If your bushings have failed in the idler arm for the Calmini idler arm that came with the steering upgrade post 2 items here.

How long after install did it fail?
Have they been replaced?

Mine failed after 6 months, waiting for replacements (which has been a hassle)

Another RMXC member had his fail after only 2 months Im sure he will chime in also.

Less than 3 months

it just happend...haven't even called Calmini about it yet

I'm sure everyone knows my story by now. 3 idler arms and 4 set's of bushings in 1 1/2 years. The current ones are REALLY gone. Lot's of play just driving on road.

Mine are still OK...but I only have about a grand or so on them so far....

Mine was dead 2 months after the install. I have thought about removing the the damned thing and using the idler arm brace and the stock idler arm somehow. Its not that hard to find a proper bearing. The stock one from Nissan does fine. Greasing it shouldn't be the solution.

My idler arm started going bad after 7 months. It started out happening in only offroad situations but after 10 months the idler is now knocking in normal day to day driving. It still isn't too bad, just an occasional knocking when hitting a bump or starting from a dead stop.

I haven't had it warrantied yet, that will be a winter repair.

Not possible...

Damn There has got to be a better solution than replacing it every few months. Does anyone know why it is failing? Is the bearing to soft, wrong size...? Greasing it won't fix a flaw in the design!!!

My steering system was installed in July (2004).

I started getting play in the idler arm assembly (bushings) toward the end of September and it has been getting worse since.

They have NOT been replaced (that is an entire other story I will post, depending on how my next conversation with Calmini goes... )

From what I've read here and on other boards, this appears to be a widespread problem. Has anyone come up with a more permanent solution?

Although it seems like many are having issues...I've still got my original Calmini SS (one of the blue ones shipped in 2002) and have yet to have this issue.

BTW, I've put quite a bit on milage on the X since I installled the system and I wheel my Xterra hard.

I'm sure there are others that haven't had issues...just my .02

Mine was installed in July of 04 and started to go bad early October late September. Its bad enough now that I've ordered replacements and hopefully they will be here before the garage becomes to cold to work in. 14k miles on them.

As soon as some cash is freed up I'm going to look at different material and have a set made up as the bronze bushings are not going to hold up in that environment.

Hmmm, my next upgrade was the Calmini steering system but from the couple of recent threads I've seen that's probably not a good idea right now. I'm running 32" tires and thought it would be a good idea to beef up the steering. Is there another steering system out there? Thought I read that somewhere in my wonderings on the board.

There is no reason to upgrade the steering unless you're running a lift.

Yeah - SLR makes a good steering kit too.

Its more expensive, but I know of no one with a problem with it either.

I have heard of some having compliants about SLR's customer service in the past, but I've ordered from them many times, and never had a problem.

That said, I bought the Calmini kit before I had researched the SLR kit...and installed it...and it has no problems either so far.

Thanks for the feedback. Ian, guess I should have mentioned that I have the Calmini lift. Oversight on my part. I don't mind spending the extra $$$ for a quality product. I'll check out the SLR site. Thanks again.

6-7 months after the original install....the new ones are showing play after 3 months.

I regret installing the Calmini now. I should've went with the SLR...and I'm thinking I still may... :rolleyes:

Mine went bad in 8 months. They've been promising me a replacement idler arm since August 11! Until they actually send me the part, I have to deal with this on my daily driver which sees 600-700 miles a week.

http://www.terraxterra.com/images/MVI_0071.AVI
http://www.terraxterra.com/images/MVI_0072.AVI

One question for those showing wear, how often are you greasing the idler arm ?

While you wait for a solution, one thing you can do is loosen the main idler arm bolt, then try to rotate one of the bronze bushings about 90 degrees. That may or may not move the wear point around a bit and tighten up the feel a bit.

I grease mine every couple weeks (2-3 times per month). Calmini won't even replace my bushings for me under "warranty" replacement. Here's my scenario:

I have the Calmini suspension lift on my truck and was pleased with it and recommended it to the guys I know. One of my friends subsequently ordered the lift, bumper, and steering system from Calmini for his Xterra. At that same time, I noticed that my stock steering centerlink was shot, but I didn't have any cash to replace it or buy Calmini's steering system.

So, my friend offered to buy my Calmini steering system for me, add it to his order, and I could pay him back over the next couple months, which we did.

When I noticed my bushings worn badly in the idler arm last month I called Calmini for the replacement bushing kit. They asked for the order info and I explained the situation, part way through which I was promptly cut off and told they could do nothing for me and that I would need my friend to call since the order was in his name. Ok, not a problem, I understand, although there could have been a more "customer friendly" attitude about it IMO.

Sooo... I get my friend to call. He explains the situation only to be told that they will STILL not replace my bushings because the "warranty" is non-transferrable from him to me - just because he picked up the steering system for me in his name. He was told that if I want the bushings I had to pay for them, as simple as that.

Up to this point I have been happy with Calmini and have been recommending their products to many of the members in my club, a lot of whom have subsequently bought Calmini parts. Many other are planning to buy Calmini as well and are waiting to here how I make out with this issue (we are almost 500 members strong). We have hundreds more members who are slowly starting to mod their trucks that would have been potentially buying Calmini products and I will no longer be recommending Calmini to any of them.

I can't believe a company would be so quick to lose a repeat customer, as well as many potential future customers, over $40.

As for my idler arm bushings... I am removing my Calmini steering system, getting custom bushings made, and re-selling the system. Then I will be saving my $$ and purchasing SLR's steering.

Right or wrong, this is just my $0.02.

I ran the SLR steering kit for over 2 years and replaced a lot of idler arm bushings on it too. It was one of the first 5 kits they sold.

Their brass ones didn't last worth a damn, so I used factory plastic ones after the brass ones died and I could get about 2-3 months of hard use out of a set....at least the stock ones were cheap.

Just thought I'd throw that in there. I have a used Calmini kit with new idler bushings ready to go on my X. Are you guys overtorquing the idler arm by chance? I haven't heard of any locals having this issue with their Calmini kits.

Once every five years right??? :rolleyes:

Sorry, I just don't buy into the notion they are failing because they're missing a little grease. I drive my truck 800+ miles a month just for work on top of personal miles. I change the oil every 4500 miles. I grease everything that needs it. I rotate the tires. I change the fluids when needed. I also grease it every time I go off-road before and after. It works out just about every month it gets grease. I'm now on my 4th set waiting for the 5th that I paid $54 for. I'm on my third idler arm. This goes way beyond grease.

I grease my idler arm frequently (now that I have a idler with a zerk fitting on it) and I see what you're getting at Ian. As these bushings begin to wear, I'll try that. It should buy me some time while I wait on the new set.

I think the speed in how they wear is directly related to the amount of off-roading, and the the harshness of it. I wheel often and I like a good challenge. So I use mine well, that may be the difference in why some wear faster than others.

I've considered making some bushings from a special high-hard bronze we use for making mold bases that are subject to alot of mechanical stress. My only reservations about doing that is the potential damage it could do to the bores in the idler itself. I've never checked, but does anyone know if these idler arms are heat treated?

For now, I guess I will just order new bushings as these wear out, and hope that Calmini can eventually come up with a permanent solution. I would be willing to pay the $40.00 for the replacements if I can get them in a timely manner. I think it's safe to say that when people spend good money on modifications, they shouldn't have problems like this.

I still say that Calmini makes good stuff, but there is a problem with the steering and many of us are expecting some sort of a solution.

I don't dispute that fact. As I said, I have been more than happy with their product up to this point. Now it's not even so much a product problem as it is a customer service problem. The run around I got was uncalled for and I should not have to argue with these guys over this. If I had been treated fairly and sent the replacement bushings as they've done for everyone else I wouldn't mind so much, but now it's just a matter of principle. Keep in mind that when we (up here in Canada) order anything for the Xterra it always comes from the US and costs us MUCH more money given the exchange rate, shipping, taxes, duty, brokerage fees, etc. I paid almost $800 for my steering system... that's NOT pocket change for me by any means.

It's ironic, because I talked up and pumped Calmini products at the rest of our club so much that the running joke was that I was secretely a Calmini salesperson working the "secret remote Canadian office..."