Xterra Proper Height from Frame to Ground

Hello all,

I have a question concerning height of the X from the ground measuring from the bottom frame.

- What is the original height?

Reason I'm asking is that I took my new X back to the dealer to be re-aligned (steering to the left). I hangout and saw the tech worked on my X spoke to him a couple times to why it happened and saw him played with the torsion bar. When I got it back, the truck is steering the opposite and the X felt a little lower than usual.

Anyone have a number I can use for reference when I get it back to them to be re-align?

Thanks for all the help...

DeepSIX
Mike

the truck is steering the opposite?

Please explain, that makes no sense. was it pulling right and now it is pulling left?

why not take a mesurement from a stock truck on a dealers lot ?

or a buddy with an X


Ari , i am comming over to take a mesurement of your truck on monday , i want to see how much i gained with AAL this weekened

Matt,

Yes.. It was steering to the left before the alignment. After the alignment, it is now steering to the right...

I just checked the torsion bar and it looks like it was adjusted about 3 inches based on the screw marking.

I saw the tech using an air-wrench to adjust the bolt without 'unlocking' the lock nut... Is that bad? I'll check again and make sure he did not 'screw-up' the screw. It looks like he did though.

Thanks
DeepSIX
Mike

Not accurate enough.
I've seen Xterras, on the lot, with a variance of almost 2 inches from the factory.

The only accurate measurement up front is from the center of the lower control arm pivot bolt to the bottom of the steering stop. It should be between 1.7" and 1.95" or so on a 4X4.

Deepsix, talk to your Nissan dealer. The torsion bar adjusting bolt should never be adjusted with air tools, it can damage it easily. Both of mine are in very bad shape from my dealer trying this.

Ian,

Thanks for the info. I will be confronting them on this and will tell them what to do.

Should I demand a replacement for these two piece (left and right) if found partial damaged?

BTW, are they supposed to touch this when aligning the front?

Also, the info you gave me, is that on the service manual anywhere?

Thanks again!
DeepSIX
Mike

The ride height info was posted by OffRoadX last year some time, my numbers may be off just a bit. He got the values from the service manual, not the owners manual.

During an alignment, the torsion bars shouldn't need adjusting unless the ride height is incorrect.

Camber and caster are adjusted by the eccentric bolts on the upper control arm. Don't let them touch those with air tools either, my dealer stripped one of my cams.

Toe-in is adjusted by the steering tie-rods.

That's why my bolts and nuts were striped when i installed the Nissan motorsports T-bars myself. stupid Nissan techs

Hi all,

I brought my X back to the dealer for a re-alignment and now they took my X to an outside alignment shop. This is due to the fact that they can not do it! Is that weird or normal?

I have a rental, Jeep liberty , to play with for two days. This thing is actually not bad

I told them my concern and they said they always use air-tools to adjust those torsion bar bolt. They been doing that for a long time! They said 4000 lbs is hard to turn and need to use an air-tools.

Now can anyone tell me that after loosing up the lock nut that it is not 4000 lbs you're turning?

Do I make sense? :p

DeepSIX
Mike

The easiest way to measure is the distance from the front lower a-arm inner pivot bolt to ground minus the distance from the bottom of the steering stopper bracket to ground. The difference should be between 1.8 to 1.95 inches. Doesn't seem like alot but because your measuring the difference in suspension location in can make a bigger difference in actual ride height.

As far as the weight on the torsion bar adjuster it's not 4000 lbs. but it is alot. Basicly all the support for that corner of the veh does transfere back thru the torsion bar to the adjuster.

Scary part of the whole deal is they were fucking w/ the suspension to correct a pull but they don't due alignments

Be sure to get a print-out of the current alignment conditions no matter who does it. That or take away their ball of string so they can't screw with someone else's ride.

Nut

Nissan techs are wimps! Granted, they aren't easy, but with a breaker bar, they aren't too bad. That's just laziness, but I understand that I would probably use them anywhere I get tired of wrenching...

Matt

They suck.
Air tools are great for putting nuts on, and taking them off, and torquing them almost to the final spec.

The torsion bar adjuster is always under extreme load, so the air wrench is doing more damage because it can't just spin the nut, it has to hammer it around. This eats up the nut quickly.

-- One other thing, since I am still learning the parts of my X and know nothing about where this and that parts, I decided to measure the height from the top of the rim to the lower lip of the wheel well. They measure 10.5 inches right and 10.75 on left (seating on the driver seat).

I saw three different X and measured them discreetly and got 11.0 - 11.5 average.

How about a consensus among the veterans on this board!

Please...

DeepSIX
Mike

Don't bother measuring from anything on the frame to anyhing on the body, it's not accurate enough.

Measuring from the rim depends on whether the truck has 15, 16 or 17 inch wheels.

Measure the front from the lower control arm pivot bolt to the bottom of the steering stop.

Measure the rear from the axle tube to the bumpstop.

Any other measurement is useless.

That's BS.. I installed Nissan T-bars on my own. After I finished the installation, I had to adjust the heights on both side to make them even. I didn't even jack my X up at all and it was really easy to turn the nuts. You DON'T even need the air-tool at all. As long as you loose up the lock nuts, you are good to go. Just becareful down there, always have jack stands in place in case something goes wrong.. Those techs are just too lazy to use hands to adjust them. It'll only mess up your bolts and nuts.(mine are already messed up from manufacture. i am replacing them myself this weekend)

Ian,

Thanks for the reply. Do you have photo reference to where I can find the parts you are refering?

Thanks a Mil!
DeepSIX (learning fast)
Mike :rolleyes:

[ 01-24-2002: Message edited by: DeepSIX ]

Here ya go...

Brent

I believe the clearance is 9" w/ the 16" grabbers.

OffroadX: Thank you...

DeepSIX
Mike

Your points of measurments confuse me. I am not sure where the lower pivot point and steering stop points you mentioned are at. This bothers me because I am a pretty good mechanic??????? I am frustrated. Looking at the service manual page tells me little. Do you have a pic pointing to each location??

The bottom of the steering stop is right where the top of the 3 in the 3/8 is in the lower right of this picture:
pic (from Ian's site)

The pivot is shown here:

pic

Brent