Topic: leaf Spring issues

[camorunner85]

hi there, i have a 85 4runner with 4inch springs but im having issues with my rear end, the rear housing is dog tracking pretty bad, also im not sure but the whole trunk leans real bad on the driver side, and also as soon as i articulate a bit my right rear shackle inverts forward and james up on the frame, and i checked the center bolts thinking that maybe they were broke but they were fine, so know im kinda getting lost trying to figure out what could be wrong with this
   if anybody has any ideas that would great
    thanks

[79coyotefrg]

what brand springs are these??

[jimbo74]

it sounds liek you have several issues here.....


what is the shackle angle at ride height?

any pictures? if your shackles jams up on extension to the point its backwards, then your shackles or mounts aren't in the right place.....


whats the condition of your axle? havign a bent shaft or housing can also cause the bad tracking.....

it really sounds like your springs arent setup properly


is it your front or rear springs that are having the issue? if its the front, do you have the 3/8" spacer that most aftermarket manufactures use on the left side to compensate for making only 1 front springs instead of a left and right?

[blackdiamond]

whats the condition of your axle? havign a bent shaft or housing can also cause the bad tracking.....

is it your front or rear springs that are having the issue? if its the front, do you have the 3/8" spacer that most aftermarket manufactures use on the left side to compensate for making only 1 front springs instead of a left and right?

On my 85 my rear axle wasn't aligned properly and my dad mechanic simple loosened up the u-bolts and "kicked" it in to position and then retightened the u-bolts.  It sounds like your issue is more substantial, but it's an idea.  You could also have bent frame.  Has the truck been in an accident that you know of?

I ran Superlift springs on my 85 truck and it didn't have a 3/8 spacer that jimbo74 is talking about.  I believe the standard aftermarket springs like Superlift, Rancho, Pro Comp, etc. have different arches for the front springs while the off road companies like Marlin, All Pro, etc. use the same springs plus the spacer.  You could have your front springs backwards or something could be bent (guessing from your other issues).

[camorunner85 [OP]]

they are pro comp springs, i bought a 84 pick up from my friend with them already on so i just swaped them from the truck to the 4runner

i dont think its been in an accident

how would you check the shackle angle

I may have a bent shaft because it just happened the first or second wheeling trip after i installed 36" super swampers

All my issues are in the rear except for possibly the sitting low on the driver side i repaired a body mount and the rest look fine im not as concerned with that issue as i am the rear axle and rear leaf spring shackle, i will try and get some pics tomrorow so u can have a look
    thanks alot so far

[sweet85]

they are pro comp springs, i bought a 84 pick up from my friend with them already on so i just swaped them from the truck to the 4runner

i dont think its been in an accident

how would you check the shackle angle

I may have a bent shaft because it just happened the first or second wheeling trip after i installed 36" super swampers

All my issues are in the rear except for possibly the sitting low on the driver side i repaired a body mount and the rest look fine im not as concerned with that issue as i am the rear axle and rear leaf spring shackle, i will try and get some pics tomrorow so u can have a look
    thanks alot so far

I have a rough country lift and the front springs are two different spring rates. Mine was leaning on the passenger side really bad also. The springs were marked incorrectly and I switched them. Sits fine now. Also I had the same thing happen with my pass rear spring. The spring actually went bad and when it was flexed out the shackle went straight to the frame. The spring sat 2 1/2 inches lower than the driver side. Granted they sent me another free of charge however I only had them a year and wheeled it only about 3 times with them. Cant wait to put on a MC lift if I could have find someone to help me weld. As for the tracking issue, double check to make sure the spring eyelet bolt is seated in the spring perch.

[blackdiamond]

Also I had the same thing happen with my pass rear spring. The spring actually went bad and when it was flexed out the shackle went straight to the frame.

I think what your describing is the shackle going BACK flat to the frame and his problem is the shackle actually reversing and going FORWARD to the frame.

It's possible that it happened before and bent the spring pack making it easier to happen again.  During MCR7 one of the rigs I was traveling with had this happen and I suspect will end up with a new rear pack since the top springs stayed bent up on both ends.

[camorunner85 [OP]]

well thats starting to make some sense now the rear shackles are not at the same angle as the passenger rear which is the one that jams to the frame its a lot straighter then the driver side

as for the front possibly just switch the leafs from side to side and that may solve my height issue that be nice and simple haa

 thanks again so far this is really helpful

[sweet85]

 

[camorunner85 [OP]]

yeah sorry that didnt make too much sense im not that good of a typer sorry ha

[DFWFO]

im haveing the same problem, my shackles are slamming against my frame when flexed to hard, are my shackle mounts on my frame in the wrong position? they are new 4in lif springs that had been sitting in my back yard for a little bit to long and are real stiff, i havent wheeled with them yet but i have a feeling that they will just flattin out on the frame. ive been trying to break them in but i think that the softer they get the worse it will get. when under no load my pass side shackle is almost 90* strait up, my drivers side is about 75*.

please tell me what the deal is

[jimbo74]

im haveing the same problem, my shackles are slamming against my frame when flexed to hard, are my shackle mounts on my frame in the wrong position? they are new 4in lif springs that had been sitting in my back yard for a little bit to long and are real stiff, i havent wheeled with them yet but i have a feeling that they will just flattin out on the frame. ive been trying to break them in but i think that the softer they get the worse it will get. when under no load my pass side shackle is almost 90* strait up, my drivers side is about 75*.

please tell me what the deal is

your shackles arent positioned correctly, 90* is not ok for static height, you should be around a 45* angle....

you can move the shackle mount and test, however watch out, because hte fact they vary that much, might indicate a heavy load on one side, possibly no front spacer block if it was needed, or sagging springs

[DFWFO]

This is what they look like when they flatten out, i did this on purpose trying to loosen the leafs up but i know they shouldnt do this

[jimbo74]

move your hangers

[DFWFO]

Thats what i thought, but without a load they are too staight up?!?

[jimbo74]

Thats what i thought, but without a load they are too staight up?!?

they should be @ 45* with no load..... jsut sitting

if they are straight up at ride height, they are already maxed out

[camorunner85 [OP]]

i couldnt really see those pics cause my screen is real bad but from what i can see my shackle is flipping the opposite way then what DFWFO posted mine are actually swing towards the front of the vehicle

i hope this doesnt get confusing trying to fix 2 peoples problems ha 

[sweet85]

Looing at your picture, that is exactly what happend to mine. They would flex and then not spring back. Mine looked just like that. Put money on it that your springs are bad. Mine were. Rough country almost didn't warranty the springs because they are only rated for the 79-85 truck. Not the 4runner because of the extra weight. My good friend has a xj with a 4.5 inch rough country lift and one morning he went out to get in his jeep and the pass side rear spring was completely flat. Over night it sagged and went bad. They sent him another for free but it also happend to me. POS springs. I personally dont think there is any difference between superlift, rough country, sky jacker ect. They all look the same and probably are the same quality. CRAP!!!!!!

[toyotaboy]

run a pair of extended shackles... too high? take out a short leaf... as for tracking, check to see if a back rail is twisted... if not you can always try loosening the ubolts a tad and drive in a circle on asphalt into the direction your dog legging and pull it over that way, re-tighten ubolts when your done

[toyotaboy]

side note.... a bent housing is not going to cause you to dog leg. it will cause bad tire wear and may pull but isnt going to make your axle sit sideways

[blackdiamond]

I personally dont think there is any difference between superlift, rough country, sky jacker ect. They all look the same and probably are the same quality. CRAP!!!!!!

I ran a Superlift 4.5 inch lift on my 85 for several years and several week long adventures to Moab.  The front springs performed well and the rear springs were really stiff as expected from the amount of arch required on a stock length spring.  I heard that they front springs snapped soon after I got rid of the truck.  I wouldn't be scared to run another set of Superlift.

My friend ran some SkyJacker springs on his Blazer and they also performed excellent for him.  Great ride, decent flex and he never had any problems along the way.

The biggest downside to either of these brands are they are designed to maintain the stock load capacity which makes for a stiff spring when combined with the additional arch.

 

[sweet85]

I think my friend and I just had bad luck. I guess for the money you really cant beat it. I paid $400 bucks for mine and besides the spring going bad, it does flex pretty well. I'm just being disgruntle because I want a marlin lift. 

[kiyul4130]

you just got longer springs now in the back and are trying to use the original hangar/shackle locations. move the rear shackle hangar back right to where its hitting on the frame. it should give you a good angle. you might even need to move the front hangar forward.

[DFWFO]

sorry didn't mean to jack your thread camorunner, i just didn't want to start another with the same discusion, did you ever get yours figured out?

[camorunner85 [OP]]

hey no worries man it was all good info, and yeah im pretty sur ei have a bent frame so where my rig is just an off road rig im  gonna try and straighten it and some how make a stopper for the rear shackles so they dont flip up any more

 thanks man

[88_Pathy]

Your going to bend the leaves if you let the shackle compress like that.

[camorunner85 [OP]]

compress like what 

[toyotaboy]

they would bend going the other way but not the way the pics show... thats just flattening the spring.. its when they flop in that the issue arises...

[camorunner85 [OP]]

mine were floppingthe other way which was opposite of dfwfo

[84_yota_4wd]

ok im not 100% on this but it seems that the people that are having problems with thier springs are not using quality springs.

I ran pro comps on my truck for about 6 months and after the 6 months the were trash. they would reverse arc under flex and were bent all the hell. my truck had all kinds of problems including the shackle problem you are experienceing, along with my truck sitting uneven i even broke one towards the end.

I understand its difficult to come up the green to buy marlin, or all pro because i couldnt afford it myself.

but what i did was go back to a stock spring add a few leafs from an f250 and run 3 inch blocks.  i ended up with abot 4 inchs of lift. then i ran 6 inch shackles and cut the bottom of my truck off.

Its a little redneck  but it works well. i have great flex and more then enough clearence for rocks and my 33in tires

just throwing the thought out there good luck