Gen 1 Fox 2.0 2004 Tacoma double cab

Purchased FX 2.0 suspension for my 2004 Toyota Tacoma double cab Noticed that the rear left strut is a lot shorter or compressed than the right when installed uninstalled they were the same length I will add photos below any help would be great thank you

 

TLDR: Because the Fox 2.0 Perf Factory Series rear only has the one part number for both sides when there are two from factory (and almost every other aftermarket shock on the market) then the trucks weight imbalance and the rear suspensions alternating shock mounting becomes apparent and compresses more on the driver's side. It could also be your leaf packs are more worn on one side than the other.


Same for my 2003 PreRunner TRD 3.4L DubCab. Part of the cause for mine is worn out leaf packs. The guy I bought the truck from about 6 mo ago told me he had a landscaping business and that he used the truck to haul a (overloaded) trailer and equipment 6/7 days/week. I recently replaced the driver's side rear axle seal (and basically ended up rebuilding the entire wheel hub and axle shaft) and noticed one of the factory Tokico shocks was drooling. Bought the Fox 2.0 Performance Factory Series rear set and Rooster Shields. After installing them and setting the truck back down, the left one has about 1.5" of piston still showing but the right one has closer to 2.5-3". They're listed at having approx 7" of travel and can accommodate a 0-1" lift. I spoke to a guy at Fox's head office that basically said that they they are actually "ideal" when used with a 1" over factory rear lift and up to 1.5", but past 1.5" you're getting dangerously close to having zero up-travel range of motion...assuming that your leafs are new factory height or 0-1.5" aftermarket leafs. He didn't say anything about blocks and I'm not surprised.

After talking to him I went and really inspected my leafs. They are quite worn and at a negative degree arch from a zero plane with zero load (other than the body or factory curb weight). That being said I don't see a new OEM Toyota leaf pack lifting the rear end 2" from where it is, giving the the driver's side fox a total of 3.5" of total exposed piston.

 

Simply put, "Taco lean". Essentially, the battery, driver, and gas tank are all always on the drivers side. All the trucks are a little lower on the drivers side at rest. With adjustable coilovers you can give the preload ring a nudge until the front is level (side to side).. For the back, you gotta install shims which are less than ideal. Most aftermarket leaf packs tend to have left and right spring packs with different arches to accommodate the lean.

That shock should have been replaced 3 or 4 times by now. Non-rebuildable shocks should be replaced every 50-70k. Obviously no one really does that because they think "if it's not broken..." but don't realize that the shock is borked, and it's likely effecting the ride and handling of the truck.