got those whiteline bushings and thinking about doing it myself...my control arm is touching the frame now ; (
We used a combination of both the ball joint kit and hammer method. First we used the ball joint kit to ensure the bushing is entering flush into the arm. Youll see it in the video we switched to the hammer method. Reason is because as the bushing gets pressed in, youll need to use larger coupler sizes and the opening of the press isn't large enough to accommodate the arm, bushing, coupler, and 36mm socket. You can't get it to fit in the press as the bushing gets pressed in. Its hard to explain, but youll see if you do it. In the description I state that the easiest method is to replace the arm with a new one that has all bushings pressed in. Its a pain in the ass to do this job without a hydraulic press. If you are brave and love challenges and have the time, try it yourself. You could probably rent that press from a nearby Pep Boys or AutoZone. Other way is to have a machine shop press it in for you, but you may have the car out of commission for a couple of days.
Yeah, you are right I see you have already opened up the c-clamp all the way without that cup. I don't see autozone has hydraulic press for rent so I will get a control arm bushing press instead. Going to machine shop would be the last option for me because this is my daily driver. Anyway thanks for your help it is very useful.
I don't know what year is your car, but as cars age the rubber components like bushings start to wear and cause problems. Keep in mind you can have multiple worn bushings and when you start replacing one or two, the older ones will start to wear out faster as the vibrations and pressure wear out the weakest parts. If you only changed one lower control arm, you might want to check the other side. Also check your rack and pinion bushings and sway bar bushings with a large pry bar. I would also check all ball joints on both sides. The older a car gets the harder is it to diagnose suspension problems, especially if you don't keep track of what has been replaced.
Yup. Risk with using an impact to press in is it can go in at an angle and you can damage what you're pressing into. It's happened to me with a wheel bearing. Easiest method is to buy the whole arm with bushings already pressed in.
Those cars are powerful, but main issue with them is oil consumption in between oil changes. This mechanic RatchesNWrenches mentioned that those engine issues were fixed on the G37.
Its a pain to replace that bushing. Doing it alone will be very challenging. This was my neighbor's car. If it were my car I would have purchased a whole new arm with bushings already pressed in. It cuts down on time significantly.
Yeah I went with the arm. I don't have a bro to help me hammer it out. They're ~50-75 dollars online. My only problem is, the 05-07 has a different ball-joint on one of the hook-points, than the earlier G35s. Some places try to sell you the earlier G35 ball joint with the earlier arm, but swapping it out requires you to take more stuff apart and have a machine push the new ball joint in for you. Either way, good video. Gave me the confidence I needed. The shops I talked to, want ~$700 for this repair. Screw that.
That's a crazy price quote you got from shops. I'm a big fan of the DIY community. I have been working on my own car for the past five years. Aside from money savings, you learn new skills and have more confidence to do other things when you do your own repairs. Cheers to doing it yourself!
I wouldn't buy expensive dealership parts for an older car, parts will outlive the car. PartsGeek is a website that sells parts, they don't manufacture parts. If you want good quality, get the Moog brand, on the partsgeek site. Moog has a good reputation. Do a google search for the part and see if you can find it cheaper elsewhere. AutoZone also sells it under Duralast for $80 each arm. Some ppl don't trust anything from AutoZone, but if you are on a budget it is better than a junk yard.
That's interesting. Well get the one that looks like the one if you have on in your car. Here's a list from partsgeek and it specifies whether its the front lower rearward or the front lower forward, those two are different. I recommend to replace the arm using a new one with all the bushings pressed in.
I'd suggest getting the ball joint set through a loaner program at an auto parts store like advanced auto instead of buying it . you put down a deposit, use the tool, return in the same shape and get your money back.
I own the ball joint press tool, that's what we used in the video. But this was not for a ball joint, this was for a bushing. There is no loaner tool to press out bushings. Better method would be to use a hydraulic press but we didn't have one. Another option is to take it to a machine shop and have them do it. The easiest option is to just buy a new control arm. We would never do this again and I don't recommend anyone to do this, haha.
@@ChavezDIY any rough estimates on how much a machine shop might charge? I just bought an 04 g35 with now 202k . i noticed a slight wobble when just switching lanes on the way home. I noticed this wasn't a ball joint but the tool set you had the link for , comes up as ball joint set.
I don't know how much a machine shop would charge. I have never used a machine shop for that. Yes, the tool I used in this video is known as a ball joint set, but it's basically a large C-clamp with cups that can be used in other applications as well. Use a large pry bar to pry at ball joints and bushings in your suspension to identify what's loose, broken, or cracked. On the car in the video, the bushing was visibly busted so that was easy to identify. Check your outer tie rods as well. Ratchets and Wrenches has good videos on inspecting your suspension ua-cam.com/users/myRatchets
Yes, through a business standpoint, its better for a shop to replace the whole control arm. Its easier, faster, and less chances of errors. On my car I changed the whole arm too. In this video I helped my neighbor who wanted to embark on this painful journey, haha. Never again!
I know what you mean about age. The G35 was my neighbor's car, I have an 05 Acura TSX have been replacing parts due to age. Its still way cheaper to fix an old car than to get a new car though. I'm about the same with miles on my car, I have 120k. Does your G35 burn oil? I remember my neighbor and his friend that also has a G35 had to add a quart of oil between their oil changes.
Mine doesn't burn oil, but it still consumes a significant amount to it. Might need to check, but I think the oil issue is the worst with the first gen versions 03-04.
If you need to add oil in between changes, the car is either leaking the oil or burning it in the engine and it goes out the exhaust. I have read that oil can creep into the hot combustion chamber through the piston rings. As long as you carry a spare quart with you all the time, youll be ok. I have owned my TSX for 8 years and have never had to add oil in between oil changes.
***CHECK VIDEO DESCRIPTION FOR LINKS+UPDATES+CORRECTIONS+MORE INFO***
Cool! I just replaced mine today. i like how you showed the steps.
Congratulations on replacing yours. Enjoy that firm, stable, quiet ride. The downside of owning a car that's 10+yrs old is you'll always have something to work on. I have a list of things to do and it never ends.
That was a perfectly good brake pad with plenty of life left in it! :) Those joint kits can also be rented for $0 at places like Advanced Auto. I just replaced the same lower control arm on my 04 350Z. Same bushing destroyed in the same way as your video showed, but I just purchased a whole new OEM control arm for under $40. Let's see how it holds up for track use...
You have a good eye! Yes, that brake pad still had some life left. I don't remember why I tossed that pad in the junk pile. I think my brakes were making noises and I got frustrated and just changed the pads. Yes, there are special tools for those bushings. I bought the special tool for the Honda compliance bushing on my Acura front lower control arm and realized later its easier to buy the whole control arm. So I ended up selling that tool. I took a look through Advanced Auto's loan inventory and its pretty much the same as the other stores like Auto Zone, Pep Boys, and O Reily.
How did you find one for $40? Help me out lol.
@@stephenprice9635 The lower control arm can be purchased for under $30 on eBay, which is where I bought mine. You can buy the pair for $53.97, which I just found doing a search. I’ve had a few track days with these arms and so far so good. Just do a search for “lower control arm 350z”
@@svoncampe one can buy the lower control arm with the bushing included?
@@terrybo5924 yes the OEM control arm comes with bushing included. You can search ebay (or whatever) for “350Z lower control arm” and the options will come up for around $43 for one and $58 for both.
if i change that on mine would it end the knocking & clunt noise when i brake and when i go over bumps
Maybe. But Its hard to say for sure because there are several suspension components that can cause clunking noises when they go bad (sway bar/stabilizer bar end links, ball joints, and bushings). Some people even hear clunking noises when the engine mount goes bad and your engine moves and shakes more than usual. With the age of the car, it could be two things that need to be replaced. Look for visible cracked and broken bushings. Use a pry bar to check ball joints, sway bar end links, and engine mounts. Eric The Car Guy has a video on checking your suspension. Ill find it and post it.
Eric The Car Guy ua-cam.com/video/scFbb43fwqk/v-deo.html
Scotty Kilmer ua-cam.com/video/bccXxbCyrYU/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/xP-oP_7zFkk/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/4eHWpgtSM8Q/v-deo.html
Here's a great set of pry bars that I own and bought from Amazon. www.amazon.com/TEKTON-3352-Pry-Bar-4-Piece/dp/B000NPR2Z8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1492898179&sr=8-3&keywords=pry+bars
So i have been searching for the 22mm nut for ages now! No idea where i can find that exact nut... any ideas?
For the original nut, get it from the dealer or the salvage yard off the same car. You can also check home Depot but you need to match the thread size and pitch, not the outer size.
@@ChavezDIY okay, I checked with the Nissan dealer and they don't have the right one I guess I have to go to the Infiniti dealer then, thanks!
@@bouncyhead64 If you have an Infiniti, yes you need to go to the Infiniti dealer. I have an Acura and even though Honda makes Acura, the Honda dealers can't help me with the parts I need.
great vid, about do that to my 03 g35. btw: hearing some squeaks in the back suspension at low speeds. are there bushings back there which i should replace too, or could that be shocks?
Thanks for the feedback. This was my neighbors car so I'm not familiar with the rear on that specific car. I'm sure there are rubber bushings back there on arms, sway bar, and shock mounts. It's going to take some testing, but use silicone spray on the areas you suspect are making noise and see if it goes away. Test one bushing/area at a time. If the nose goes away, that's an indication you need to replace that part. Also check for any ball joints that have torn or cracked boots that are no longer sealing the joint. If shocks are bad you'll have more symptoms than just squeaks. Bad shocks also have oil leaking down the side of the tube. Sometimes the oil may not be fresh but will be dry and have dirt on it.
@@ChavezDIY thanks for your response. still trying to figure out if I should get it all done or sell the car as is, since we are moving back to japan in march.
Ok, next issue I'm having is I can't seperate the sway bar end link from the rod. I purchased new control arms but they don't have the rod for end links to mount to so I need to swap over. Better to buy it or is there a way to seperate?
Some end links need two wrenches to remove. Sometimes they have a hex/allen wrench hole in the center of the nut, and you have to hold the hex wrench as you remove the nut. What happens when you try to remove it?
@@ChavezDIY thanks. I actually used a pickle fork to get it.
@@eekenterprises awesome, glad you found a fix. Feels good to take good care of your own ride.
Hey man, did you have any issues with steering after this. I just did my suspension and took it for a spin, the steering wheel is off center and when initiating a turn the wheel pulls hard into the direction of a turn, cant figure it out.
This was my neighbors car that we worked on. He mentioned the car would pull to one side but that was because the bushing was broken on the control arm. Uneven tire pressure, worn bushings, worn ball joints, out of alignment tie rods, and worn rack and pinion can all cause a pull to one side. You said you worked on your suspension but didn't mention what areas of the suspension you worked on. You can get an off center steering wheel if you messed with the tie rods. You'll need to take it to a shop and get your wheels alignmed. Keep in mind that even with an alignment you can still have a pull to one side if there is a suspension component that is worn or in need of replacement. If you plan to keep your car for another 3+years I recommend getting a lifetime assignment. I got one from Firestone Auto it saves you money over time.
@@ChavezDIY I did pretty much everything but the tie rods and the rack and pinion, thats why it doesnt make sense why the steering started to act out all of the sudden, especially the wheel being at 2oclock straight...fml
@@belajarus because you need to align the car. nissan 350z and infinity has this thing where EVEN just removing and re-adding a simple upper or lowerarm kit, it wont drive as it needs to and you need to get it aligned
Guys I have a 2012 g37 sport coupe I need to replace the front lower control arm rubber bushing. Is it cheaper to get only the rubber not the entire control arm which is expensive
Cheaper is not always the best option, you want to consider the amount of labor and effort you will need to put into replacing only the bushing. This was my neighbor's car and I wanted to help him, so I did, but it was a lot of hard work and I'll never do it again, haha. My recommendation is to buy the whole arm with new bushings already installed on it.
Miguel Chavez that’s what my mechanic suggested thanks anyway
@@Vegitobluuuuu yeh, but think of all that waste
Why did you hammer the bushing instead of using the ball joint kit to press it? I just got those whiteline bushings and thinking about doing it myself...my control arm is touching the frame now ; (
We used a combination of both the ball joint kit and hammer method. First we used the ball joint kit to ensure the bushing is entering flush into the arm. Youll see it in the video we switched to the hammer method. Reason is because as the bushing gets pressed in, youll need to use larger coupler sizes and the opening of the press isn't large enough to accommodate the arm, bushing, coupler, and 36mm socket. You can't get it to fit in the press as the bushing gets pressed in. Its hard to explain, but youll see if you do it. In the description I state that the easiest method is to replace the arm with a new one that has all bushings pressed in. Its a pain in the ass to do this job without a hydraulic press. If you are brave and love challenges and have the time, try it yourself. You could probably rent that press from a nearby Pep Boys or AutoZone. Other way is to have a machine shop press it in for you, but you may have the car out of commission for a couple of days.
Yeah, you are right I see you have already opened up the c-clamp all the way without that cup. I don't see autozone has hydraulic press for rent so I will get a control arm bushing press instead. Going to machine shop would be the last option for me because this is my daily driver. Anyway thanks for your help it is very useful.
I just got this exact part replaced bit now when I turn, the wheel dont automatically rotate back, why is that?
I don't know what year is your car, but as cars age the rubber components like bushings start to wear and cause problems. Keep in mind you can have multiple worn bushings and when you start replacing one or two, the older ones will start to wear out faster as the vibrations and pressure wear out the weakest parts. If you only changed one lower control arm, you might want to check the other side. Also check your rack and pinion bushings and sway bar bushings with a large pry bar. I would also check all ball joints on both sides. The older a car gets the harder is it to diagnose suspension problems, especially if you don't keep track of what has been replaced.
This is the long painful way, just use the ball joint kit the whole time with the impact to tighten clamp and your be done in 5 minutes tops
Yup. Risk with using an impact to press in is it can go in at an angle and you can damage what you're pressing into. It's happened to me with a wheel bearing. Easiest method is to buy the whole arm with bushings already pressed in.
Miguel Chavez you just choose the correct adapter on the kit and make sure it’s straight and you’re cherry
Thanks.. I'm about to do the same job with the Whiteline F&R essentials kit for a V35 sedan along with being over half way through a 6MT swap :)
Those cars are powerful, but main issue with them is oil consumption in between oil changes. This mechanic RatchesNWrenches mentioned that those engine issues were fixed on the G37.
Dude, bolt sizes are awesome at the beginning of your video :P
Its a pain to replace that bushing. Doing it alone will be very challenging. This was my neighbor's car. If it were my car I would have purchased a whole new arm with bushings already pressed in. It cuts down on time significantly.
Yeah I went with the arm. I don't have a bro to help me hammer it out. They're ~50-75 dollars online. My only problem is, the 05-07 has a different ball-joint on one of the hook-points, than the earlier G35s.
Some places try to sell you the earlier G35 ball joint with the earlier arm, but swapping it out requires you to take more stuff apart and have a machine push the new ball joint in for you.
Either way, good video. Gave me the confidence I needed. The shops I talked to, want ~$700 for this repair. Screw that.
That's a crazy price quote you got from shops. I'm a big fan of the DIY community. I have been working on my own car for the past five years. Aside from money savings, you learn new skills and have more confidence to do other things when you do your own repairs. Cheers to doing it yourself!
part geeks good brand? stealership wants $240 each one
I wouldn't buy expensive dealership parts for an older car, parts will outlive the car. PartsGeek is a website that sells parts, they don't manufacture parts. If you want good quality, get the Moog brand, on the partsgeek site. Moog has a good reputation. Do a google search for the part and see if you can find it cheaper elsewhere. AutoZone also sells it under Duralast for $80 each arm. Some ppl don't trust anything from AutoZone, but if you are on a budget it is better than a junk yard.
cool thanks bro
My control arm doesn't look like this? 2005 g35 coupe
That's interesting. Well get the one that looks like the one if you have on in your car. Here's a list from partsgeek and it specifies whether its the front lower rearward or the front lower forward, those two are different. I recommend to replace the arm using a new one with all the bushings pressed in.
I'd suggest getting the ball joint set through a loaner program at an auto parts store like advanced auto instead of buying it . you put down a deposit, use the tool, return in the same shape and get your money back.
I own the ball joint press tool, that's what we used in the video. But this was not for a ball joint, this was for a bushing. There is no loaner tool to press out bushings. Better method would be to use a hydraulic press but we didn't have one. Another option is to take it to a machine shop and have them do it. The easiest option is to just buy a new control arm. We would never do this again and I don't recommend anyone to do this, haha.
@@ChavezDIY any rough estimates on how much a machine shop might charge? I just bought an 04 g35 with now 202k . i noticed a slight wobble when just switching lanes on the way home. I noticed this wasn't a ball joint but the tool set you had the link for , comes up as ball joint set.
I don't know how much a machine shop would charge. I have never used a machine shop for that. Yes, the tool I used in this video is known as a ball joint set, but it's basically a large C-clamp with cups that can be used in other applications as well. Use a large pry bar to pry at ball joints and bushings in your suspension to identify what's loose, broken, or cracked. On the car in the video, the bushing was visibly busted so that was easy to identify. Check your outer tie rods as well. Ratchets and Wrenches has good videos on inspecting your suspension ua-cam.com/users/myRatchets
@@ChavezDIY one can find the lower control arm with the bushing included for less than buying the bushing?
That depends on the prices. I don't know what current prices look like. Check amazon, partsgeek, and ebay.
At the mechanic shop they just replace the whole piece they do not have time to be doing that.
Yes, through a business standpoint, its better for a shop to replace the whole control arm. Its easier, faster, and less chances of errors. On my car I changed the whole arm too. In this video I helped my neighbor who wanted to embark on this painful journey, haha. Never again!
My bushing is about to get to that point, it's already squeaking.
Wildchild_inc seems to be a common problem on that car. It's easiest to replace the whole arm with a new arm that has all the bushings already in it.
Yeah, age is catching up to mine on majority of the parts. However, it's suppose to be 180k for an 06, but I lucked out and have 108k miles haha
I know what you mean about age. The G35 was my neighbor's car, I have an 05 Acura TSX have been replacing parts due to age. Its still way cheaper to fix an old car than to get a new car though. I'm about the same with miles on my car, I have 120k. Does your G35 burn oil? I remember my neighbor and his friend that also has a G35 had to add a quart of oil between their oil changes.
Mine doesn't burn oil, but it still consumes a significant amount to it. Might need to check, but I think the oil issue is the worst with the first gen versions 03-04.
If you need to add oil in between changes, the car is either leaking the oil or burning it in the engine and it goes out the exhaust. I have read that oil can creep into the hot combustion chamber through the piston rings. As long as you carry a spare quart with you all the time, youll be ok. I have owned my TSX for 8 years and have never had to add oil in between oil changes.
BUSH!
Wrong way to do it!
You are welcome to show us the right way.
Butchers
=)