Truck is a 99 Tacoma 4x4...

I just installed a 2.5" toytec spacer and Pro Comp ES9000's last Thursday. However, since then, I keep noticing that the nut on top of the strut/spring assembly keeps working itself loose. I even went so far as to put loctite on them and one of them has still worked itself loose after minimal (20-30 miles) of driving. I'm out of ideas and it is a PITA to have to worry about my springs flying out with every bump that I hit...any ideas? When I took it for an alignment on Saturday the guy told me everything looked okay and didnt have any advice other than trying new struts which I'd really NOT like to have to do.

I havent put locking washers on them yet, mostly because the stock assembly didnt have it and the new ones didnt come with them so I didnt think that I should need em, not to mention the shape of the flat washers on the bushings doesnt look like a lock washer would get flat on it anyways..Any advice is appreciated!

 

You can get special lock nuts or nuts with nylon inserts that will lock it in place. If they work on aircraft, they will deffinitely work on autos.

 

try double nutting it

 

I thought about the nylock nuts, but every one I've ever used was tough to get started threading, and I dont know how I'd be able to get it started on the shock since it would cover up the tab on top of the shock that you hold in place while tightening the nut (hopefully that's not as confusing as it sounds to me)..But I may go pick some up tomorrow and see what I can do.

Doube nutting crossed my mind as well, but didnt have any laying around so I havent tried it. Guess I'll get some standard nuts tomorrow when i get the nylock ones if I cant get the nylocks on.

Thanks for your help guys!

 

My pro comp es9000s came with brand new nylock nuts and I have not had a one of them come lose......I am thinking your did not...Get some....I did not have to hold the top of the shock until it was near the end of the threads any way......Your riaght it sounds messed up but I know what you are talking about.....

 

well mine just came with standard nuts, go figure! But anyways, I robbed some nylocks that fit out of some supplies I had for my other truck and ran them up behind to ones already on there. So if this doesn't work I'll be all out of ideas. Thanks everyone for the advice, it's appreciated!

 

If that fails you can crossdrill and use a cotter pin and castle nut as a very last resort.
I would exhaust all the other options first though.

 

The top nut on my OMEs comes loose a lot as well.

I'd second (third?) the nylock suggestion - as for blocking the top of the stud, I use a rubber strap wrench around the shock housing for grip. It grips tight enough to get the nut to tighten, but doesn't crush the shock body.

 

Well just to give yall an update, and hopefully not curse myself, it looks like the nylock nuts/double nutting them has done the trick. I've put around 40-50 miles on them since last night and neither has budged, I'll still keep an eye on em but they would have come loose 2 or 3 times in this amount of miles before, so hopefully it did the trick. Thanks again for all the advice, guys!