Need automotive advice ('93 maxima gxe)

[wasssup]

Well, my parent's maxima seems to be dying..the engine's running strong, sure, but everything else is going.

We've been told by several mechanics that the front left axle had to be changed -- so my dad had that (among other things) worked on at GoodYear (they charged $200 just for the axle). Anyway, when we got it back we noticed the car wobbled a lot (the steering wheel was no longer firm, it just kept jerking left and right). We took it back yesterday, and they said they saw the problem and would take care of it. When we picked it up today they said they had to warranty the part and put a new one on. I just got back from driving it home and the same damn problem was there!

Well, I don't know that much about cars, so I don't really know what's causing this...could they have used a smaller axle than the one that should be on there? I regret telling them not to go to the dealer (the dealer wanted $500, but more than likely the work would have been done properly). Anyone have a clue...?

 

[psteng19]

An axle replacement only costed me $120 on my Sentra (non-OEM part), but I haven't been experiencing the problems that you stated.

Was goodyear using genuine Nissan parts?
Even aftermarket parts are pretty much standard fit, so you shouldn't be wobbling like that.

I found that while Nissan has excellent engines and trannies, all the other supporting pieces aren't as durable.
Maybe it's my Northeast climate (snowy winters, humid summers), but the bottom of my car is so rusted, things are falling apart left and right (exhaust, cv joints/boots).

 

[wasssup]

nope, they weren't using genuine nissan parts 🙁

my parents are planning to get rid of the car within the next year or two (parents are relocating to dallas because of my dad's work), so once they got settled there they were going to sell it and buy a new one..however the problem is quite bad, and considering he had $500 of work done that day you'd figure they would at least do a job good enough so we wouldn't notice any problems.

I called them up, and they said they would take it for a test drive (again).

 

Possible causes of steering wheel shimmy after axle replacement ;

(1)Improperly torqued wheel bearing
(2)Damaged wheel bearing from improper axle replacement procedure
(3)Incorrectly assembled out CV joint on new axle
(4)Damaged ball joint from improper use of pickle fork (Ball joint removal tool)
(5)Damaged belts in tire (Where the tires rotated during axle reaplacement ?)
(6)Distorted steering knuckle (Unlikely)
(7)Overtorqued wheel studs


If it shimmy's while braking only,warped or improperly seated rotors. (Seated against wheel bearing hub)

 

[Bluefront]

Obviously the shop screwed something up, assuming that problem was not there before they started the work. Keep bugging them until they fix it right.

By left axle you mean the driver side? If so, this is the easier of the two axles to replace. An after-market axle around here is about $135 or so. You do not have to remove the ball joint to replace either axle on this Maxima. This left side can be rather tricky, particularly if you have limited slip (I think that's what nissan calls it). When you insert the axle back into the transmission, there are two sets of splines that have to engage. It is possible to do the job wrong and only get the first set of splines engaged. The thing will assemble that way, but the axle will be somewhat loose, may leak oil, eventually will damage the transmission. I suppose you could also feel a wobble in the steering. Get it fixed ASAP.

 

[SuperTool]

The remanufactured axles are $100/piece. Why would they not use those, is beyond me.
Also, axle issue is not same as car falling apart. I had mine replaced when the CV boots went on my 96 maxima.
No lingering effects. I have 110K on it, drives just fine.

 

[RGN]

head over to http://forums.maxima.org and post this. THey might have some insight. My family has a 93 GXE and its been fine. My 92 SE is fine but it only has 61K on it.