Canadian Nissan Truck Club

Hi! 
Only 140,xxx km when purchased, this manual Pro-4x Xterra had no noticeable tire wear on our very bad Quebec roads until we took a long trip on excellent by comparison Ontario roads. The outside half of the front right tire went bald! We made it home, thanks to some good samaritans in Ontario. 

Wise people tell me it's likely the ball joint. If so, are they attached to the control arm and there are lower and upper ball joints?

In short, I researched the 'Net for Nissan TSBs and found a lot of them. That's why I'm looking for a Nissan tech in Quebec or Ontario who would know best what to do. Starting with an alignment does not seem logical. I tend to avoid dealers unless absolutely necessary - which one would you recommend?  

TIA!
 

I can't give any shop recommendations in that area, but does it drive funny at all? How do the tires look when pointing straight and looking from the front of the truck? Sounds to me like the camber/toe are severely out of adjustment. If the front tires look like this \ / (tops of tire sticking out then that is likely the issue.

It could be a ball joint issue but normally when those are bad it will cause negative camber as well as really loose handling. You can check by jacking up the truck and putting a pry bar under the tire, then pull up on it. Any ball joint play enough to cause tire issues will be obvious. Yes there are lower and upper ball joints.

Maybe @Morpheus has some more insight.

@PhullD Can you help?

Tie rod maybe.


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At 140k kms you are likely in need of balljoints, especially when you don't know how the previous owners used the vehicle. It is unfortunate but a lot of maintenance items are coming do and I doubt the previous owner did anything.

For tie rods only go with Hitachi. You can check for play by jacking up the front wheels and trying to move the tires left/right (tie rods) and up/down (ball joints). If there is any play you need to service it. You should also check for play the in the control arm bushings while the tire is jacked in the air. You need to insert a pry bar between the frame and the control arm(s) and see if there is excessive movement where the control arm bolts into the frame. If yes, your best bet is to replace the control arm as it is easier and cheaper to replace then to try and remove the old bushings and install new ones. A sawzall might be required to remove the old control arms as the bolts like to seize. You will also likely need camber bolts.