Nissan Altima Lower Control Arm Replacement 2007-2012

This is a how too that most people can accomplish with simple hand tools and save over $500!
Tools Needed:
- 1/2in Drive Socket set up to 21mm
- Box end wrench set up to 19mm
- Jack and jack stands
- 1/2in drive breaker bar
- Torque Wrench up to 150lb ft
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[@scottoakley1473]

I had to remove the top bolt from the knuckle that allowed it to swing in and nearly line up. Some pry bar correction got it the rest of the way. The bottom bolt acted like a pivot. GREAT suggestion! I messed with mine for hours before deciding it should be scraped for junk instead of repaired. I found the comment on this video, and my life was transformed! Thank you for posting it.

[@randyulrich2435]

Well done video! You explained and showed everything perfectly! Thank You!

[@daringmotors]

Glad the video helped!!

[@genesisv144]

Best tutorial hands down.

[@MrKromy67]

Very helpful dude, thanks.

[@maniacslap1623]

Just finished my passenger side, hardest part is reinstalling the ball joint to the knuckle. I ended up taking the strut/shock loose. That gave me the play I needed but it was still a PITA. Only good thing about it, in totality, it's easy enough to do by yourself. I'm 5'8 175. Spray all your bolts before u start and have a 24in. Breaker bar. Broke the bolts easy. Reinstall, I put the ball joint last, handed started the other two, then took the strut bolts off to get the joint in. Took about 15 to minutes to still get it in but the sense of accomplishment was worth it. Also, I measured my ride height before removing. Jack it up to your ride height and then tighten. I had this job done less than a year ago and THAT'S why I'm replacing them again now. Once I let the car down, crawled under to make sure everything was tension free as far as the rubber goes. Everything looked good. I had a LITTLE squeak for about a day now, she's good as new. Hopefully driver side cooperates a little more than the passenger side. Be careful with your brake lines and all the other rubber down. Needed no power tools for any of this. Good day and good luck!

[@glennnelson3275]

Used the same technique on a 2015 Altima LCA. Never did use a chisel in the ball joint socket, just leveraged it into place to start it with a chain over the LCA and a crowbar, then pulled the top bolt on the strut to give some play (might need to loosen the lower bolt, not take it off however) and let it slide into place. From there, you may or may not need to additionally lever it down a bit to get the 18mm bolt to slide in as the groove may be a bit higher than you need after seating it.

[@grilledchickenwrap]

my god worked on my car today... soo hot.... bad idea to work on car when its sunny and 80 out... I turned into a roast pig lol. got one side down it was a PITA to get the Lower control arm back in.... best way is bolt 2 insides bolts first then work on the last ball joint one and your jack trick worked nice!!! thank you..... I also replaced outter tie rod and sway bar link... waiting for the sun to go down and will complete rest. first side took me 2.5 hours.. I think this time I should be able to do it in 2 hours. or less. btw I have a 2014 Nissan Pathfinder.

[@ronniem3592]

This is a very informative video. Thanks for posting

[@daringmotors]

Glad it was helpful!

[@bradyscallan734]

Great vid😊easy step by step thanks you for walkthrough on this job Sir👋

[@daringmotors]

Glad to help

[@grilledchickenwrap]

nice work @!!! liked.. will use your video as reference to replacing my 2014 nissan pathfinder lol.. I need to also replace my sway bar links and outter tie rod. so it should make it easier since I am also removing those parts :D Thanks!! like the way you used the jack to push control ball join up into knuckle and also using pry bar to pry a little to get bolt into place.!!

[@glennnelson3275]

Saw you using Pittsburgh (Harbor Freight) brand sockets. FYI, they sell adapters for power drills there for like $5 so you can use any old DeWalt or Ryobi drill with a socket set to quickly take down the bolts once you've started them with a breaker bar. Saves a lot of back pain on this job, used mine extensively this weekend. Everything from lug nuts to LCA body bolts.

[@maog6664]

Very nice video brother thank

[@LoganGant-t2i]

Well you made it seem so easy, mine was not that easy to get out my car was wrecked on the side B4 purchasing. So the front bolt frame was slightly bent. But thanks for the video bc it will help me when I do the driver's side.

[@bertflowers9321]

Man I been fighting the drivers side for like 4.5 hrs and now I am waiting for day light to start all over again 😡. Not easy my friend but I will try your method with moving that part out of the way....

[@miguelgutierrez3960]

Thank you

[@scottprather4677]

12:47 - I had a bad experience getting the ball joint into the knuckle. I tried grabbing on the control arm and yanking, which worked in the video, but I ended up tearing the boot on my ball joint and wasted about 45 minutes. If anyone else has the same trouble, you can try what I did: I removed the two bolts (18mm) that hold the knuckle to the strut, which gave me freedom to pick up the knuckle high enough to set it on the ball joint and get it in easily and quickly.

[@manuelramos4608]

I’m literally dealing with that now! We’re you able to put the ball joint inside the knuckle with removing the strut bolts

[@scottprather4677]

@@manuelramos4608 Exactly. I could not move the knuckle around enough to get the ball joint started in the hole until I took the strut bolts off. Once I took loosened the strut bolts, it became much easier to manipulate. Maybe I need to hit the gym a bit harder! Until then, I'll just have to find a way to work smarter instead of harder.

[@reginaldcooperjr.6291]

If anyone is having trouble do what this guy said, took 5 min after wresting with it for a hour art first doing it this way

[@bbjazzmanjazzman7721]

"The little things that holds the bolt in place" he he he...I laughed so hard I about pissed a River..ya, those things are called Splines. He he he 🤣.

[@tylerpool8916]

Man i caught hell trying to get them bushings lined up the bolt would go in smooth at the bottom but would not line up at the top no matter what i did it was always off by 2 or 3 cm took me 9 hrs for 1 damn bolt I ended up putting a jack on the bolt and forced it through 😂😬 back pain and frustration would make you do anything lmao great video my guy

[@eddiecalderon1582]

I went through the problem 😂

[@eddiecalderon1582]

I went I went through the same problem 😂😂

[@dmarb17]

Just did my sister's. Chisels definitely help. Spend the 10-12 dollars for the kit. I disconnected the inner and outer tie rods from each other, couldn't get the outer tie rod out and it needed an alignment anyway. When installing, I found d it easier to install the front chassis bolt, then the rear chassis bolt, then the lower ball joint.

[@rainypath96]

nice did you do both sides? was one easier than the other

[@dmarb17]

@@rainypath96 ummm, yeah. Started on the right side. Used my BFS(big screwdriver) and pryed it open. Then had a hard time setting the locking locking bolt(the one that secures the ball joint to the knuckle/spindle). That took 5.5 hours. Some of that time was due to the wind/rain. The left side... I was worried about it, honestly. I did buy the chisels. Once I started, it wasn't as difficult. I was done within 45 minutes. Had enough time to replace the sway bar/anti-roll links.

[@MrKromy67]

I just did mine. Thanks. The easier way to me is to align it is to remove the two big strut bolts and you can play with it almost effortless to get the pin in. You should have there other two anchors point already in.

[@daltongentry7596]

I'm bout to try wish me luck!

[@daltongentry7596]

You sir are the real MVP made my life alot easier today

[@pdaddy879]

Taking the struts bolts loose is definitely the best way to get the ball joint back in, also take the axle nut off so there won't be any pulling on the axle

[@scottprather4677]

I wish I had seen this before wasting an hour of my life and tearing my ball joint boot. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@user-vf2sq3ce9g]

You don't need a spring compressor for this right?

[@reefym2627]

Nissan tech here.... you can do this without taking the tie rod off or using a chisel or what not. Don’t even have to drop the subframe. Put the knuckle first don’t bolt it. Then pull it into place from back to front. With vice grips put the front bolt in and hammer it in and the second bolt will fall into place easier.

[@daringmotors]

Thanks for the help with I would have know that when trying to get it in!

[@rainypath96]

youre saying use vice grips to move the bolt into place while its in the bushing?

[@reefym2627]

@@rainypath96 yes , the bolt will go on the bottom hole no problem. But will not line up with the top hole. So use the vice grips to grab the head of the bolt and force it into place. We do it on lifts so it takes us 2 minutes at most per bolt. Sometimes we even ask for help hammering and holding it in place.

[@litasf_x]

​@@reefym2627Could you help with changing the CVT fluid in a 2012 Nissan Altima 2.5s ? It leaked quite a bit from an aftermarket cooler hose. I want to drop the transmission pan , change the filter and top it off with the correct amount of CVT fluid. How do I know how much fluid to add back ?

[@litasf_x]

​@@reefym2627is there a detailed manual on how to do it ? If so where could I get access to it?

[@snowmanDIY]

I slightly ripped boot on ball joint fighting this thing. Am I hosed and have to get all new part or what do you suggest?

[@ahadlivingspot]

Nice video. It's very difficult to take video like this, especially under the car. I found this video very helpful..

[@rainypath96]

hey man did you rip your ball joint boot while doing this?

[@amike4211]

I got mad at 12:00 when you didn't show the struggle lol; I'm working on the same job and stuck on the reinstall then I saw you started clearing off the knuckle to get it done.

[@codyselden2044]

Where did you find the torque spec values. A saw another video that said to torque the 2 control arm bolts to 155 ft lbs

[@scotlandboy5400]

Good video .... but you need some power tools.. much easier and faster.. ✅🎯

[@jermicacole]

I replaced Control arms and rod still here the noise is there a possibility that they may not be tight? Arms are new and rods are new. I need struts would that cause it to still make that noise when you hit a bump

[@hayderali9385]

Thanks for your video.. my question is it possible to change only bushing not full control arm ???

[@daringmotors]

You can replace just the bushing but I have not found anywhere that sells just the bushing and for the amount of time it takes to get the old bushings out it is easier to replace the whole thing

[@gullysniper0095]

Where did you get your torque amount from?

[@mrgoodbar216]

Now lets see you do that same exact job on a car from ohio lol. I can tell you right now it aint gonna go down as easy as this went

[@SidewayzSedans]

What’s wrong w cars in Ohio ?

[@mrgoodbar216]

@@SidewayzSedans rust

[@Twobarpsi]

@@SidewayzSedans salty roads

[@rushpond808]

I'm going to be replacing the lower CA on a 2015 Nissan Quest. It appears the process is the same as what you've so clearly shown here. Am I correct?

[@daringmotors]

It should be very similar if not the same.

[@jfahey222]

Bolt holding ball joint section in is stuck with nut off I'm just spinning but can't get bolt out any idea

[@IvanLopez-kp4bh]

How come all the vids of this subject and same car it's always the right side being worked on? Drivers side is a lot harder

[@arxarx6881]

Are those rotors better to run than stock ones? I have the gold from autozone lol

[@daringmotors]

They are pretty much the same there was just a deal on the slotted ones. Slotted rotors are normally only needed if you are going to track a car and brake a lot

[@liver4ever80]

You feel change or same as before because i want to change it too thanks

[@daringmotors]

I replaced due to the ripping in the boots. Not a lot of change just peace of mind

[@ArmenArmenjs]

At the start you showed putting the Jack under the CA, but once you started You removed it the Jack. Only time jack was used to put the ball joint in place. I am I correct you don't jack up the CA while you are removing the two bolts. I have 2010 and bushing is bad. Thank you Great Video.

[@daringmotors]

Yes you’re correct you don’t have the jack under the car while removing you only use the jack to help get the ball joint in place if needed. Thanks for the feedback!

[@mehdizare6667]

how much cost for replace this?

[@Ricardo-RAC]

Is a wheel alignment necessary after this process?

[@daringmotors]

It’s not necessary but I always recommend to get it checked after suspension work

[@Twobarpsi]

Did you use a Nissan part? If not, what do you recommend?

[@daringmotors]

I did not. Moog or mevotech are both good options

[@Twobarpsi]

@@daringmotors thanks!

[@DeuceGod]

Nothing slide right in or out. It’s harder to put it back in. Why would they so,etching so simple be so hard. It should have no problem lining up easy but it wasn’t and I eventually gave up and I’m letting a mechanic come a finish the rest. My body hurts.

[@D0peSince85]

Getting ball joint side back in is giving me the blues 😞

[@daringmotors]

If you get the first 2 bolts in the frame and then pull down on the control arm or use a pry bar to get it lower you should be able to get it to line up hope it all worked out for you!

[@remgroup8401]

my problem is i cant get the holes to line up for the life of me

[@robertolongoria3992]

🤠👍👍👍👍👍👊👊👊👊👍👍👍👍👍🤠

[@NotAJ-yn3xe]

Redback club member

[@gs9771]

Hey, how many miles did you have on this 2012 Altima when you did this fix?

[@daringmotors]

There was about 130,000 miles when it was fixed

[@gs9771]

My Altima has 54,000 miles - when I visited dealership for service the bushing had a little wrinkles but the technician insisted I need to replace, I declined the service; couple days later I had another service and I discovered that the bushings were cut and one punctured. My sister had 1998 Altima which she drove for 17 years with over 250k miles - she never had to change any suspension components (she donated the car because the engine was to expensive to rebuild after 250k miles).

[@daringmotors]

I replace them due to a clunking noise from the bushings being worn if you aren’t having any symptoms then I would not worry about it

[@gs9771]

Well, the beginning of story is as follows: My Altima shaking/vibrating during higher speeds after tire replacement at 50k miles at Walmart, I asked them to rebalance so they did 3 times, so I finally went to Nissan dealership for realignment and that is when they took first pictures of the lower control arms...

[@acewsky6299]

ARE THESE REVERSE THREADED?

[@daringmotors]

No they are not

[@370gtalej5]

Does this cause steering wheel and front end shake at around 80MPH?

[@daringmotors]

That could be possible I would get the vehicle in the air and give it a good shake as well to see if there is any other front end play

[@370gtalej5]

I bought these since I found out they were both rot yesterday. I’ll check for other play when I replace these. I thought it was the axles, both those seemed fije

[@LoveStarZ98]

Why didn’t you just replace the bushings instead of the whole control arm

[@daringmotors]

To replace the bushings they can be hard to find and very difficult to push out. And the ball joint is not replaceable so it’s easiest and cheaper to replace the whole control arm

[@rainypath96]

because we are in 2021 not 1950 lmao

[@quadzandbagz3404]

Im thinkin you didnt need to take tie rod loose

[@daringmotors]

I tried without and to get the control arm back in at the right angle I had to move the knuckle out of the way and had to get the tie rod off to do that but if you are able to do it without taking it off more power to ya!

[@cesarmerida6007]

How much its the cost on parts ?

[@daringmotors]

You can find them online for around $80 per side

[@urrack]

You show how to replace but the hard part u hide or u don’t show us how to do it … so 👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼