Broken torsion bar - '02 4WD Xterra

[boodie]

On the drive home from work...X gave a lurch, wobbled a bit, then steadied down...with a list to starboard... I pulled over and checked tires; all OK...busy highway, not a place to crawl around...

Got home, looked under the right front...clean break in the torsion bar, about 2/3 of the way up from the rear crossmember...bar just hanging down...



Checked my Chilton's manual; doesn't look too hard...lots of muscle required, I'm sure, but not too technical and no special tools noted...

So...My questions...

(1) Is this in any way warranty covered??? Five year old Xterra...

(2) Can I get the pieces of the old bar out and the new bar in without dropping the rear crossmember (where the torsion bar adjusting bolt is)???

(3) Are there any special tools required???

(4) Anything else need replacing except the broken parts??? (Any guess as to what a torsion bar costs???)

I have a floor jack, compressor & air wrench, and the usual basic mechanics tools (I was a line mechanic at a transmission shop back in the '70's). I'm a good hour's drive away from the nearest dealer (but my X is in his database from previous warranty work) and of course it's Friday night, I'm a Postman and need to get to work tomorrow (the X is the only thing available), and even if I could get to a dealer I'm sure none have the bar in stock...

Any comments, links, or recommendations are welcomed!!!

[OffroadX]

Not going to be be under warranty.
Should be something you can handle, you can get the rear anchor out of the crossmember no problem with the bar broken. The real trick will be getting the bar ends out of the anchors, they rust in there something fierce.
No special tools, except maybe a torch to heat the anchors to help dislodge them.
Just get an alignment afterwards.

[boodie]

Originally Posted by OffroadX

The real trick will be getting the bar ends out of the anchors, they rust in there something fierce.

Thanks for your reply, Brent!

Both broken ends popped right out; no heat or persuading needed. In fact, the splines still had factory grease on them. (I marked both ends of the bars and sockets with a steel scribe before removing anything. I also measured the free threads on the adjuster bolt before removing the nuts.)

The locknut on the adjustor bolt took most of the hour I spent getting the parts off. I sprayed all the nuts/bolts with oil last night, so it wasn't too bad. Lots of running the locknut up & down with the impact wrench, then the adjuster nut came right off.

Because of the way the bar broke, I was able to hoseclamp the two pieces together. I lined up all the scribe marks and put the two end sockets on the bar. I'll make up a 2x4 jig to hold the parts at the angle they were before they broke, so when I get the new bar I can get it somewhat near the correct angles.

The new bar, part # 54010-7Z000 Spring,front $57.12 + S/H: $9.95
, was just ordered from Nissanparts.cc.

Right now I'm trying to figure out a way to drive the X while I'm waiting...Maybe replace the shock with a steel strut, just to have it in case of an emergency...

[OffroadX]

We've strapped a block of wood between the lower control arm and the frame to get a truck off the trail with a broken t-bar.

[Schludwiller]

Glad you got it fixed. You know all that rust on the bar is a bad sign and something you should be looking for before the bar breaks. Significant dents and rust, cracks, etc all are things that should tell you to replace the bar before it breaks and causes more problems, especially if you're on the road. T-bars aren't that expensive to replace. Best to do early, than late.

[boodie]

Originally Posted by Schludwiller

Glad you got it fixed...replace the bar before it breaks...T-bars aren't that expensive to replace...

Well, it's not *fixed*...Just waiting for the parts...but good advice on the T-bar; I'm ordering the other side as well...

[boodie]

My thanks to all you guys here, and to the people at nissanparts.cc.com for their help!

The first bar took a week to get here; the second one about the same (a week apart). I rode an old Honda CL450 for about 4 days; then I took Brents' advice and fabbed up a Nylon block for the remaining 2 or 3 days that the bar took to get here...



It worked quite well...during the 20 mile drive to and from work...but the ride was very interesting, to say the least...

I now have both bars mounted; by now I think they've "settled in", and I've set the ride height at 33" to the bottom trim line of the wheelwell (through the axle centerline)...

Just have to get the front end aligned now, and I'll be good!...for another 5 years...