Is my rear suspension shot?

Well a few weeks ago I started a thread in general about a washboard ride... I didn't check to see if there was a suspension forum lol... So here I am. Truck has 24800 on it, factory 2013 TX Baja suspension.

A few weeks ago I started noticing a washboard ride and just a general decline in the ride quality of the rear of my truck. I feel like the bed is getting significantly more bounce then it use to, however when I jump on it the suspension seems to react opposite of what the photos suggest. When you jump on the left corner of the bed, it feels very stiff. When you jump on the right it feels much softer. My right rear spring looks like its shaped wierd and had some sort of flexing in front of the axle, other then that it looks flat. The shock looks fine and when I touched the boot a bit of sand trickled out. My left rear spring looks flat and not as twisted as the passenger side. However the bottom of the shock boot looks like its covered in oil. Also noticed the top grommet of the driver rear shock looks dry rotted.

When i took it to Toyota a few months back they said it looked and felt fine. I dont know if all these changes are from then. I just purchased Wheeler's 3 Leaf AAL, but now Im considering selling them (havent installed yet) and installing some OME Dakar's and removing a leaf or 2 from them...

What do these photos tell you guys? Shot springs and a blown shock? That's what Im seeing.

 

Maryland vs Cali.

Yes the springs seem like they are worn. The shock could be blown but who knows. I would look into a set of springs. Stock ones aren't designed like an off road spring.

 

Would like to point out that the truck has never actually been "offroad" except for the gravel road's to our cabin in WV and driving through a construction road to get to my office, which my coworker's Audi S3 can handle just fine.

Toyota already had to replace the bearings on my front axles due to excessive wear.

 

Have you carried a few heavy loads in the bed? Do you drive some crappy pavement to work every day? The rear leaf springs on the Tacoma are crapola. Take it in for warranty if you can. If not it's time to buy some good aftermarket leaf springs. Don't reinstall Toyota rear leafs if you are paying for them yourself.

 

I carried a load of mulch once, other then that never more then 400lbs.

I had 3 40lb bags of soil in my bed last week, and I swear it felt like I was riding on the bump stops. If I can get Toyota to replace everything, I will and then get some new springs. I dont want to even think about putting the AAL springs on if these springs are shot to hell already.

But most roads are highway or else paved nicely. Recently Ive developed a weird washboard ride on the drive to work on smooth paved roads that range from 45-65mph.

 

Yeah, definitely don't do an AAL on those negative arch leaf springs. When I said aftermarket leafs I meant buying entirely new suspension leafs from someone other than Toyota. Both All-pro and OME carrying a few different leaf springs that are MUCH better than the stock leafs. If Toyota does give you new leafs for free than putting a progressive AAL will help with holding a load, but totally new aftermarket leafs would still be better.

When the leafs has negative arch like yours they lose that nice springy feeling. That's what has happened to your suspension.

 

Leaf springs looks normal to me, I don't think shocks should leak fluid though--so yeah, shock is damaged IMO.

Toyota springs are designed to ride flat and go negative. That's just how they are. Here are mine:



Mine are 6-years old and I'm replacing them with OME Dakars for $400 and change, plus I bought the extra leaf.

Here are my new prefurbished Dakars waiting to go on. I took out the extra overload and put in a

$81 D29XL Leaf Spring

D29XL AAL.

 

Wow, your truck is a 2013! That looks like premature sagavacation to me.

 

Well took the truck in today and Toyota says the rear springs are in spec and they saw no evidence of a faulty rear shock, and that some oil on the shock boot should be expected after 25k miles. Im like ok, then fix the other one that doesn't have any oil.

Looks like Im going to have to call Toyota about the shock.

 

My springs look the same (arch not rust) and my truck is brand new. They are complete junk and no they are not "designed" to ride like that they are simply designed for a single cab short bed and then Toyota threw them on everything else and said f it. Just my dumb opinion though.

 

Give it the good ole bounce test and see how each side compares to the other. Since you have the Baja shocks I would just upgrade the leaf packs and call it a day if their not blown.

 

I thought it was obvious that I was exaggerating a little. I said it was my dumb opinion so that no one would take me literally but then again people usually just read the parts they want too.

 

Well Toyota says my drivers rear strut is blown and they're ordering me a new one.

 

and this is the same dealer that two months ago told you a little oil coming out of that shock was ok? A-holes. The GMification of Toyota service departments continues...

 

Tacoma's don't have rear struts... Leaf spings have shocks...

 

No I wont go there anymore. I just hit 25 months and 25900 miles. My dealer said my oil change would cost $60. I called the other dealer by my new office and they even said there's a 1 month grace period up to 26k miles. So I got a free oil change there as well.

 

Sorry Ive been talking car talk the past few days as I had just replaced my rear suspension on my Subaru lol... gears just haven't changed over in my head yet.

 

Glad they got you a new shock. You will need more new shocks if you get a leaf spring that adds lift though.