SUSPENSION CHECKS
14 WIGGLE THE WHEELS
Raise the vehicle on a ramp (or use a trolley jack and axle stand and secure one corner at a time), then wiggle each raised road wheel from side-to-side and up-and-down to check for play in the wheel bearings, suspension bushes and track rod ends (front only).
15 INVESTIGATE FURTHER
If any movement is detected when wiggling the road wheels, try to identify the cause.
Lee discovered a little play when wiggling the offside front road wheel, and tracked this down to the lower arm’s outer balljoint, which was an advisory on the vehicle’s last MOT test.
16 CHECK COIL SPRINGS
Visually inspect the front coil springs for signs of corrosion and fractures. Each front coil spring is easier to see with the vehicle raised. Use a soft brush to clean any debris from inside the lower spring mount. Don’t put your fingers into this area as they may get trapped.
17 INSPECT THE CV BOOTS
Shine an inspection lamp underneath each front corner of the vehicle to check the condition of the CV gaiters (boots). Look for cracks in the rubber, leaking grease and dirt contamination. If dirt and water is getting inside, the gaiter must be renewed.
18 WIGGLE FRONT DROPLINKS
There’s just enough room to be able to grab each droplink at the end of the front anti-roll bar and give it a thorough shake to see if there’s any play in its balljoints. If there is excessive play, this can result in a knocking noise when driving – and an MOT fail point.
19 CHECK REAR COIL SPRINGS
There are separate coil springs at the rear of the Qashqai, which can be viewed from underneath. Look for corrosion and signs of fracturing. Be careful not to touch the springs as they can trap your fingers. Check around the base of the spring for debris and clean it away with a soft brush.
20 CHECK REAR DROPLINKS
The rear anti-roll bar’s droplinks are shorter than the front’s, so they’re not so easy to check for play in their balljoints. Try to wiggle them – use a pry bar to lever against the ARB, close to its D-shaped mounts to see if they are worn. Problems can cause a rear-end rattle.
21 INSPECT REAR DAMPERS
The dampers are separate from the coil springs and can be inspected from beneath. We discovered a misting of oil on the nearside damper, suggesting it’s leaking. When driving this Qashqai, there was a knocking sound from the rear, which could be caused by a damper’s worn mounting bush, or the ARB’S droplinks. The droplinks were OK, so we decided to renew the dampers. First we sprayed Plusgas lubricant on the damper fixings...
22 REPLACING REAR DAMPERS
...before loosening the bottom 18mm nut and bolt. We took up the strain from the dangling trailing arm by using a hydraulic lift to release tension in the old damper. The top bolt requires an 18mm socket and extended ratchet – it’s threaded into a captive nut.
Our new dampers were manufactured by
OEM Maysan Mando and supplied by the
UK’S sole distributor, GT Automotive. They cost £90.50 a pair from CAAR.
23 CHECK REAR ARMS
Use a pry bar to lever against each rear lower suspension arm’s inner and outer mounting bush. The upper suspension arm’s inner and outer bushes can also be checked with a pry bar, along with the trailing arm’s frontmost bush.