Leaf spring tackling time - what am I lookin' at

So after fixin' the body mount clunk, thunk, there was still another clunk or more like a knock. I have determined it is the leaf springs due to when under heavy load the noise goes away. Plus I have vacillated between awareness & denial regarding their being in need of some (lots of) help, as do I please, in determining what I need to do. I can see the bushings the rebound clips are shot. There are no cracks in or busted off chunks from the leaves themselves. I took many, many pics including angle measurements from each side. I am not sure it is necessary to post all. The driver's side seems a pinch worse, but the symptoms are the same. If more pics are wanted, please lemme know. Thank you!

 

Seeing all that rust, I'd go a little further and check all throughout the frame; that looks nasty.

With that being said, it's hard to be exactly "level" if you're comparing angles, not to mention one side of your vehicle naturally leans over to the driver side vs passenger side. This is due to the added weight of the fuel tank, steering column, and driver (when applicable).

When you replace your leaf pack, replace your bolts, u-bolts, bushings, etc. all in one go.

PS What's with all the spray paint? It's on the tire even.

 

The frame is good. I got the new one (I am sure they did not replace the leaf springs) & had been oiling it, however for the past couple of years have switched to fluid film. I bought the truck with 80,000 & it now has 235,000. I imagine these are the originals.

As far as the paint, in addition to all the way overdue maintenance/repairs, i’m giving it a makeover. I was using a poor choice of covering for the tires. Have changed my ways & now am using a tarp. It’s by no means a pro job, so certain things, like parts of the frame, were gonna take a hit.



Should I be concerned with the leaf spring bolts? So far my method of removing anything stuck or on tight has been liquid wrench, ratchet & a pipe. I only ask cuz typically I order parts ahead of time & most shops won’t do the job if you supply your own.

 

If the noise goes away under a load, I'd be more suspicious of shocks or the driveshaft than the leaf springs.

 

that's a nice maroon truck, Kristi with a K ... lots of miles on it!
i am currently up to my ears (literally) in some awful black aluminum oxide under my truck
its a mess!

 

Looks good

Bolts are cheap enough to just replace which is why I'd recommend doing so.

I'm of course referring to those that go through the eyelets. You may have to cut off your current ones if liquid wrench isn't enough to knock them loose so having spares takes care of that issue. Worst case, you don't have to cut them...they're still going to be old so it doesn't hurt to replace.

U bolts especially need replacing; they deal with your leaf springs which handle any and all loads on your truck. I'd consider u bolts a "wear" item, to be replaced when your leaf pack needs replacing.

Are you sticking with an OEM equivalent leaf pack? Same for your shackles?

If you go poly on your bushings, get a really thick grease like Super Grease. Greasable shackles help as well.

 

Haha! Great! Although I thought leaf springs were the load baring or is it bearing?, yes, bearing part? & if they are not functioning properly they flatten to the point of no spring, hence no knock? As a test I stuffed rags under the rebound clips & the knocking was reduced. Doesn’t mean there’s not yet another issue somewhere else.

I recently did the center support bearing & checked the ujoints. Also it was off a couple of splines, so that got adjusted. The shocks are just over a year old & at first that’s what I thought the klunk, knock was from as well, but a mechanic took a look at it & said they were good. Doesn’t mean he was spot on though.

 

Your rag test sounds pretty solid, I think you're on the right track. The theory behind shocks and driveshaft is that the load compresses the suspension and puts them in a different position that they would be otherwise, changing or stopping the knock.

 

I was probably gonna do OEM springs & go ahead & get the bushings from energy suspension. Might as well super size while i’m at it since I am sure I have more to be replaced elsewhere.

& sounds good on replacing all bolts etc. I saw this ad once about how Tacoma owners load their trucks as if they’re full size. That’s me. I was working one day per week splitting & loading wood. While the boss would go deliver, i’d put “some” on the truck & bring it up to his house & stack it. We’d do four cords, so I was doing this three times per workday. Sometimes i’d hear the truck do this slight clunk & it would drop a hair. Then when I would unload it would make the same noise & pop back up, yes, a hair. The boss had a Tacoma & his did the same thing, so I didn’t think much of it. Still don’t know what it was. I keep forgetting to check into it.

 

You may get the nuts off those bolts without issue. But that doesnt mean the bolt is gonna slide right out of there. With that much rust, I gaurantee that sucker is seized in the bushing. No amount of liquid wrench, kroil etc will help. I would have a set of new bolts on hand and be ready to cut the old ones out. Use a grinder with a cut off disc or sawzall and carbide blade, both work fine.

 

Gotcha.... love the learning & obviously I was hoping to have tackled finally everything I had neglected, but wouldn’t blame the truck one bit if it had another complaint.

 

K. Just bought a grinder at the HF. So that should make an even enough cut that I should just be able to take a chisel & hammer to the head?

 

Thank you ☺️
& I am not familiar with that issue. What caused it?

 

Yeah cut between the leaf spring and the frame hanger. Tiny gap in there but big enough to get a cut off wheel in and snip the bolt. Just make sure youre using a cutting disc and not a grinding disc, the latter will be way to thick.

 

Kristi, take a look at this thread: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tacoma-spring-refurbishing.194386/

Basically it involves finding springs from a chevy truck. Some cutting and grinding is required. Only 1 or 2 chevy spring leaves are needed per side. I'll be trying this mod soon for my Taco.
Cheers!!

 

Why would an air hammer not work for the bolts? I spoke with a guy at the shop in the area that specializes in springs & he mentioned that this is what they use....

 

Could work on the passenger side. The fuel tank prevents you from using this method on the drivers side.