alignment after leaf spring install ?

New leaf springs and rear shocks installed . what a beast ...lol. Good learning experience doing it in my driveway

Is a front end alignment required since that all bolts up without any adjustment ?

I am most likely to replace springs and shocks on front end and anything that may (?) need replacing after the weather cools a bit . An alignment would seem prudent at that time .

 

I wouldn't bother with an alignment if only messing with the rear. The front is a different story.

 

No alignment unless you needed one before

 

If your rear alignment is messed up after putting your leaf springs in then that probably means something was done wrong (leafs not centered on the axle, loose bolts, etc.). I've re-done my leaf springs a few times this year trying to get it right and never had an alignment issue afterward...the front is definitely a different story.

 

I wouldn't align the front end unless my front tires started wearing differently after the rear spring replacement.

 

If the rear height changed, your front end will have changed as well.

If you plan on doing the front sooner rather than later and do not notice any funk with tire wear, then do the alignment immediately following the front end work. If its going to be a bit and you do see abnormal wear or any weirdness with pulling, drifting then go in and deal with it.

I had my alignment done immediately following my OME kit install. My screw up was I had to order the AALs after the kit (I didn't think I would need them). So I ask my alignment tech about the need to do a repeat alignment after I install the AALs. He said it was a good idea since the AAL's would alter rear ride height which would change front end characteristics as well.

 

I am going to wake this thread so I don't have to start new one. My 08 Taco was at stealership for recall rear leaf replacement, now truck pulls to right after replace. Dealer said that rear has nothing to do with wheel alignment. I disagree. What is your experience with messed up recall like this. This dealer is famous in my books for screwing up, last wheel alignment on my other truck took them 3 times to do it right, unfortunately I have no other option.
What is your experience or advice with rear spring recall change?

 

If the rear was done wrong, it would have to be done way wrong for it to affect the alignment. Its pretty idiot proof back there when it comes to taking it apart and putting it back together.

 

Mmmmmm... unless it was wrong before and the front end was aligned to bandaid it. If the rear is now correct, the bandaid is now a problem. If I had it aligned and they note an issue with the rear, I'd go back to the dealer and ask for a refund of the alignment amount. Or just have it aligned at the dealer.

Worst case youre out $100 for an alignment, best case you save your tires. And causation and correlation aren't the same thing. You might just need an alignment, it might be completely unrelated to the dealers work. We see a bajillion threads in message boards "I just went to the dealer for xxx and now yyy quit! What did they do?" and odds are it would be just as valid a complaint to say "I just bought white socks, and now my engine seized! What did walmart do to my truck?" Everything mechanical will fail and odds are the failure will be unrelated to whatever happened right before.

 

Ok, thanks for your replies! I was looking at axle and it looks like it sits on leaf springs only so I thought that they could shift axle on one side. Bottom line is that truck got worse when it came back and it is not just feeling as I drive my truck every day, so I will let them do alignment and pay.

 

Assuming everything is correct in the parts, the rear end does sit supported by only the springs. Your hangers don't affect where the spring sits, or where the alignment pin on the spring locates your axles. But going with new springs they will be taller, and stiffer. You might have just gotten used to riding on failing parts.

 

Yeah theres locator pins in the leaf springs that prevent the potential misalignment of the rear axle. You could install the springs backwards but the wheel would look weird sitting in the wheel well, heck it may not even work at all.

 

If you lifted the rear (without lifting the front), I'd get it aligned because you are actually changing the castor angle.

If you lifted both ends, you should get it aligned.

If you're just replacing warn out springs, you're probably fine without it. Granted, replacing warn out leafs with new ones is "technically" lifting it, lol...