Old vs new sway bushings.
So one day when I was turning left on my Xterra it made a thump sound. I researched and thought it might be a ball joint that has gone bad. So I did the usual test where you see if the wheel wiggles from side to side but there was no play in the ball joints. People have mentioned that you might need to tighten the sway bars bushing brackets. So I did it but still it didn’t fix the issue. What fixed the issue was spraying silicon lubricant inside the rubber bushing. I noticed the sway bar bushing was a little warped, so I went ahead and bought new sway bar bushing “Moog K200347 Sway Bar Bushing Kit” that looked exactly like the Nissan OEM.
Moog K200347 Sway Bar Bushing Kit
I installed it but it warped right away and the middle does not meet up. It’ll actually split apart. After a few months of driving the thump noise when turning came back so I googled to see if there’s any other alternative or aftermarket sway bar bushing kit. I did find a forum post that mentioned a person making custom polyurethane bushing kits but they were too expensive for my taste. I searched a little more and I found out that Nissan actually updated the sway bar bushing design “Nissan 54613-ZL10A” so its opening cut is not on the bottom but to the side. I actually called up the dealership and found them to be cheaper than most online Nissan parts website but the second cheapest place I found them would be through a seller on Amazon.
Nissan 54613-ZL10A is the model number for it’s new sway bar bushing. I actually bought these at the dealership since they are cheaper but the link provided is the cheapest I can find on the internet compared to other websites.
Here’s removing the old bushing. You can’t tell but its all cracked and split in warped after a few months of use.
The back view of the old Moog K200347 Sway Bar Bushing.
Top view of the old bushing.
Old vs New bushing. The white streaks inside are actually grease. Notice the cut is to the side and not the bottom.
Bottom view.
Bushing installed. It’s nice seeing it not warped.
I’m not sure if this is a placebo but it does seem like there’s less rumble in the front. Maybe because its fully closed? I also noticed the turning is smoother. Maybe because there’s grease on the bushing? But it’s a nice to see the sway bar bushing not warped and no more thumping sound when turning.