Subd. I need to do mine soon. Just sitting in trunk.

UPDATE: Good news! With the help of a friend who knows which way to turn a wrench, the problem with the diff has been fixed. Turns out the diff stud and nut started to cross thread about midway, which explains why it was never torqueing down and allowed the entire diff to bounce. Took about 2-3 hours total. Once the diff was out, we removed the stripped stud with vice grips. Used two nuts to drive the new stud into the diff cover. Reinstall went smoothly and I'm once again a happy boy.

Hey guys is what I'm describing in this thread sounds like a bushing issue ?

https://my350z.com/forum/2003-2009-n...l#post10668880

Thank you !

Just installed using this method!! Very detailed and helped a lot!
A little more emphasis on " bench pressing" the subframe back up ;)

I notice that Z and G with upgraded transmission mounts usually do not suffer from damaged differential subframe bushings. As a preventative and cost effective measure, I highly recommend replacing the stock transmission mounts. The stock transmission mounts allow inches of movements, twisting the differential subframe bushings significantly.

Also, another thing I have noticed is that the the bushings in the differential carriers never go bad. I personally wouldn't replace those ones just to save a little bit of time.

This install i have done in the last weekend and i must say between you and Z33Garage it made things less intimidating for me.

I was perplexed when bolting up the diff ear bushings as i forgot which way the thin steel washer went went that bolts to the underside of the car.

after watching some videos in slo-mo i realized is pointy side up as its a concave washer.

my bush press was pretty ghetto and made from 6mm thick right angle steel with threaded rod. i also ended up tapping the bushing in with a block of wood and mallet. bloody easy.

the real nightmare was perfectly centering the diff ear holes and the sway bar, as well as the rear muffler.

some black grease got the muffler on pretty well. never fails. now just need the 100kms before i re-torque.

brilliant write up, good work

Btw the fsm says to replace the axle fasteners and the nuts on the driveshaft

How hard and fast is this rule?

Got quoted $250aud from Nissan for all 16 set of fasteners and subject to min purchase quantity.

Might tackle this sometime this week, page 8 is my friend and the more I read the more confusing it gets...

I need to do this. The black **** is starting to slowly ooze out

being able to do something like this yourself is inspiring and confidence building.

feel free to PM me for any questions as its all still fresh in my head.

The OP has heaps of good karma coming his way as it seemed intimidating at first but following this method breaks it down a bit and each person tends to do things a bit different or find a new way to do things.

i didnt use new fasteners in the end and the car hasnt exploded so reusing the original ones seems to be ok.

Mine has had a racing stripe for a long time, I got new whiteline bushings for the differential and subframe, I was checking to see if people put the skinny bushing on top as instructions say, or flip them around and have the larger bushings on top like it seems some people do.

I'll probably just follow the instructions...

So question how in the world do you get a torque wrench on those driveshaft bolts... Theirs like no room for a socket...

Also was anyone elses swau bar removal a complete pain in the ass?

Actually a bunch of those bolts really sucked...

My sway bar is cake and you don't need to TQ everything in life

They do suck and it's not easily possible to do anything about torquing them. I also just went with my gut on torque and used a paint pen to mark them and recheck them later. It's pretty easy when it takes 99% of your strength to break something loose. Put it back on very tight!
I thought I missed something on the sway bar. I still remember spending 10 minutes twisting and moving it around trying to get it out then spending 30-40 minutes trying to get it back in. I guess taking the end links off or the exhaust out of the way would help but that is just as frustrating...

O yeah I took off my exhaust, no way I was getting it off with that in the way... Took a bunch of pics so I can put it back together hopefully without issues... Got my subframe bushings in the mail today, hopefully those bolts cooperate for me.

And a money shot too..


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/my350z....7c796ab764.jpg
Thanks Nissan

I know some places are saying to flip the diff ear bushing and ditch the rubber washer but I have done as they advised. I know you mentioned something about flipping the diff ear bushes from fat bush on top to the thin on the bottom etc, some people have, but Whiteline say this adjusts the diff angle and can have other effects with NVH. I just did as they advised, thin on top and fat on bottom and its been all good.


for your driveshaft's I recall using a pair of ring spanners and use one for each side.


I locked one spanner against the body and pounded the hell out of the other spanner with my hand or dead blow.


to torque them I locked a ring spanner on one side against the body and used a combo of pivot/goose neck extension and a deep socket.


the sway bar was a pain but when unbolted took 20 seconds to remove but then took 10-20 minutes to put back in. so much stuff in the way.


for the main tail shaft I am pretty sure I used a batt powered rattle gun to loosen. I torqued them up by using the ring spanner against the body method.


like bjr mentioned I marked them off as I torqued them down.

guys... you'll save yourself all kids of headache if you drop the back section of your exhaust out of the way

as far as using a torque wrench on the axle bolts... you can use a crow foot wrench or use a torque wench on a similar bolt out of the car and feel how tight they are with two wrenches and then just repeat on the car... exact torque value on these is not imperative (if it tighter then suggested torque) as long as they are tight... I always use lock-tite on drive shaft bolts/u-joints... that's the last thing you want coming off going down the road

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/my350z....bd65e6e7aa.jpg

also word to the wise... make sure you unplug your speed sensors... or you'll get a nice surprise when you drop the diff... few guys in my club forgot that part

The only thing I forgot about was the breather hose, but I couldn't even get to it till I dropped the pumpkin a little bit..

I used an impact for removing almost everything, I was able to sneak it in most spots with a swivel.. Im planning to take off my subframe also to replace those bushings and hopefully make removing that center bushing more pleasant...

My worries are in those kidney looking braces, I just hope the bolts come out without any issues... (I broke one when I removed my W brace, it sucked)

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...psgjpnhrmj.jpg

This the method I used to retorque the fasteners on the drive shaft

Attachment 384388

What i used to retorque bolts

Getting those oem bushings out sure is a big mess, besides the passenger side being filled with a disgusting mystery fluid, they both produced endless amounts of metal shards that seemed to love the screwdriver I was using... Still cleaning it up, didnt have much time yesterday but mad props to anyone who can do this whole job by themselves in one day... I certainly couldn't.

Well I dont exactly love my new grooves but they are out... I kinda wish I had tried the Hammer method a bit sooner.. O well


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/my350z....210e3620f9.jpg

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/my350z....3d885b4067.jpg

Is this normal have a gap between the subframe and differential mounting stud.
Everything is torqued to spec :|

-rottingcat
No it's not. I didn't notice that on mine and the nut worked its way off and i broke the stud. I had no time to fix it properly since i had to go to work the next day but i would guess that it is at the wrong angle. Between the different brands of bushings it seemed arguable whether or not to reuse any of the oem washers. If you have the time to research how to set pinion angle properly and enough energy to mess around with different thicknesses of washers i recommend you do so.
I "fixed" mine by putting a new stud in and using two nuts with locktite and have 110,000 on the upgrade so don't worry too much but realize if the case doesnt hit the frame and bushing square it will work its way loose!
Let us all know how it turns out!

ps it looks like you are at an angle. Tight against the case at the to and a gap at the bottom? Exactly what i had. I did not use any oem washers but always thought trying one in there would make it correct.

Thank you for your reply! Yes it is at an angle the top is actually making contact with the subframe.

I am probably going to add the OEM washer plate at the top of where the ears mount to the subframe to see if it will fix the problem. Will update! Also I have emailed SPL too.

Hearing you talk about the ears and SPL reminds me of one more thing you can check. I bought a cheaper kit from Torque Solutions(?) and all 4 ear bushings were exact same thickness. I emailed them and they insisted all 4 are the same and it's ok. However, a lot of other kits (comparing other solid kits and also urethane kits) seem to have one thickness for the top and one for the bottom. If SPL is this way and you randomly put them in you could be crooked from front to rear causing the angle plus possibly left to right - so be sure and take another close look at your ear bushings.
If you don't get a response from SPL this is where you should start - going through this thread and looking at the discussions related to the ears being installed wrong and measuring yours if SPL can't help you. I suppose you could somehow measure them without taking anything apart too. If left on your own try the washer to get it level and it would be even better to look up how to check pinion angle and measure that too after you get the gap fixed. I've always wanted to follow up with that but guess I am too lazy. Good luck!

Update please!

just installed z1 diff bushings using this guide.

Few things i ran into is that the rear diff bushing has to sit flush with the rear of the sub frame (rear of car), and unlike the spl bushings the z1 bushings reuse the gold washers on the diff ears (this is according to z1 after speaking to them on the phone).

unrelated i did a nismo diff cover since i dropped the diff, the diff breather is the biggest pain in the ass to put in!

Agreed! I remember screwing around with that stupid thing trying to get it to fit for what felt like an hour.