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So my truck is unbalanced in the front from left to right. I measured about 1" higher from the ground to top of the wheel well on the left side (passenger). I recently installed new tires, wheels, and shocks thinking that would help but still the same issue. So I am wondering if its the leaf springs but not entirely sure. Additionally, the truck seems to have a higher ride height but I dont know what stock height should be. I just know when looking at other stock pickups, the gap in the wheel well area is not so large. Any thoughts?
There was a difference in front axle perches passenger side being 3/8" higher than driver side. Try measuring from rim to fender. Pick same sport on both sides. Takes a few other variables out to give a better idea of height difference.
Thanks. Its been a work in progress and trying to fix these various issues.
I measured on the passenger side from the top of the wheel to the bottom of the wheel well to be 16 1/8". For the driver side, I measured 15 1/8" confirming the 1" difference I am seeing.
I researched the 3/8" perch issue and I found a site that went into more detail and even sells already made spacers. However, they caution using it because of interference with the steering system.
What I am ultimately trying to achieve is to balance the lean and also lower the ride height at least a few inches to match what I believe was the stock height. But if I used spacers, this might fix the lean issue but not address the overall high ride height. So I am a bit confused on how to go forward here.
Are your U-bolts torqued to spec? The torque on the U-bolts can affect ride height. I recently installed OME leafs on my truck- I upped the torque in my U-bolts incrementally and by the time I reached the spec'd torque, the springs rode ~1/2" higher compared to when they were just tightened by hand initially.
Your lean is much more pronounced and looks like a spring issue to me. Are you running stock springs? After 30 years wouldn't be surprised if one (or both) are tired.
The last thing I can think of are the spring perches. Over time, they can warp and get bent over at the edges where the U-bolts clamp down, lending to a 'W' shape in the spring that results in lower ride height. If your driver side perch is warped (I can't tell from your pics), could be the source of the droop. This describes what I'm talking about in pic #3: http://www.hilux4x4.co.za/strengthen-hilux-sfa-saddles/
I purchased the truck in June so I dont know its full history.
I did learn a few things:
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So what I am trying to figure out is if I have stock springs or not and based on what I am seeing, that doesnt seem to be the case and possibly the reason for the lean on one side as well as the higher ride height. Its also possible I have the "W" effect going on but its harder to distinctly notice.
Did the stock springs have 4 leaves? Because I think if I remove a leaf, that will fix the higher ride height issue.
The passenger side is shown in the next 2 pics followed by the driver side in the last 2 pics.
Strange. Stock spring packs have 4 leafs, but if I remember correctly the spring pack clamps on stock springs pinched down tight on the pack- looks like there is extra room between your top spring and clamp as if someone took a leaf out of a lifted 5-leaf pack to make it ride lower. If you are riding 2-3" above stock height, there is no way you have stock springs, especially on a truck that old.
I suppose taking a leaf out of the passenger side is worth a shot, but that may bring that side down too far. If you can't get it to level out with these springs, I'd suggest the OME springs. Running symmetrical leafs on the front isn't much of a problem, at least for me. I can't notice the 3/8" difference unless I start making measurements. They are hard to beat in terms of price (~$100 ea) and quality and if the rear is already riding 2" high, they will keep the front up to match.
You definitely aren't having any of the 'W' shape going on, so that's good.
That is highly likely not a stock suspension. Other than the obvious higher ride height, you also have a drop drag link (stock was straight), that torque rod angle is rather steep and you have longer sway bar links. That aftermarket steering stabilizer also appears to be too long as well.
Post some pictures of the spring hanger eyes and I could likely confirm that they are not stock. Also, if the front has been lifted, then something was likely done to the rear. Might want to post some pictures of the rear as well.
BTW, Toyota made asymmetrical springs for the front solid axle to account for the higher spring perch on the passenger side of the axle. If you are interested in replacing those springs with something closer to a stock ride and ride height then I would recommend Old Man Emu springs. They may asymmetrical springs that account for the spring perch variances and only provide about 2" of lift. I have OME springs on my truck and they ride great!
The rear looks normal with no apparent higher stock height and balanced from side to side with only about 1/16" difference. The first pics are of the rear passenger side only.
When I was a the tire shop getting new tires, wheels, and shocks installed, the shop said they had a hard time aligning the wheels. They noticed that the steering bar was bent and replaced with a new one which I thought it was an OEM stock but maybe its aftermarket with differences. After they installed the new bar, the shop still couldnt align because the wheels has bolts around the wheel that affected the aligning system. So I am not sure what to make of it.
I attached pics of the leaf spring eyes starting with the passenger side and then driver side. Lastly, I attached a pic of the front axle and suspension from the Toyota truck manual.
Appreciate your help as I am trying to get back to a stock setup with no lift. I can always post more pics if it helps.
the truck leans to the right because you are always in the drivers seat when its being driven and that spring sags out faster. My truck does the same thing. I haven't seen many leaf sprung solid axle trucks that aren't tipped to the drivers side. If they aren't leaning over, they have new-ish springs installed. So my suggestion is buy new springs every year once they start to lean or just deal with it.
for anyone who says their leaf sprung solid axle truck sits level, get out a tape measure and check.
Yeah, going with new springs is much safer than messing with the leafs on there. I agree. I don't think they end up leaning because of the weight of the driver though. I think that is usually an issue with aftermarket springs not compensating for the 1/2" perch height difference. You sit in the drivers seat all the time, sure, but the passenger side of the truck also sees 100lb weight fluctuations depending on how much gas you have in the tank. My stock springs lasted 30 years without an appreciable difference between driver/passenger side (at least not to the extent the OP is experiencing), they both just equally sagged an inch or two.
Let us know what springs you end up with! Good luck
So I finally fixed the lean issue and then ended up with another issue which I will explain later.
Just to recap this post, my truck rode higher overall and leaned lower on the driver's side. So after much researching, I decided to buy stock springs from Jim's Yota Yard which thankfully he had available. Prior to installing the springs, I had new shocks, wheels, tires, and steering rod installed.
So I took the truck into the shop to have the springs replaced which fixed the overall ride height discrepancy by bringing it down to normal stock height. But the truck was still leaning although the lean was smaller. So we decided to add a leaf to the driver side which fixed the lean. So at that point the truck was all even all around. But the fact that I had to add another leaf raises some eyebrows. I am thinking something is screwed up with the frame. And when I look at the frame where the shock connects to the pillar, I see a weld bead. But I dont see anything abnormal and even compared the distance between the pillar and the frame and it matches up so not sure what is the reason for the lean.
So after feeling happy that the truck lean is gone, I am driving down the road and the steering jerks suddenly to the left or right and I am fighting to keep it straight. So I later found out that the drag link is touching the springs causing the steering movement. So the drag link was an aftermarket as a result of the lift. So call Jim's Yota Yard and got a stock part.
So go back to the shop to get that part replaced and also decide to replace the steering stabilizer. Once again, I pickup the truck from the shop thinking everything is okay but the steering movements still exist although not as bad as before. I am driving on the freeway at 65 - 70 mph and I can keep it straight if I always keep two hands on the steering wheel but even then the wheels tend to move to the left or right which requires corrections. So any thoughts about what might be going on with the truck. It didnt have this problem prior to replacing the leaf springs
when a 4wd truck like this gets aligned they look at the angle of the front axle, relative to the frame sides... on my old alignment diagram it's called "steer ahead", one tire leading the other tire slightly(?)
that could have been affected by the spring replacement, but the wandering you are describing sounds like a toe-in problem... 4crawler tells you how to check that yourself.
in my case the stock toe-in recommendation wasn't enough, i had to keep testing then tweaking it, to keep the truck going straight down the road.
So just a thought here. I got a new steering rod installed but I didnt spec it out. The rod appears to long to me as its close to touching the brakes. Is it possible that the wheels are contacting the rod on a bounce or something which then causes the whole steering to fluctuate. I am wondering if other stock setups are like this and what is the length of the steering rod supposed to be?
the new steering rod wouldn't change the positioning relationship between the tie rod end and the rest of the wheel assembly, but it very well could change the toe-in.
10-25-2015, 02:26 PM
