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Rear leaf springs creaking, dealership said to deal with it

Discussion in 'Technical Chat' started by Joeplouff, May 12, 2017.

  1. May 12, 2017 at 12:20 PM
    #1
    Joeplouff

    Joeplouff [OP] Member

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    First Name:
    Joe
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    2017 Tacoma TRD
    Future build
    So I'm having the same problem that everybody else is having, my rear leaf springs are creaking very bad, loud enough my neighbor could here it from his living room. It finally got bad enough that I took it to the dealership to see if they could fix it because everything that I've done hasn't worked.

    The things that I have tried are jacking up the rear end of the truck to relieve all the pressure off the leaf springs, pressure washing the leaf springs each individually, and then running a rag in between each leaf spring to make sure I get every particle of dirt out. After I did all of this I lower the truck down drove around for about 10 minutes and the creak immediately came back. I then rejacked up the truck, and recleaned all the noise reduction pads that I can get access to on the leaf springs. Again the creak came back.

    Took it to my local dealership to have it inspected to see if they could do anything they kept it for 6 hours, whenever I finally called back they told me the common "Tech tip" which is exactly what I did. The guy I spoke to told me that there was nothing else that they could do other than exactly what I did so I'm just going to have to deal with it until they come up with another idea. My truck only has 4500 miles on it and is still under warranty.

    I have read the other threads and all of them are saying to put a wet Lube on the leaf springs, but I don't want to do that because it'll just attract more dirt. So the other option would be to use a dry lubricant such as a silicone or graphite, but I shouldn't have to lubricate the leaf springs considering they don't come from the factory lubricated.

    What should I do? Because this doesn't feel right that they're telling me I should "just deal with the creaking untill they come up with another idea", considering it's a brand-new pickup

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  2. May 12, 2017 at 12:40 PM
    #2
    drr

    drr Primary Prognosticator

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    Are you sure it is the leaf packs themselves? Often those anti-squeak pads are actually causing the creaking. Try removing them, and if the leaves separate enough, chamfer the ends of the leaves a bit.
    Another possibility is that the bushings in the shackle and frame mount were mounted and torqued with the suspension unloaded, and now at ride height they have some twist to them which causes a squeak as they go through their normal range of motion. Untorque the shackle and frame mount bolts, but don't remove them, and bounce up and down in the bed to get everything to settle to the proper position. Retorque with the truck on its own weight, I believe ~105 ft-lbs for the front frame mount and ~65 ft-lbs for the shackle bolts.
     
  3. May 12, 2017 at 12:57 PM
    #3
    Joeplouff

    Joeplouff [OP] Member

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    Future build
    If I removed the pads can I reattach them? What do you mean by chamber the ends?
     
  4. May 12, 2017 at 1:19 PM
    #4
    drr

    drr Primary Prognosticator

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    Yes usually those pads just clip through a hole near the end of each leaf.
    Chamfering is an angled grind along the end of the leaf, this allows for a smooth sliding action as the leaves flex. When the leaf springs are designed, if they plan on using the anti-squeak pads they'll leave the ends of the leafs square cut, which can cause friction when the leaf pack flexes.
     
  5. May 12, 2017 at 2:44 PM
    #5
    Venator_2033

    Venator_2033 Well-Known Member

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    4" inch lift Dakar leafpacks/Bilstein 5100 B110/Fox 2.0 coil-overs/Catless Dual Exhaust w/H-pipe/OVtuned1.05/RCI Sliders/HID kits Hi/Low/AFE Intake with scoop and 76mm throttle body/Total chaos Fab UCA's
    I had the same issue with my 2016 TRDOR the dealership couldn't fix it they just cleaned them and spayed same lubricant on them the creaking came back soon after but I've since lifted my truck and I'm using a pair of Dakar leaf packs from OME with some Bilstine 5100's And am much happier and squeak free so that's always an option for you, also you can pick up a pair for about 600$ shipped depending on where you get them.
     
  6. May 19, 2017 at 8:21 AM
    #6
    Larueminati

    Larueminati Well-Known Member

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