I use a hammer, a socket the size of the yoke and a large punch ( in my case it's a center pin from a rear diff that holds the spider gears in place ) and hammer them in and out. I've done so many this way on the trail I do it this way at the shop. The press can mess up the yoke if not centered well so just keep an eye on it.
The manual actually says to use a hammer too, so that’s what I’ll do. Still haven’t found part numbers for the front bolts/nuts yet but have to be getting close.
As a side note those clips can be a pain but side cutters work well to pinch them in. If they seem to be stuck pinch them in and twist the cutters and it usually pulls them out of the grove.
Low speed and much more pronounced when going between forward and reverse, and seems much louder when first driven (cold). Turning into and out of parking spots with a slight incline is loudest where I can also feel it through the floor.
Yeah, the rear looked fine. I didn’t even change that ujoint yet because I was tapped out yesterday. It’s not constant at all. I’ve attempted to stick a camera under there a few times and of course can’t replicate it when it’s recording. Going to try again this morning. It seems like it’s definitely in the front. More on the left but occasionally on the right.
I’ll check them. I should clarify though that it doesn’t happen ‘when’ I switch directions, but that’s what resets it essentially. I’ll get one really good clunk then a couple smaller ones then it won’t do it again until after I switch directions. I’ve checked all my suspension mounts/bolts and they seem fine. I initially thought it was my UCA bushing failing, but it’s not just a single clunk — it definitely seems like it’s with motion. This morning I’m going to put the camera underneath pointed up at the inside of the wheel and hopefully it will do it.
IMO it could also be a wheel hub. Mine was pretty clunky on the bench after removal but I couldn’t get any sense of looseness when installed. I tried rocking the suspended front wheels to check for play but I suspect my skinny self couldn’t generate enough force compared to a 5000# vehicle in motion.
Actually more importantly, what happened when your cam bolts failed? I don’t know for sure it’s the bushing and not the bolt or some other thing. I just know what’s in the above video.
Off road centered. Claims more travel. Doesn't have sway bar mounts. About $1200 for the pair. They might only have Titan width too. Don't know if they do an Xterra set.
I’m going to go down in a minute and mark current position then turn each side and see if the whole thing turns or what. Last week there was one instance of a big crunch/clunk I’m sure something broke. If it was the bushing I can at least make it to work and back tomorrow (knock on wood). If the bolt broke that’s a disaster waiting to happen and I’m parking it.
I won’t know for sure until I take it all apart tomorrow, but I was able to undo the nut with ease and the eccentric washer on that side spun with it, while the washer on the bolt side didn’t move at all.
I considered doing that instead of replacing the arms but everything I read said the task was terrible. If the bushings on my new ones go bad again that will likely be the route I take.
They’re not greasable bushings, but I guess I can do the outsides or wherever I can get some. I had the ball joints out Friday night and tested for any play by twisting, pulling, etc. It wasn’t making noise yet then though. I’m confident it’s that exact bushing because I held a mic up to both bushings and the ball joint while moving and no question it’s that one.
