I would suggest against the Beck/Arnley control arms I utilized in this video! have an updated video on them with some more insight on this job: 2013-2018 Nissan Altima Steering Issue! (Random Jerking/Wandering) ua-cam.com/video/OSUiobza7a8/v-deo.html
I was actually going to comment about that particular brand. I haven't watched the updated video, but I wondered if you had trouble installing these because of possible size differences. Even if it was down to mere millimeter differences
Thank you for the video and keeping it real. I am a garage style (home) mechanic and motivated (when I have to be) to repair or replace things.... $1,512.00 quoted for this job at our local auto place and that's motivation! Especially when you consider the price of parts ($179.95 for the set)...that's ridiculous. If I break my knuckles for 10 hours, it is pain well spent for a job that can be done by me. Great video, thank you again!
I just had a 1700 quote. Is that even accurate ? Is there some under the scenes balance or something that only well equipped mechanics can do, or Am I paying the guys mortgage?
So, i just followed the video, very helpful, just what I needed. Here are some things i learned along the way -removing the strut bolts is the only way to go (if you dont have a lift) BUT make sure you have something to keep the rotor from drooping down because a) itll smash your foot and b)youll put stress and possibly break the ABS sensor wire (i think that's what it is). -make sure you tighten your lug nuts. -the mans is right, it is a pain in the ass to get the new one in while also trying to line up bolts. So be patient.
Man thanks for these very detailed vids man. Watched a few of things I will be doing on my gfs car Will be doing lower control arms, valve cover gasket, rear shocks, rear rotors and brakes. Dealership quoted her $7K to fix it all
God bless you for making these videos. I did a CVT fluid change a few months ago with your help from another video, and I'm getting ready to do this plus strut change before I get an alignment. Thank you so much for the amount of detail you go into with these videos. Down to torch specs and bolt/ nut sizing. You're the best. Many thanks.
Nice video. I had the same challenge on getting the arm back in. I think the problem is that on install, we are fighting the coil spring. To help on the other side, I used a coil spring compression tool. Before removing the old control arm, jack under the ball joint as before, but careful not to lift the car off the jack stand. Then put on the coil spring compression to keep the spring compressed. Now lower the jack and remove the old control arm. first put the ball joint connection in place, install that bolt hand tight and work on the other two mounts. Still takes some effort but I finished in 20 minutes vs. 3 hours of fighting with it. Good luck all.
I appreciate it! But whatever works! Glad you figured out a method that works for you. For me, I think I would still prefer to just take 3 minutes and just drop the strut in its entirety vs. messing with a spring compressor, but whatever works and makes it as easy as possible for you at the end of the day is all that matters!
@@TheOriginalBeeCee taking the strut bolts loose is absolutely the way to do it. Everything just falls back into place, cuts out a lot of cussing and swearing 🤣😂
Trying to do this without loosening the strut mount is very tough. A lot of auto repair would be easier with a hydraulic lift. Your tip helped me out a whole lot. Positioning of the jack was very crucial as well. I watched another video where a mechanic had to use a ratchet strap to keep the strut from moving. It would help, but not needed.
Thank you for your honesty of in reality the job could be a challenge and stubborn. But you showed us how to overcome the challenge. Great job Buddy !! Thank you 🙏🏻
I’ve always been taught to tighten anything with a bushing fully loaded by the weight of the car. You can get away with it by jacking up the knuckle to simulate the car being loaded by the weight of the car.
@@jamescummings9305 Torquing under-load is “best practice”, so technically I would agree! Definitely not always easy or accessible to do especially from the ground, and IMO you can definitely get away without doing it. As long as everything is back together and you are torquing while everything is in orientation (I.E.: not torquing one bolt with the control arm hanging off), you should be fine. I actually did an updated control arm video to this…..where I did pre-load the suspension. Probably should have mentioned that in the video. I’m weird, sometimes I do it, sometimes I don’t…never really seemed to make a difference to me. But like I said definitely best practice!
I have a 2013 Altima with 128k. My drivers side rear control arm snapped on me last night! I Googled it and apparently there is a recall and Nissan is replacing both for free!
Thanks for the video. I finally got the LCR in but boy was it a pain. Hopefully this can help some folks. I it out without an issue. But I spent hours trying to get the ball joint back into the knuckle. Almost gave up actually. This is what worked (of course not my original idea). I sprayed the shit out of the ball joint and the hole of the knuckle with WD 40 and let it sit over night. Originally, I didn't have the tie rod out. I think that was a mistake. The second time around I took it out (and replaced) and it gave me the wiggle room I needed for the knuckle. I also took out the upper bolt of the strut and I loosen the lower bolt but kept it in. Originally I took both strut bolts out but that was a small disaster as the knuckle would basically fall off my jack and placed a ton of stress on the CV axle (my next project). So ya try leaving the bottom strut bolt in but loose. Then I lined up the ball joint and cracked it with a small sledge hammer and to my surprise it went in fairly easy. I'm not quite sure what made it work exactly. Maybe it was a combo of the things I did. But if you're having a hard time this worked for me pretty well. Saved myself at least 1500
Thanks for the video and busting your knuckles so I dont have to. Exactly why I come looking for these, now I can plan on getting it in level, messing with the strut etc before I get it out. Need this back on road asap so anything to help speed that up! Thanks again!
Forgot to ask, I didnt see you load the struts or torque it after it was on the ground as Ive always seen the case to be. Did you do that later at all? If not, any issues? And literally took me day and a half to fight these bitches back in after taking strut bolts out and raising and hanging the knuckle, passenger side wouldnt go high enough because of sway bar but finally managed it. Thanks again@@TheOriginalBeeCee
@@Lrndthehardway ive gotten away doing it both ways. I’ve torqued it as is with no issues. But it is recommended to torque under load, and what most would suggest. I promise if you walked into shop though 9 times outta 10 they aren’t lol. But alignment is definitely a must after installl
Since it needs to be level when installing the new arm, is using four stands going to make a large difference or will 2 work just as well? I will see if I am lucky but plan on taking your advice on disconnecting the strut. If 4 is truly the way to go I need to get another stand. Thank you
Like fishing...a bad/challenging day doing car maintenance is better than any day at the 9-5, IMO. Thanks for video. Do you think the same approach and considerations for LCAs can be applied to the 2013 Pathfinder?
@@TheOriginalBeeCee I'm hip... Planning, project management, resource acquisition, schedule awareness, manhours expended, costs (time and money), downtime, wastes, quality of work/rework, are all captured in this vid and mimic some workplaces.🙂
Good morning! My son will be replacing the lower control arms on my car in the very near future. He watched one of your videos on how to replace the upper torque mount, and it really helped. Google says the job is about 3-4 hours of labor. The dealership says about 6 hours because it is labor intensive. He also has to replace the front ones too. Which is harder.? Front or rear? How long did it take you, or how long should it take? Thank you!
This video is for the front LCA’s, i would say they might be hair more difficult than the rear. Time is really subjective to experience & tools. I probably could do them 30 minutes a side, but thats with power tools & experience and doing the job before. I would maybe say 1-2 hours a side on average.
Hey man. So I just did this job on my 2016 Nissan Altima (only the passenger side control arm). After a couple of days of driving, I started to hear clunks every time I would drive on an uneven surface. What could this mean? Thanks.
Hey whats up man. could mean a variety of things honestly. Could be somethings come loose and/or wasn’t tightened all the way (bolt/nut). Could be a defective ball joint on the new control arm. Could be something else is bad as well. I would put the front end in the air (I have a video on my channel how to put whole car on jack stands) and I would start checking the entire front end for tightness going over every component, starting with the new control arm.
@@TheOriginalBeeCee Hey, thanks for being so quick to reply. When I do my repairs, I usually tighten everything by hand. I remember that two of the bolts on the control arm were a b*tch to take out, and now that I think about it, the bolts are likely under-torqued. How do you recommend I go about this? Just lift the car on a pair of jacks like you said and torque the bolts? Or should I loosen the bolts first and then tighten? Let me know, please.
@@edwardlopez3601 Hey whats up man...my apologies, I've literally typed out a response and tried to answer you at least 5 times, but for some reason every time I respond on my phone it automatically deleted my response immediately. I'm actually responding to you now from my laptop. But I got yaa. Honestly, you could probably get away with doing either method. But since you’re having some issues, I would suggest going about it the “best practice” way, and that would be torquing under load...which is torquing the bolts while the car is on the ground, like on an alignment style, or 4 post lift for example. Although there are ways to replicate a load on the suspension as well.
Start with putting the front end in the air on jackstands. I would loosen all the control arm bolts, and then create a load and re-torque to spec while under load. You could throw a floor jack under the the control arm ball joint to create a load, put the wheel back on and throw the floor jack under the tire to create a load, you could even throw the whole car in the air on cinder blocks with the wheels on to put it in the air, red neck style lol. I’ve never had a problem torquing while NOT under a load (but I would have everything assembled finger tight & back in position and then torque), but since you’re having issues I would suggest torquing under load to try and ensure everything is on point. Then once complete, recheck everything by grabbing all the suspension components, etc. and ensure everything is tight.
As always, great video. I have a 2017 Nissan Altima 2.5L. Just one comment. According to the Beck Arnley catalog part numbers 102-8171 (passenger side) and 102-8170 (driver side) apply for years 2015-2018 and the part numbers you are showing in the video (minute 4:55) apply for years 2013-2014.
Good info 👍 these failed almost immediately unfortunately, so regardless of the part number i would not recommend beck arnley in any way shape or form lol
THANK YOU BEECEE Bulit ; for the video and also the SPEC chart you shared Can you please share a link or tell where you GOT that information... I have searched google bing and youtube YOUR the only one that gave specs and showed a chart. again THANK YOU aslo what is your opinion on MEVOTECH greaseable parts ????
Hey man so I just did this exact same job and torque the bolts to spec, as soon as I was done and took the car for a test drive a loud clunking noise started coming from both the front tires. Any idea what it can be, mind you before swapping the control arms no noise was being made. Thank you
I would suggest loosing all the bolts….put the car on the ground (or flat elevated surface) and retorquing all the bolts while it has a load on the suspension
Hey, I recently replaced 4 tires at Walmart in my 2014 Altima with just 54k miles (mostly highway) and I noticed some vibration at speeds of 75-80mph on a newly paved highway. I went to Nissan dealer they said I need to replace control arms in the front for about $1,800. Can someone tell me how the control arms get damaged after 54k miles of mostly highway driving??? ( I drive only twice a week to work) Ohh, I just found out that the rubber components of those arms were cut and punctured, the photos from 5 days ago show NO cuts/punctures, today during another inspection at Nissan I taken the pictures of the puncture and a cut. Nissan dealer claims I took the pictures form a different angle and they guarantee their technician did not cause damage. Technician claims that is because of hot Florida weather. My family I also had 1998 Altima and drive it until it was 17 years old and over 250k miles and the vehicle did not have vibration issues nor the suspension problems.
Dear Upset! I am a Mechanical Engineer...We have a 2012 Altima with only 25K miles. Our shop showed the lower control arm bushings cracked AND a cv boot ripped. CV boots only last about 12 years as our Florida and Arizona heat ages rubber parts. I was not happy but the car is 12 years old! I did the axles, brakes and lower control arms (and outer tie rods as well). Maintenance is a fact of life!
@@JM-lf4ws "lower control arm bushings cracked" cracks are ok...2 bushings on right control arm had cracks and after the service at dealership they were cut, the bushings on the left control arms were like new????
You don't need to take it apart, forst install the 2 bolts that attach the LCA to the subframe, the lift the spindle up a little with a floor jack and used a car jack from the inside of the inner fender to push the spindle to install the ball joint, it will fall into place on his own
You're a magician, Tony. @7:15 is for you. I tried that when doing this job if you couldn't tell in the fast forward, and I tried doing that again just for shits & giggles when recently doing this job again. No go for me. The 2 extra minutes it takes to remove the 2 bolts for the strut is MUCH easier for me personally then trying to fight with things I can avoid. Literally takes 2 minutes to remove the two strut bolts (w/impact) and get the arm in once you remove them. Wayyyy more room for activities.
@@sierrasracing alignment needs to be done regardless man. Strut disconnected or not. Really anytime a suspension component is disrupted or replaced the alignment should be touched up or re-aligned. If the control arms are bad, it has an affect on tire wear. As soon as you put new control arms on it, it will change the positioning and geometry of the wheel/suspension, and will require alignment.
I could not install the ball joint until I took off the shock bolts. Be prepared for the shock to twist! My shock had to be twisted straight and HELD straight for the knuckle to be aligned and fitted. Might require extra hands! The 122 ft-lb is a mother to tighten! Buy Spare outer Tie Rod Ends....As I destroyed mine on removal!
Do you think having the tie rods off would make it easier so you could turn the hub out of the way some? I'm going to be doing control arms and tie rods here soon.
I’m sure it will give you some play room and more room for activities. But in my opinion I think you would be just fine without disconnecting them, and that would be one less thing you have to disassemble/assemble.
@@TheOriginalBeeCee also I've seen alot of things saying these need to be pre loaded (full weight of car on control arms) before being torqued. When you torque it with it in the air, the bushings will twist and flex when you put the car on the ground and cause them to wear faster.
@@ZiggieHood Torquing under-load is “best practice”, but its not always accessible to do especially from the ground, and you can definitely get away without doing it. As long as everything is back together and your are torquing while everything is in orientation (I.E.: not torquing one bolt with the control arm hanging off), you should be fine. TBH, when i first started wrenching many years ago I was obsessed with torquing everything to spec and ensuring everything was done EXACTLY to the FSM methods/specifications. I’ve contorted myself under cars many times with the wheel on the ground to torque bolts while it was was pre-loaded, put a jack under the tire (while it was supported on stands) to create a pre-load, and supported the control arm with both a jack or jack stand to create that load. Done it all. But IMO, I’ve come to realize most of the time it doesn’t matter as long as everything is back in its original orientation. Back in those days when I was overly obsessed, my next door neighbor was a 20+ year master mechanic, and he use to stop over from time to time when I was out in the garage and give me shit just for trying so hard and caring so much about it being done exactly to specification. I also have a couple good friends that are way more experienced mechanics than me with the supporting certifications to match, and to this day will still laugh at me for going so out of my way to even obtain torque specs and torque bolts to spec.....let a lone pre-load the suspension. But as you can see, I’m still a fan of my torque specs. If you really familiarize yourself with the automotive industry you’ll come to realize most shops and dealers tighten everything just hanging on the lift, not pre-loaded, hell...most of the time probably not even torquing anything to spec. Few ugga-duggas while hanging in the air...drop it, and the customer is on their way. Like I said definitely best practice, but as long as everything is assembled back in orientation, from my experiences it really doesn’t matter.
There a definitely a few nice impacts similar to mine on the market. I personally like Dewalt, another good brand would be Milwaukee. I would recommend a 1/2 drive. My Dewalt is a DCF894F.
Choose a good impact because it'll save you money down the road if you buy from that same brand. Such as by using the same batteries and chargers on the same tools
@@TheOriginalBeeCee I cosign.. I have the Dewalt as well.. Dewalt tools in general. But the specs on that dewalt is ridiculous it will remove a crank pulley bolt like its butter. Milwaukee is definitely my second choice. But when you're buying cordless you've gotta look at the full product lineup... the dewalt batteries will work a lot of their tools more than any other company out there.
Hi how are you this part is still good in your car because I change also twice same brand which is (beck arle) but my one is band and my car start pulling I don't like this brand please can you suggest me any good quality brand please thank you
This car was just not handling like it use to, on-top of being partnered with the control arm wear. There a few signs of a control arm going you can look for. If you are getting a clunking sound, creaking sounds..or slight creaking when turning, etc. But these noises need to be partnered with visual cracking/damage to the bushings and/or ball joint, because there are other suspension components that can make the same/similar sounds! So visually inspecting will go a long way with this, to see if the LCA's are your problem or if you see something else that looks wrong.
Lol there is nothing here that is a potential projectile in any way. Its a loaded strut/spring assembly. You are not dis-assembling the strut and removing the spring, in which case you would need a MacPherson strut spring compressor, you are simply disconnecting the lower strut bolts. The strut is still compressed and fully assembled...that's how you remove a strut from a vehicle, you disconnect the bottom (remove 2 bolts), and take out the top 3 bolts, and drop the strut out.
$1,900 was The quote for this job by the Nissan dealership. I found the control arms for 150 bucks on Amazon. New torque wrench was 35 bucks capacity up to 170 ft lb. Also on Amazon.
Hey all you need is the full control arm with the ball joint already in it. I wouldn’t replace anything else until you’re in there and evaluate if anything else needs replacement.
@@nix_fx There a few signs of a control arm going you can look for. If you are getting a clunking sound, creaking sounds..or slight creaking when turning, etc. But these noises need to be partnered with visual cracking/damage to the bushings, like I showed @ 0:14....because there are other suspension components that can make the same/similar sounds!
There a few signs of a control arm going you can look for. If you are getting a clunking sound, creaking sounds..or slight creaking when turning, etc. But these noises need to be partnered with visual cracking/damage to the bushings, because there are other suspension components that can make the same/similar sounds!
I'm going to be doing same job on a 2015 Nissan Quest. Am I correct in assuming the process and torque values are the same as what you did in this video? Nice job!
I’m not familiar with the Quest design, so I couldn’t give direct feedback on it. Although I don’t think its going to be exactly the same, its definitely going to be similar and the approach would be the same. I would imagine the torque specs might be a bit different as well, but here is a link to the FSM for the Quest where you can obtain the correct torque specs: www.nicoclub.com/nissan-service-manuals
I’m having so much trouble putting that damn ball joint into the knuckle? I have everything align & the ball joint is sitting directly under the steering knuckle hole but won’t go in 🤦🏻♂️
I meant tears in the bushings. I didn't mind replacing them...as I wanted to replace the cv axles anyway. The Lower control arms were harder to replace than I expected!
I just tried this job. Bought my stuff from Amazon. And I spent 3 hours fighting with it.. turns out it was the wrong part. The mounting holes didn't align. Uhh..
A torque wrench. Its a specific style socket wrench that you set to a certain amount of foot pounds (or inch pounds, depending on application), and it clicks when you reach that pre-set torque spec.
Ehh they aren’t horrible, but some premature cracking (IMO) on the bushings is starting. No symptoms or anything like that…just some visible bushing cracking.
I beat myself to death doing the left one and I was trying to figure out some way to make the right one less difficult. It occurred to me that pulling the shock might make it much more possible.
This car had some slight clunking. But there a few signs of a control arm going you can look for. If you are getting a clunking sound, creaking sounds..or slight creaking when turning, etc. But these noises need to be partnered with visual cracking/damage to the bushings, because there are other suspension components that can make the same/similar sounds!
Thank you for the awesome video I did exactly how you did it but was still a pain in the ass to install the arm back in . The lower link that connects to the sway bar would keep hitting the control arm . Removed the bottom bolt for that link kit and the back control arm bolt went right the fuck in lol smfh . Now I know . Right on again thank you for being so detailed !
@@TheOriginalBeeCee working on my brothers car now finally, and its definitely stuck in their. Got the first part out using my breaker/pry bar, now the rears are being difficult
@@bestbomb17 try to get a straight angle when pulling it out. I kinda just pulled them out by hand once the ball joint was separated, but you can use a big pry bar as well to help.
@@TheOriginalBeeCee thanks, got it out little while ago hehe, dont get me started on install, gonna have to bring it in to work for master tech to do wheel bearings though, dont have a press
My control arms were the same on the maxima. Came out no problem. Putting them back in was a nightmare. 5 months later the tire shop could not get the alignment right with my new tires. Control arms were bad in 5 months. Word of advise. Buy a good brand. Not ebay garbage. Went with moog with the next set.
Amen. Preach. This control arms were trash too. Went bad in under a year, now replaced with Moog as well. I actually have another video coming out soon in regards to it.
I would suggest against the Beck/Arnley control arms I utilized in this video!
have an updated video on them with some more insight on this job:
2013-2018 Nissan Altima Steering Issue! (Random Jerking/Wandering)
ua-cam.com/video/OSUiobza7a8/v-deo.html
I was actually going to comment about that particular brand. I haven't watched the updated video, but I wondered if you had trouble installing these because of possible size differences. Even if it was down to mere millimeter differences
Thank you for the video and keeping it real. I am a garage style (home) mechanic and motivated (when I have to be) to repair or replace things.... $1,512.00 quoted for this job at our local auto place and that's motivation! Especially when you consider the price of parts ($179.95 for the set)...that's ridiculous. If I break my knuckles for 10 hours, it is pain well spent for a job that can be done by me. Great video, thank you again!
Lol yea man that’s definitely some motivation! Way overpriced. Good luck with the job though man!
I just had a 1700 quote. Is that even accurate ? Is there some under the scenes balance or something that only well equipped mechanics can do, or Am I paying the guys mortgage?
Keeping it real
It’s been 3 years, you never changed those control arms did you?
Thanks for the video. Just curious how much would you charge for transmission flush?
So, i just followed the video, very helpful, just what I needed. Here are some things i learned along the way
-removing the strut bolts is the only way to go (if you dont have a lift) BUT make sure you have something to keep the rotor from drooping down because a) itll smash your foot and b)youll put stress and possibly break the ABS sensor wire (i think that's what it is).
-make sure you tighten your lug nuts.
-the mans is right, it is a pain in the ass to get the new one in while also trying to line up bolts. So be patient.
Glad it helped!
Man thanks for these very detailed vids man. Watched a few of things I will be doing on my gfs car
Will be doing lower control arms, valve cover gasket, rear shocks, rear rotors and brakes. Dealership quoted her $7K to fix it all
I bet they did lol. But good luck man appreciate the comment 🙏🙏
God bless you for making these videos. I did a CVT fluid change a few months ago with your help from another video, and I'm getting ready to do this plus strut change before I get an alignment. Thank you so much for the amount of detail you go into with these videos. Down to torch specs and bolt/ nut sizing. You're the best. Many thanks.
Thank you! I truly appreciate your comment! Good luck with the job!! 👍
Nice video. I had the same challenge on getting the arm back in. I think the problem is that on install, we are fighting the coil spring. To help on the other side, I used a coil spring compression tool. Before removing the old control arm, jack under the ball joint as before, but careful not to lift the car off the jack stand. Then put on the coil spring compression to keep the spring compressed. Now lower the jack and remove the old control arm. first put the ball joint connection in place, install that bolt hand tight and work on the other two mounts. Still takes some effort but I finished in 20 minutes vs. 3 hours of fighting with it. Good luck all.
I appreciate it! But whatever works! Glad you figured out a method that works for you. For me, I think I would still prefer to just take 3 minutes and just drop the strut in its entirety vs. messing with a spring compressor, but whatever works and makes it as easy as possible for you at the end of the day is all that matters!
@@TheOriginalBeeCee taking the strut bolts loose is absolutely the way to do it. Everything just falls back into place, cuts out a lot of cussing and swearing 🤣😂
@@pdaddy879 lol most definitely! Definitely how I would suggest going about it!
Where you find that torque diagram? Great addition to video.
www.nicoclub.com/nissan-service-manuals
🙏🙏
Trying to do this without loosening the strut mount is very tough. A lot of auto repair would be easier with a hydraulic lift. Your tip helped me out a whole lot. Positioning of the jack was very crucial as well. I watched another video where a mechanic had to use a ratchet strap to keep the strut from moving. It would help, but not needed.
Glad it helped 🙏🙏🙏
Thank you for your honesty of in reality the job could be a challenge and stubborn. But you showed us how to overcome the challenge. Great job Buddy !! Thank you 🙏🏻
Thank you, I appreciate the comment! 🙏
You saved me a fortune brother thanks 🙏
Appreciate the comment! 🙏
I’ve always been taught to tighten anything with a bushing fully loaded by the weight of the car. You can get away with it by jacking up the knuckle to simulate the car being loaded by the weight of the car.
@@jamescummings9305 Torquing under-load is “best practice”, so technically I would agree! Definitely not always easy or accessible to do especially from the ground, and IMO you can definitely get away without doing it. As long as everything is back together and you are torquing while everything is in orientation (I.E.: not torquing one bolt with the control arm hanging off), you should be fine. I actually did an updated control arm video to this…..where I did pre-load the suspension. Probably should have mentioned that in the video. I’m weird, sometimes I do it, sometimes I don’t…never really seemed to make a difference to me. But like I said definitely best practice!
I have a 2013 Altima with 128k. My drivers side rear control arm snapped on me last night! I Googled it and apparently there is a recall and Nissan is replacing both for free!
Nice! Nothing better than free.
I have a 14 does it cover the 14 altima too
@@puma1294 no even tho it's the same frickin arm on the 14
Same thing happened to me same year rear passenger. I'm looking for the recall now
Thanks for the video. I finally got the LCR in but boy was it a pain. Hopefully this can help some folks. I it out without an issue. But I spent hours trying to get the ball joint back into the knuckle. Almost gave up actually. This is what worked (of course not my original idea).
I sprayed the shit out of the ball joint and the hole of the knuckle with WD 40 and let it sit over night. Originally, I didn't have the tie rod out. I think that was a mistake. The second time around I took it out (and replaced) and it gave me the wiggle room I needed for the knuckle. I also took out the upper bolt of the strut and I loosen the lower bolt but kept it in. Originally I took both strut bolts out but that was a small disaster as the knuckle would basically fall off my jack and placed a ton of stress on the CV axle (my next project). So ya try leaving the bottom strut bolt in but loose. Then I lined up the ball joint and cracked it with a small sledge hammer and to my surprise it went in fairly easy. I'm not quite sure what made it work exactly. Maybe it was a combo of the things I did. But if you're having a hard time this worked for me pretty well. Saved myself at least 1500
I put in the ball joint last
Thanks for the video and busting your knuckles so I dont have to. Exactly why I come looking for these, now I can plan on getting it in level, messing with the strut etc before I get it out. Need this back on road asap so anything to help speed that up! Thanks again!
Appreciate the comment! Good luck with the job 👍👍
Forgot to ask, I didnt see you load the struts or torque it after it was on the ground as Ive always seen the case to be. Did you do that later at all? If not, any issues? And literally took me day and a half to fight these bitches back in after taking strut bolts out and raising and hanging the knuckle, passenger side wouldnt go high enough because of sway bar but finally managed it. Thanks again@@TheOriginalBeeCee
@@Lrndthehardway ive gotten away doing it both ways. I’ve torqued it as is with no issues. But it is recommended to torque under load, and what most would suggest. I promise if you walked into shop though 9 times outta 10 they aren’t lol. But alignment is definitely a must after installl
Since it needs to be level when installing the new arm, is using four stands going to make a large difference or will 2 work just as well? I will see if I am lucky but plan on taking your advice on disconnecting the strut. If 4 is truly the way to go I need to get another stand. Thank you
You can definitely get away with just using two jack stands.
What repair manual/spect are you using to get all torque values and schematics? Can you please share the link to buy it?
Like fishing...a bad/challenging day doing car maintenance is better than any day at the 9-5, IMO.
Thanks for video.
Do you think the same approach and considerations for LCAs can be applied to the 2013 Pathfinder?
Its definitely going to be a bit different, but definitely some take-aways in this video that could be applied to the job!
@@TheOriginalBeeCee
I'm hip...
Planning, project management, resource acquisition, schedule awareness, manhours expended, costs (time and money), downtime, wastes, quality of work/rework, are all captured in this vid and mimic some workplaces.🙂
Thank you. Did you need an alignment after doing the control arms?
Yes definitely want to get the alignment checked/touched-up.
Same here. Dealership wanted $1200. I’m ordering the arms today and will do it myself.
Does the drivers side work the same exact way?
Yea thats a bit much lol. Good luck with it! The Driver is the exact same thing, same setup/procedure on both sides.
@@TheOriginalBeeCee Awesome. Thank you!
Good morning!
My son will be replacing the lower control arms on my car in the very near future. He watched one of your videos on how to replace the upper torque mount, and it really helped.
Google says the job is about 3-4 hours of labor. The dealership says about 6 hours because it is labor intensive. He also has to replace the front ones too. Which is harder.? Front or rear? How long did it take you, or how long should it take?
Thank you!
This video is for the front LCA’s, i would say they might be hair more difficult than the rear. Time is really subjective to experience & tools. I probably could do them 30 minutes a side, but thats with power tools & experience and doing the job before. I would maybe say 1-2 hours a side on average.
Hey man. So I just did this job on my 2016 Nissan Altima (only the passenger side control arm). After a couple of days of driving, I started to hear clunks every time I would drive on an uneven surface. What could this mean? Thanks.
Hey whats up man. could mean a variety of things honestly. Could be somethings come loose and/or wasn’t tightened all the way (bolt/nut). Could be a defective ball joint on the new control arm. Could be something else is bad as well. I would put the front end in the air (I have a video on my channel how to put whole car on jack stands) and I would start checking the entire front end for tightness going over every component, starting with the new control arm.
@@TheOriginalBeeCee Hey, thanks for being so quick to reply. When I do my repairs, I usually tighten everything by hand. I remember that two of the bolts on the control arm were a b*tch to take out, and now that I think about it, the bolts are likely under-torqued.
How do you recommend I go about this? Just lift the car on a pair of jacks like you said and torque the bolts? Or should I loosen the bolts first and then tighten? Let me know, please.
@@edwardlopez3601 Hey whats up man...my apologies, I've literally typed out a response and tried to answer you at least 5 times, but for some reason every time I respond on my phone it automatically deleted my response immediately. I'm actually responding to you now from my laptop. But I got yaa. Honestly, you could probably get away with doing either method. But since you’re having some issues, I would suggest going about it the “best practice” way, and that would be torquing under load...which is torquing the bolts while the car is on the ground, like on an alignment style, or 4 post lift for example. Although there are ways to replicate a load on the suspension as well.
Start with putting the front end in the air on jackstands. I would loosen all the control arm bolts, and then create a load and re-torque to spec while under load. You could throw a floor jack under the the control arm ball joint to create a load, put the wheel back on and throw the floor jack under the tire to create a load, you could even throw the whole car in the air on cinder blocks with the wheels on to put it in the air, red neck style lol. I’ve never had a problem torquing while NOT under a load (but I would have everything assembled finger tight & back in position and then torque), but since you’re having issues I would suggest torquing under load to try and ensure everything is on point. Then once complete, recheck everything by grabbing all the suspension components, etc. and ensure everything is tight.
As always, great video. I have a 2017 Nissan Altima 2.5L. Just one comment. According to the Beck Arnley catalog part numbers 102-8171 (passenger side) and 102-8170 (driver side) apply for years 2015-2018 and the part numbers you are showing in the video (minute 4:55) apply for years 2013-2014.
Good info 👍 these failed almost immediately unfortunately, so regardless of the part number i would not recommend beck arnley in any way shape or form lol
THANK YOU BEECEE Bulit ; for the video and also the SPEC chart you shared Can you please share a link or tell where you GOT that information... I have searched google bing and youtube YOUR the only one that gave specs and showed a chart. again THANK YOU aslo what is your opinion on MEVOTECH greaseable parts ????
Appreciate the comment!
www.nicoclub.com/nissan-service-manuals
…and i prefer Moog over Mevotech.
Hey man so I just did this exact same job and torque the bolts to spec, as soon as I was done and took the car for a test drive a loud clunking noise started coming from both the front tires. Any idea what it can be, mind you before swapping the control arms no noise was being made. Thank you
I would suggest loosing all the bolts….put the car on the ground (or flat elevated surface) and retorquing all the bolts while it has a load on the suspension
Are you using two jacks when loosening the roter?
Maybe it’s me….but I have no clue what you’re trying to ask here.
@TheOriginalBeeCee all good I figured it out but thanks anyways
👍👍👍
Hey, I recently replaced 4 tires at Walmart in my 2014 Altima with just 54k miles (mostly highway) and I noticed some vibration at speeds of 75-80mph on a newly paved highway. I went to Nissan dealer they said I need to replace control arms in the front for about $1,800. Can someone tell me how the control arms get damaged after 54k miles of mostly highway driving??? ( I drive only twice a week to work) Ohh, I just found out that the rubber components of those arms were cut and punctured, the photos from 5 days ago show NO cuts/punctures, today during another inspection at Nissan I taken the pictures of the puncture and a cut. Nissan dealer claims I took the pictures form a different angle and they guarantee their technician did not cause damage. Technician claims that is because of hot Florida weather. My family I also had 1998 Altima and drive it until it was 17 years old and over 250k miles and the vehicle did not have vibration issues nor the suspension problems.
Dear Upset! I am a Mechanical Engineer...We have a 2012 Altima with only 25K miles. Our shop showed the lower control arm bushings cracked AND a cv boot ripped. CV boots only last about 12 years as our Florida and Arizona heat ages rubber parts. I was not happy but the car is 12 years old! I did the axles, brakes and lower control arms (and outer tie rods as well). Maintenance is a fact of life!
@@JM-lf4ws "lower control arm bushings cracked" cracks are ok...2 bushings on right control arm had cracks and after the service at dealership they were cut, the bushings on the left control arms were like new????
My Beck/Arnely lower control arms lasted me for nearlyt 3 years. Now, looking for other affordable brands that are more reliable. any idea?
Moog
Yup, Moog.
You don't need to take it apart, forst install the 2 bolts that attach the LCA to the subframe, the lift the spindle up a little with a floor jack and used a car jack from the inside of the inner fender to push the spindle to install the ball joint, it will fall into place on his own
You're a magician, Tony. @7:15 is for you. I tried that when doing this job if you couldn't tell in the fast forward, and I tried doing that again just for shits & giggles when recently doing this job again. No go for me. The 2 extra minutes it takes to remove the 2 bolts for the strut is MUCH easier for me personally then trying to fight with things I can avoid. Literally takes 2 minutes to remove the two strut bolts (w/impact) and get the arm in once you remove them. Wayyyy more room for activities.
@@TheOriginalBeeCee I know it's easier and faster to take it apart, but if you do that then you'll have to do and alignment.
@@sierrasracing alignment needs to be done regardless man. Strut disconnected or not. Really anytime a suspension component is disrupted or replaced the alignment should be touched up or re-aligned. If the control arms are bad, it has an affect on tire wear. As soon as you put new control arms on it, it will change the positioning and geometry of the wheel/suspension, and will require alignment.
I could not install the ball joint until I took off the shock bolts. Be prepared for the shock to twist! My shock had to be twisted straight and HELD straight for the knuckle to be aligned and fitted. Might require extra hands! The 122 ft-lb is a mother to tighten! Buy Spare outer Tie Rod Ends....As I destroyed mine on removal!
Great Video. Can I get a copy or link to the torque specs that you showed in the video?
Strut mount bolts were torqued to 122 ft lb. Ball joint bolt torque to 70 ft lb. 21 mm bolts (front and rear of control arm) torqued to 140 ft lb
Do you think having the tie rods off would make it easier so you could turn the hub out of the way some? I'm going to be doing control arms and tie rods here soon.
I’m sure it will give you some play room and more room for activities. But in my opinion I think you would be just fine without disconnecting them, and that would be one less thing you have to disassemble/assemble.
@@TheOriginalBeeCee Well I'll be doing it all at the same time so it's gotta come off anyway
@@TheOriginalBeeCee also I've seen alot of things saying these need to be pre loaded (full weight of car on control arms) before being torqued. When you torque it with it in the air, the bushings will twist and flex when you put the car on the ground and cause them to wear faster.
@@ZiggieHood Torquing under-load is “best practice”, but its not always accessible to do especially from the ground, and you can definitely get away without doing it. As long as everything is back together and your are torquing while everything is in orientation (I.E.: not torquing one bolt with the control arm hanging off), you should be fine. TBH, when i first started wrenching many years ago I was obsessed with torquing everything to spec and ensuring everything was done EXACTLY to the FSM methods/specifications. I’ve contorted myself under cars many times with the wheel on the ground to torque bolts while it was was pre-loaded, put a jack under the tire (while it was supported on stands) to create a pre-load, and supported the control arm with both a jack or jack stand to create that load. Done it all. But IMO, I’ve come to realize most of the time it doesn’t matter as long as everything is back in its original orientation. Back in those days when I was overly obsessed, my next door neighbor was a 20+ year master mechanic, and he use to stop over from time to time when I was out in the garage and give me shit just for trying so hard and caring so much about it being done exactly to specification. I also have a couple good friends that are way more experienced mechanics than me with the supporting certifications to match, and to this day will still laugh at me for going so out of my way to even obtain torque specs and torque bolts to spec.....let a lone pre-load the suspension. But as you can see, I’m still a fan of my torque specs. If you really familiarize yourself with the automotive industry you’ll come to realize most shops and dealers tighten everything just hanging on the lift, not pre-loaded, hell...most of the time probably not even torquing anything to spec. Few ugga-duggas while hanging in the air...drop it, and the customer is on their way. Like I said definitely best practice, but as long as everything is assembled back in orientation, from my experiences it really doesn’t matter.
can you tell us what is the toolling used, I meant the impact gun, I need to buy one, what is your recomendation regards, good video
There a definitely a few nice impacts similar to mine on the market. I personally like Dewalt, another good brand would be Milwaukee. I would recommend a 1/2 drive. My Dewalt is a DCF894F.
Choose a good impact because it'll save you money down the road if you buy from that same brand. Such as by using the same batteries and chargers on the same tools
1/2 milwaukee high torque is the beast
@@TheOriginalBeeCee I cosign.. I have the Dewalt as well.. Dewalt tools in general. But the specs on that dewalt is ridiculous it will remove a crank pulley bolt like its butter. Milwaukee is definitely my second choice. But when you're buying cordless you've gotta look at the full product lineup... the dewalt batteries will work a lot of their tools more than any other company out there.
Hi how are you this part is still good in your car because I change also twice same brand which is (beck arle) but my one is band and my car start pulling I don't like this brand please can you suggest me any good quality brand please thank you
Sorry to hear you’re having problems with it. I would maybe suggest a Moog or just go OEM.
@@TheOriginalBeeCee thank you 😊 but I want tell you one thing I'm driving my car in Uber and Lyft and 2014 nissan altima 2.5L S thank you once again
Great job, thanks for the video very helpful, what were your symptoms of the control arm being bad?
This car was just not handling like it use to, on-top of being partnered with the control arm wear. There a few signs of a control arm going you can look for. If you are getting a clunking sound, creaking sounds..or slight creaking when turning, etc. But these noises need to be partnered with visual cracking/damage to the bushings and/or ball joint, because there are other suspension components that can make the same/similar sounds! So visually inspecting will go a long way with this, to see if the LCA's are your problem or if you see something else that looks wrong.
Mine is making like a rattling noise everytime I hit a bump & when I make a sharp turn sound like my tire is dragging making a squeaky noise
When you remove the two bolts for the struts do I have to worry about that thing becoming a projectile once bolts are out @beeceebuilt
Lol there is nothing here that is a potential projectile in any way. Its a loaded strut/spring assembly. You are not dis-assembling the strut and removing the spring, in which case you would need a MacPherson strut spring compressor, you are simply disconnecting the lower strut bolts. The strut is still compressed and fully assembled...that's how you remove a strut from a vehicle, you disconnect the bottom (remove 2 bolts), and take out the top 3 bolts, and drop the strut out.
Should you mark its position before loosing the bolt? In other words,does it have to go back to a precise location once reinstalling? Thank uou
@@frost5711 na
$1,900 was The quote for this job by the Nissan dealership. I found the control arms for 150 bucks on Amazon. New torque wrench was 35 bucks capacity up to 170 ft lb. Also on Amazon.
i got the same quote wow but 1930
Yea sounds about right. Always a $1000-$2000 quote on these things
I was quoted $1500 to have these replaced, should I just buy the arms with the ball joint assembly or do I need the sway and the bars too ?
Hey all you need is the full control arm with the ball joint already in it. I wouldn’t replace anything else until you’re in there and evaluate if anything else needs replacement.
@@TheOriginalBeeCee how you know when it needs to be replaced
@@nix_fx There a few signs of a control arm going you can look for. If you are getting a clunking sound, creaking sounds..or slight creaking when turning, etc. But these noises need to be partnered with visual cracking/damage to the bushings, like I showed @ 0:14....because there are other suspension components that can make the same/similar sounds!
@@TheOriginalBeeCee so if i order control arms it already has the bushings??? i don’t need to order bushing separately?
@@TyraStinnettsLife yup! Exactly, they are built in
Is it the same for the 12 maxima
Not gonna be the same, but similar.
Does it clunk when it needs replacing or just visually inspect the joints
There a few signs of a control arm going you can look for. If you are getting a clunking sound, creaking sounds..or slight creaking when turning, etc. But these noises need to be partnered with visual cracking/damage to the bushings, because there are other suspension components that can make the same/similar sounds!
@@TheOriginalBeeCeeok thank you so much!
How much of a difference is it to disassemble and replace between the driver and passenger side?
They are exactly the same, same removal and procedure for both sides.
I'm going to be doing same job on a 2015 Nissan Quest. Am I correct in assuming the process and torque values are the same as what you did in this video? Nice job!
I’m not familiar with the Quest design, so I couldn’t give direct feedback on it. Although I don’t think its going to be exactly the same, its definitely going to be similar and the approach would be the same. I would imagine the torque specs might be a bit different as well, but here is a link to the FSM for the Quest where you can obtain the correct torque specs:
www.nicoclub.com/nissan-service-manuals
Hey can you do this without an impact gun?
Yea you definitely can. Will take a lot more time and not be fun at all lol….but definitely can do it.
I’m having so much trouble putting that damn ball joint into the knuckle? I have everything align & the ball joint is sitting directly under the steering knuckle hole but won’t go in 🤦🏻♂️
Did you disconnect strut at knuckle like I did in the video?
I meant tears in the bushings. I didn't mind replacing them...as I wanted to replace the cv axles anyway. The Lower control arms were harder to replace than I expected!
Using a short impact socket is suggested, in my opinion.
…if you don’t have it jacked up that high like I did, then yes that could definitely be beneficial. Otherwise, doesn’t really matter.
I just tried this job. Bought my stuff from Amazon. And I spent 3 hours fighting with it.. turns out it was the wrong part. The mounting holes didn't align. Uhh..
Anhh damn that sucks. Sorry to hear. Get Moog Arms if you haven’t already re-ordered.
How do you know the amount of foot pounds you’re torquing it to? Experience?
A torque wrench. Its a specific style socket wrench that you set to a certain amount of foot pounds (or inch pounds, depending on application), and it clicks when you reach that pre-set torque spec.
You can always remove the nut from the link and tie rod and turn the knuckle out of the way.
Personally, removing the 2 strut-to-knuckle bolts is much easier. Especially when you got a impact.
Awesome video!
Thank you! I appreciate it!
How are the control arms doing now ever since you replaced it ? I want to know if it’s a good quantity parts
Ehh they aren’t horrible, but some premature cracking (IMO) on the bushings is starting. No symptoms or anything like that…just some visible bushing cracking.
Could u be available to do the rear control Arms?
I honestly have no need to do them as they are in good condition, but if it ever comes up I surely would do a video on it!
Awesome video please put more video like that very helpful
Definitely 👍 appreciate the comment!
Where did you buy your control arm ?
Rockauto
I beat myself to death doing the left one and I was trying to figure out some way to make the right one less difficult. It occurred to me that pulling the shock might make it much more possible.
Or maybe using strut compression clamps.
I would personally recommend taking the strut out as I outlined in the video. By far the easiest quickest way in my opinion.
A lot of details, thanks!!
Appreciate the comment 🙏
Oem parts it’s always better to go with aftermarket part a little bigger that’s why he had a little slight problem
Yea, that had nothing to do with it lol. But these control arms were trash.
onstalling lower control arms with two flexible bushes seem to always kick my butt...
Definitely never fun. But removing the lower strut mount as i did in the video makes life a wholee lot easier!
What symptoms were you having
This car had some slight clunking. But there a few signs of a control arm going you can look for. If you are getting a clunking sound, creaking sounds..or slight creaking when turning, etc. But these noises need to be partnered with visual cracking/damage to the bushings, because there are other suspension components that can make the same/similar sounds!
Jack trick not working. It just moves the knuckle and strut away from ball joint.
Thank you for the awesome video I did exactly how you did it but was still a pain in the ass to install the arm back in . The lower link that connects to the sway bar would keep hitting the control arm . Removed the bottom bolt for that link kit and the back control arm bolt went right the fuck in lol smfh . Now I know . Right on again thank you for being so detailed !
I appreciate the comment! Glad you got it 🤙
So....easy peasy, just hard labor....did my coilovers just last month so was just taking a look at this for my brother's car
Not too hard, just getting new one in can be a PITA.
@@TheOriginalBeeCee working on my brothers car now finally, and its definitely stuck in their. Got the first part out using my breaker/pry bar, now the rears are being difficult
@@bestbomb17 try to get a straight angle when pulling it out. I kinda just pulled them out by hand once the ball joint was separated, but you can use a big pry bar as well to help.
@@TheOriginalBeeCee thanks, got it out little while ago hehe, dont get me started on install, gonna have to bring it in to work for master tech to do wheel bearings though, dont have a press
@@bestbomb17 glad you got it out. But lol yea man getting it back in can be a PITA like I said lol. But you could replace whole front wheel hub
Wow I paid 1500 at the dealer for a 10 min job. My next maintenance is motor mounts 1200$ but I'm do it myself
Thanks man , good job
Appreciate the comment!
My control arms were the same on the maxima. Came out no problem. Putting them back in was a nightmare. 5 months later the tire shop could not get the alignment right with my new tires. Control arms were bad in 5 months. Word of advise. Buy a good brand. Not ebay garbage. Went with moog with the next set.
Amen. Preach. This control arms were trash too. Went bad in under a year, now replaced with Moog as well. I actually have another video coming out soon in regards to it.
Thanks
Take off the strut. Take off the tie bar. Do not try do do it without this. 1,000,000 times easier. Thank you!
6:38😂 and thank you
😆😆🙏🙏🙏🙏
Where the jack stands ? Lol 2:25
Lol more like where is the jack to get it higher lol
It took me 2 hrs just to get one back in 🤦🏼♂️
Ahhh 😩 def easier getting them out then getting them back in lol.
Sort this by front and not just control arm
Done 👍
Black Air Force activity
*Dusty Crusty black AF1 activity
I mean why fast forward what you did 👎🏾👎🏾
It aint that deep Chrissy.