gamb1t

iTrader: (10)

How's it going everyone.

I took the 350 to darin (great guy) at west end to get an alignment b/c it was drifting right continually. he wasn't able to get it back to spec, and said there appears to be damage from the Z hitting something from underneath (ie. a pothole) on both the front and back passenger side. Here are his notes and what he thinks might be the possible problems. I'd appreciate it if i could get input on whether you all think anything else might be wrong, so I can see if I can get it replaced under warranty. I'd just like to make sure i covered all possible areas of the suspension before going to the stealership, b/c they'll try to say nothing is wrong (as they tried to do when i went in to get a replacement wheel bearing, even though the wheel could be noticeably shaken when the car was lifted). Here's Darin's input and his ideas on what might be wrong:

1. Rt. Front Caster Low 1.0 Degrees - Lower support arm
2. Rt front camber High .75 Degrees- knuckle (camber kit might fix)
3. Rt. rear toe-bolt at max toe-in position - knuckle/steering arm (camber kit w/bolts might fix)

a little background to help: awhile ago i also took the 350 to makito at 7 apple (another great person to do business w/) to respray the front bumper+hood+08 headlights+what i thought was some kind of deep scratch on the right front fender. he checked it out and turns out it was actually cracked bondo from a crappy paintjob. when i got the car the clown previous owner told me he replaced all 4 tires b/c he hit a pothole and punctured one. being ignorant at the time i didn't realize it must have been a severe hit and he damaged the passenger front/rear suspension + the fender (which of course he covered up and didn't tell me about ). Makito told me he found no frame damage when he worked on it, and darin said the same thing, so at least i got lucky there since i plan to track the car this summer.

I was reading previous threads where ppl hit objects/avoided objects (...armadillos) and damaged the lower control arm on the front suspension, and i was told that that is usually one of the 1st places to bend under an impact. I also sometimes hear a popping noise on cold days when turning RIGHT only, which i thought might be a damaged steering arm/rack or loose bolt.

I'd appreciate any extra ideas.

Z1 Performance

iTrader: (564)

any sort of damage likely would not be covered under warranty, but that is separate

First, you have zero details about your car listed, so awfully hard to make a suggestion. Second, your alignment person is your best resource for locating any potential damage since he has the car in front of him, and can go through it thoroughly. None of us here can do that

front camber is not adjustable on the car, and thus, can differ side to side

davidv

iTrader: (2)

Don't be too hard on yourself buying a used car, and not seeing damage. Damage can he well hidden.

Best of luck getting suspension fixed under warranty. As you mentioned these components are possibly bent. Doubt if Nissan will give you a free fix.

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

Start measuring, looking at bushings, etc etc. Is the car lowered?

gamb1t

iTrader: (10)

sorry bout that the lack of details. pics probably won't help much either because darin wasn't able to see any obvious bends or damage, so it looks like i won't be able to check until i remove the pieces. i figured it was worth a shot to ask anyway just to brainstorm. yes, the warranty might not cover the suspension parts, but it's always worth it to try. i was able to get the wheel bearing for the passenger front replaced under warranty before, back when i thought that the wheel bearing was the only thing wrong w/the suspension.

car is NOT lowered, completely stock suspension. kind of pointless for me to upgrade the suspension since my current track skill will probably be fine with stock suspension. if it turns out i will need to replace quite a bit, then yes i'll probably resort to getting coilovers and front+rear camber kit along with wheels before i hit the track

@terrasmak, do you know where can i find the dimensions for the pieces to have something to measure against? or do you mean compare to stock undamaged pieces?

terrasmak

iTrader: (8)

Just measure from the pick up points to fixed objects from side to side. Look for differences.

gamb1t

iTrader: (10)

sorry for the ancient bump, just wanted to update the thread.

i got both tension+compression rods and passenger front lower control arm replaced under warranty, but the car is still drifting slightly right. I tried to measure the knuckle, but I can't seem to find any differences there. does anyone have any other ideas for possible damages? i also can't find anymore bushing damage beyond the lca.

A side note to this is when i turn full lock right, a grinding noise (not brakes) is coming only from the passenger front wheel area. can't figure out the cause for this either.

Also, are there any links with the Z's suspension broken down? I want to read up more on the set up so I can look for the problem myself.

thanks