This seems like a bigger problem than just having to replace the parts ever so often. I mean, you guys are spending $500-$800 for a kit that is supposed to fix the problem of steering parts going bad with a lift.

What's the point of getting it to begin with?

So basically, by getting the kit you just bought yourself a subscription to keep buying and replacing parts?

Has anybody looked into getting a set of graphite lined, or oil impregnated, bushings to put in there, so you could rule out "lubrication" as a potential problem?

My guess is this. You've got a ton of force coming into the steering, and it's got to go somewhere. Which would you rather replace, bushings, or centerlink?

Yes, it's a PIA. Understandable. No steering solution for the Nissan will last forever. The benefit to the aftermarket setups is that they're REBUILDABLE, for CHEAP, as opposed to the stock that's not.

So the bushings are cheap and easy to replace?

Sure if $54 every 3-6 months is cheap. Over the life of the truck I'm going to have an extra grand just in idler arm bushings.

Obviously, this isn't a permanent solution to the steering problem. I guess my expectations were higher. I thought it would last longer the the stock center link. The problem has just moved to a different part wearing out. I could have stuck with the stock steering and replaced the center link twice a year. I could have bought almost 4 of them for what I paid for this.

When the stock steering goes bad with a lift, you're left with a very unsafe vehicle. The plastic bushing on the stock steering linkage can fail rapidly (within a day of serious off-roading) causing a very sloppy ride.

Once the bushing is gone, the pivot on the idler side can start to bend, weakening the part. I have two where the pivot is bent 10 degrees or more. Once the pivot is worn that much, failure may not be far off, and could lead to an accident.

The CALMINI system does have a wear issue with the idler bushings, but even when worn, there is no chance of any of it breaking due to how stout the product is.

Bushings and bearings are service parts, they are designed to wear over time. Some people are seeing accelerated wear, and others are seeing none at all. I myself am on my 2nd set of bushings, and they are worn, and the steering is sloppy. I too am looking/waiting for a solution.

My take on the situation is that bronze bushings work great for rotating parts, but the idler arm doesn't rotate more than 90 degrees, which puts a load on only a small section of the bearing. This load causes the bearing to heat and wear at that area only due to up and down movement at the tierod end of the idler arm.
If you crank the wheel all the way to one side or the other, then check the amount of play, you will notice it is less than when the wheel is straight ahead. This is why I recommended rotating the bushing 90 degrees to take up a bit of play, I did it on my first set of bushings when they were wearing, and it gave them a bit more life.

I (and others) believe a tapered roller bearing is the solution. Tapered bearings (like the wheel bearings on your Xterra) are designed to handle radial and thrust loads, that's how your wheels run true in a straight line, but also handle side loads from cornering. It remains to be seen if this will help the problem, since once again, you will have a bearing that is only being loaded in a small area, and bronze or ball or roller, they will still be subjected to wear.

In conclusion, the stock steering bushings wear out, the CALMINI bushings wear out, and the SLR bearings wear out. Wheel bearings also wear out, along with dozens of other bearings on a mechanical device like the Xterra. This is due to them being service parts that do their job until they can't do it any longer.

Where do we go from here ?
If the bronze bushings can be found at a good price (I saw a McMaster Carr listing on NOR that was very reasonable, not sure if it fits) or CALMINI can offer them at a good price, then owners of this system may be required to change the bushings every couple of months, just like they would change their oil filter, air filter or other service parts. CALMINI states that the system is completely servicable on their website, and that is an honest description of the product. It needs to be greased often (like CTMs bearing-less u-joints) in order to keep wear to a minimum, and it needs to be inspected often to make sure it's working in top condition (not just the bushings, but the center link ball joints as well).

Thanks Ian.

Very well explained. If you are going to abuse your Xterra (and I do) with offroading, it only makes sense to maintain highly stressed components.

I do not feel screwed by Calmini. Changing out the bushings is not hard people. If doing this in your driveway is difficult, then the risks in offroading should keep you away, far away! Things will break when taken to their limits. The Xterra is an awesome offroading vehicle. On almost every single trailrun I have been on we always pass a broken Jeep. Its part of the game and the Xterra is a winner!

I completely understand what you're saying Ian, and I gues pretty much agree with you.

For the most part, I guess I'm just blowing off steam. I'm fully aware that parts will wear out and that's what the bushings are essentially designed to do, but I expected longer life than 3 months out of them for a system built as robust as it is.

My biggest beef was mainly the way I was treated. I was talked down to and pretty much dismissed. I expected better than that from a company I've already spent a couple thousand of my hard earned $$ with (and had planned on spending much more with as well.)

I may be incorrect, but I don't think they are a standard machine bushing. I wouldn't know though, I haven't really looked into it. But I will on Monday. Interesting.

That's not a bad idea either. Of course you would have to harden the bores in the idler arm, and bore them to accept the races for the bearing. That could potentially drive up the cost of the idler a good bit..

At any extent, I think that having to pay $40-50 every two or three months if you offroad hard, is what excites some of us here. That being said, I will rotate my bushings and see if it helps until new ones arrive.

Thanks Ian for allowing us to discuss this openly here.

$54???!!!

Seriously, invest in a caliper, measure the suckers the next time you get new ones, and start looking on Mcmaster Carr's website. Those suckers better be made out of gold, if you're having to pay $27 APEICE for 'em!

No Porche, gold won't work..too soft.

What is the material that U-joints are made of.. the part that moves back & forth that is. they see very little movement, 10 or 20 degrees maybe.. they see all the torque the tranny can put out in 1st.. and last 100,000 miles, with no detectable wear..

U-joints use needle bearings, except for the new, off-road only designed bronze bushing u-joints from CTM, which require constant greasing and can't be used for daily driving.

Here's some info.

http://www.ctmracing.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=4-C144-1881

That's where the problem seems to lie, some people are getting very short life out of them, and some are getting long life.

I think trying to track down the cause is the most important thing at this point, followed by either a change in bushing design, or a much better price for replacements.

If replacements could be had for $10 or so, I don't think anyone would complain about doing it a couple times a year, and just rolling that cost and maintenance into the cost of 4-wheeling.

I have a set of the McMasters Carr bushings. They are the same size but do not look like the are the same quality of bronze. I know nothing about metals. They are very cheap though at $2.33 each. I had to buy my last set from Calmini which with shipping was $54.

I really do not want to pay that every few months. My steering is unsafe at this point with the worn bushings. At highway speeds its very difficult to keep a hold of the wheel. I've got a lot of wheel shake. I don't know what the solution is either other than SAS and right now that's not an option.

The claim on the website is true. But, you can also rebuild the stock system as well and save the initial $500.

From what you guys are saying, 3" of lift is just not worth the exorbant cost (initial and ongoing) and continued maintaniance.

Oh yes it is... It's either lift it, or break stuff underneath, or get stuck.

the steering maintenence is well worth it, if you offroad.

As to the McMastercarr bushings, you need to get a set of the thrust bearings, which run around $17 apeice for their hardest/best quality bronze.

I don't think a tapered bearing would work, because at the size we're talking about, they aren't really strong enough for the hits they're going to have to take. The stats on the ones I can find, are only in the 1000 lb of force range, which I don't think would be strong enough, considering the weight of an Xterra/Frontier.

That's true.

Ian: the bushing I need to rotate is the one this guy is holding in his hand?

Wich size is the ilder arm nut?

No, it's not. I have no idea what that is, it's not part of the steering kit. The bushings are in the arm itself, with the sleeve going through them.

I have the Idler Arm from Calmini but not the Steering System. Is this occurring with just the Idler Arm or just the Idler Arm contained in the Steering Kit? I am just about to have my UCA bushings replaced due to excessive play.

Well I rotated mine, took it to 4x4Parts to get the alignment done, and they said it was too worn and they couldn't work on it that way.

So I guess I need to make that call...

I rotated the bushings, now the play in the idler arm is reduced:

before the bushings adjustment

after the bushings adjustment

Regards,

Big difference! How much did you rotate the bushings?

I don't know how you can rotate the bronze bushings. Those things are pressed and sqeeezed very very tightly in the idler arm. So I guess your saying you need to knock them out with a BFH and then rotate and pound it back in?

You have to take the bushings out the idler arm. Yes, they are tightly installed inside the arm, so you have to push them carefully from the inside.

I don´t know how much I rotated mine, I just looked for the place where the bushings fitted more tightly.

Also, I have to say that my bushings are new, they had 40 days when I rotated them, and looked in good shape: