How Bad is This? Dealership...

So, I got my free leaf springs as part of a recall on a Tacoma that I bought at Salvage Auction. The prior owner had never gotten them for whatever reason. I stay away from the dealership for any repairs for obvious reasons, but I can't resist free OEM leaf springs. My first thought is that they will probably mess up the install. So when I get my vehicle back, it's pulling hard to the left. They said they did an alignment and that it must be my tires. The same tires that I had on before, when it was not pulling to the left. So I remove the rear wheels to see what's going on and this is what I find:
It looks like the left leaf spring is coming loose. The bump stop is no longer fully under the bracket. On a scale of "Not safe to drive" to "I'm Overreacting" what is this? Check out the pictures. I have one of the right side that looks okay for now, and two of the left, that looks like it's coming loose.

 

It’s fine to drive. But I would definitely have the dealership fix it.

although I doubt the bump stop is what’s causing your pulling to the left

 

New leaf packs will compress over time and cause the U-bolts to lose preload. You can loosen the U-Bolt nuts, set the U-bolts to their proper positions, and tighten the nuts with basic hand tools.

The dealer said they did an alignment? Did you pay money for it? Usually that's a $100 job.

 

I would say not safe to drive if it's pulling.

Worked on a Tacoma today. The front diff drain plug and the oil filter drain were stripped out pretty bad. Also there were 2 drain plug crush washers installed due to dealer not removing old one. Toyota dealer has been doing the service. Having your vehicle serviced at the dealer is a real toss up these days.

 

Thanks for the responses. I think I am just going to fix it myself. I have the tools and I hate going to the dealership. I found the torque specs for the U Bolts (37 ftlbs.) The leaf springs were part of a recall and they said it included an alignment. Everything was paid for by Toyota, but I did not see a line item for an alignment in the paperwork. I am going to have a reputable alignment shop in town give me their opinion.

 

I've been told they're re-usable.
Currently running a set on the second use.

I don't think it's must-replace.
Must-replace hardware means stretch bolts. As in torque to 90 ft lbs + 90 degrees, and usually aluminum. U-bolts are neither of those things, and have a somewhat low torque spec for how thick they are

It's 73

 

Definitely torque more than 37 ft lbs for U bolts. I normally torque to 85 ft lbs. Except aftermarket brands that specify higher torque.

 

Yeah, I heard that 37 was a typo. Ive had mine torqued to 73 for 5 plus years with no issues.

 

It's a known typo error in the fsm so theres a chance that the tech used that spec instead of the actual 73 ft/lbs. Loosen, fix it yourself and torque to 75 ftlbs.

 

exactly
The leafpack clamp only bolts up one way and because of that it’s considered “no alignment”, which the Hunter alignment machine (when Tacoma is selected) greying out rear specs to ignore them.
Not that you can’t adjust them. When there’s a will there’s a way. There’s also shims.

I think my rear toe is a hair out. I’ve thought about trying to resolve it by loosening the U-bolts and seeing if I can adjust the axle by applying pulling force with ratchet straps then tightening it

 

They are technically not re-useable, but honestly it won't hurt it if you back it off and snug it over the bump stop.

I've adjusted ubolts plenty of times and never had any returns even 10 years later.

I wouldn't touch it if was anymore than a few months though.

 

You can reuse the bolts as they were unlikely to have been torqued to spec, and even if they were, they still haven't fully stretched out. Ubolts do stretch, but the don't do it all at once, which why you have to continue to check and retorque them repeatedly for the first 10000 to 20000 miles. It's why the thread on the 3rd gen forum to check your ubolts exist. Eventually they do stop stretching, and definitely once they get to that stage don't reuse them.

 

When the dealer replaced the recalled leaf springs they f'd up the alignment. They denied it even though the steering wheel was clearly not centered. Have to question safety when workmanship is so poor.

 

Thanks for the correction on the torque specs for the U bolts, 37 ft lbs does seem low. I did end up having the dealership fix it for me while I was there picking up some parts. They said it must have slipped off when the the nuts were being torqued. I think they probably didn't torque them tight enough and it slipped off when I was driving. They also said they "redid" the alignment for me as a courtesy, which tells me they probably forget to do the alignment the first time. Driving the vehicle confirmed that, because now it goes straight.

 

You will be fine reusing the u bolts. Just make sure you recheck them a few times after install.

 

I read both of those links.. but I'm a bit suspicious.

One says that the threads are "distorted when torqued" "because the threads are rolled, not cut"—but rolled threads a typically stronger (both in terms of shear and tensile stress) and more resistant to fatigue and wear than cut threads. This is generally due to a more optimal grain structure in the fastener material compared to cut threads. You could also make the argument that rolled threads are cold-worked as well during the rolling process. As a general rule, cut threads are weaker and more susceptible to failure than rolled threads.

The other link says that U-bolts are often TTY, which I don't believe is the case (it also says rolled threads are better, which while generally true, is in direct conflict with the first link). Some quick back-of-the-envelope calculations (feel free to double-check me here) show that the tensile stress induced in the fastener at the recommended torque for our trucks (73 ft-lb) is less than the yield strength for a grade-5 9/16-12 fastener (looks like most aftermarket U-bolts for our trucks are grade-5 9/16-12). That link also says that the "threads are deformed under torque"—which isn't technically the deformation we are concerned with, but even if we let that slide, well of course they deform—ALL materials deform under an applied load. The question is if the deformation puts the material into the elastic range or the plastic range and in this case, it looks to be well within the elastic range. That link also includes "oil" in the list of items that "increase" friction on the thread, which clearly isn't true.

Both of those sources are questionable IMO. It looks like the authors are passing along information that they "know" without fully understanding the application—and as a result, stating certain things that simply aren't true. The whole "don't re-use U-bolts" thing honestly sounds like an old hot rodder "rule of thumb", that may be applicable for certain specific situations/applications, but was then passed along through the years as a general rule, yet the rule doesn't seem to consider what's actually going on with the fastener. If you have other info/sources/etc. though, feel free to share and prove me wrong here. I'm always open to seeing better info/data/analysis/etc.

There are other factors with the U-bolt/leaf spring/axle/etc. fastening system that I would argue have a greater impact on whether or not we re-use the U-bolt, but in general, I'd say that as long as you inspect the U-bolt for damage and/or wear, it should be fine to re-use.

 

How difficult is it to install a u-bolt and the dealership can't even get that right. Shame on them for not checking their work either.