Squeaky leaf springs - my fix

so after an off-road trip out here in MA (where there was lots of mud), i developed a crazy case of squeaky leaf springs.

it was getting so bad that any little movement of the truck would make the leafs squeak. you could hear the truck coming from down the block.

here is what they sounded like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN0V7leStFA

i figured that the mud i went through was packed in between the leafs and that cleaning it out would quiet them. so i jacked up the truck, separated the leafs, and used compressed air, water, and towels to clean in between the leafs. i then coated the leafs with a silicone spray. i reassembled everything...... and...... it didnt do a damn thing! still fricken squeaky!!

so then i searched the trusty tacoma world site and found this thread:
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/98055-diy-squeaky-leaf-fix.html
well... its a cheap fix and worth a try....

so.. instead of an inner tube, i went to target got a thin, rubber mat ($10).


next, i jacked up the truck, unbolted the brake cables to give some room to work, and searched for the location of the squeak:


it sounded like it was coming from the add a leafs. the pad was worn down to the metal and the leafs were rubbing there:


i used a hammer to wedge a crow bar in between the leafs and i pried them open:


i cut a strip of the rubber mat, folded it in half, and inserted it in between the leafs:


i jacked the truck up off of the jack stands and rocked the suspension... and..... what? still squeaky? wtf? ok, so then i isolated more areas that were squeaking and repeated the process.

was squeaking here:


squeaking here:


oh ya... squeaking on the back of the leafs:


and here:


and finally here:


holy crap... it was squeaking at 6 points.

so, i did the other side... and ..... no more squeaking!! yay

here is what it sounds like now. the slight sound that you hear is the shock compressing, but thats minor compared to what it was:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T0WE3c-ZjE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vya6qlOJm_s

when the weight of the truck is on the springs, the gaps between the leafs go away and the rubber pieces are in there very tight. i will continue to monitor them.

 

nice fix! Mine a squeaking also. Maybe I'll try this

 

Very nice, my squeaks completely went away with my aal but when it comes back I'm doing this, but I'm going to use glue.

 

these springs are crap....you'd think after years of this toyota would say"hey we have a problem" and do something to fix it

 

I need to try this. Mine squeak like crazy. I've gone through who knows how many cans of silicone spray and lithium grease and I've also jacked the truck up and cleaned between the leafs. The squeak comes and goes as if my suspension has mood swings. I'll try this soon and hopefully it works.

 

Yes this is a great fix for the squeaky leafs. Takes about 15 min of your time for silence down the road.

 

Just did this. Thank you for a simple write up. Squeaking gone. Lol