nother suspension problem..

ok so I've had my new suspension for about a month now and have noticed whenever my rear tires skid (even when going straight) i get this weird very noticeable axle wrap. not really sure how else to explain it. for example it happened when i was going up this super steep hill and my tires started spinning and it felt almost like the tires kept jumping up a little then hitting the ground again.

this is what i installed (i did it all myself which is probably why this is happening..)

i have OME leafs w/ OME greaseable shackles, billy 5100's, 3 degree axle shims from toytec, and toytec's boss coilovers upfront.

Not sure if this has anything to do with it but i figured id throw in all the info i can think of.. when i was installing the 3degree axle shims the dakar leaf was holding the truck up 1/4" longer than passenger side shock. so basically when i tightened the bolt it stretched the shock about 1/4".. But the driver side went on fine.

maybe i just need some more weight in the back?? it seemed like the dakar leafs brought the back up way more than 3"..

 

Another little bit of info it's a 1997 4wd ext cab 4cyl 2.7

 

Get a torque wrench (don't do it by feel) and tighten the u-bolts evenly to 90 ft/lbs (i.e. don't tighten just one nut to 90 ft/lbs, but go back and forth so that the thread pull is the same). Go for a test drive and then report back.

 

This requires removing the shock? Or can I just loosen them a little and retighten?

Thank you for the response this seems right considering I did it by feel originally..
Might do this 2m morning since it's getting dark out.

 

No, not the shocks, and by no means loosen anything.

The u-bolts are the two bolts shaped like a "U" that clamp each rear leaf spring to the axle... two "U" shaped clamps per side... four total... eight nuts total. The "U" 's will be about 6 inches in length.

Tighten each of those 8 nuts down to ~90 ft/lbs evenly... as in tighten one a bit, jump across to the other and tighten a bit, and then back and forth. You don't want 15 threads showing on one side and 2 showing on the other. Use a torque wrench. Most axle wrap issues with aftermarket leafs are solved simply by tightening the u-bolts down more. Hopefully you used new, longer u-bolts when replacing the stock leafs with the OME Dakars.

 

Yes my toytec kit came with new ubolts. Time for the test drive.

 

Well it definitely seems better. I didn't do extensive testing and will know for sure when it's wet outside. But thanks.

 

Hmm on the way to the laundry mat I went up a drive way/curb which bounced the back a little and it did it again.

 

How are your tires?...dakars are stiff until broken in.. You need to 're torque all bolts after about 500 miles.

 

Did you install the shims correctly? Are the thin parts toward the rear or the front?

 

Rear Tires are a little warn on the inside because of bad alignment on the front end (tire rotation) yea I know they are damn stiff should I put extra weight in the back till they are broken in? I know I'm almost at 500 miles. Just retorqued the ubolts and shackle bolts(to 40lbs) I think I might have overtightened the shackles to begin with..

 

Thin part is towards the front.. I think I installed them correctly I guess I'll take a pic 2m morning.

 

Why did you decide to put on shims? If they were needed with those springs, they should have come with them.

I'd try removing them to see if it makes any difference. They may be making the axle wrap worse, especially mounted the way they are (backwards maybe ?).

 

I'm almost positive I put them on the right way. The reason I got the shims in the first place was because of severe driveline vibrations from 5mph-25mph.. So I installed them after the fact and they made it alooottt better. My truck is undriveable without them.
I agree though shoulda came with the shims.

 

Post up some pics of the rear axle, including the DS angle, Dakars, U-bolt area, etc. Maybe a more experienced person can spot something. Did you do the spring install yourself?

 

I know every truck is different (and I don't want to lead you down the wrong path), but I can take some pictures of my setup since it is similar. My rear is running Dakars, D6XL (OME AAL), Nitrocharger Sports (OME shocks), OME exhaust bracket, OME greasable shackles, extended rear brake line (not that it matters for this situation) and OME center bearing drop. I do NOT have axle shims. Let me know if you need any special pictures.

 

Thanks bro well you could just compare mine to yours? Is the angle of your shackle about the same?

Here's some pictures of the what I've done..

Driver side..


Passenger side..


Angle of shackle


Kind of close up on shim..(these do help)


Drive line..


Drive line and axle connecting..

 

It looks to me like you installed everything correctly. One thing to keep in mind is that, when you install new u-bolts, you should re-torque them every 100 miles for the first 500 miles or so. When u bolts are torqued, they actually stretch a little so they need to be re-torqued after driving over the road. Also, I usually torque to 110 ft-lbs instead of 90.

 

hmm ok I'm thinking i might have originally messed up on the u bolts because when i went to put that 90 lbs a few of the bolts were really tight (over 100lbs..) and the others were sorta loose (like 60 lbs or so..). so I'm thinking i should loosen the u bolts then re torque and do it every 100 miles like you said. also i think i need to put a spacer on my carrier bearing because it seems like i get mild driveline vibrations at about 60mph or so.

 

My setup looks similar to yours. Actually, your driveshaft angle looks better than mine. I failed to measure the angles before the lift. I measured everything else but that.

The only reason I did the center bearing drop was because I had the bearing fail after ~6K miles of lifting the truck (I'm sure the prior 73K contributed). I never had vibrations but the darn bearing started squealing so I figured I'd give it a shot. Now it seems like I may have actually developed a vibration, but then again, I haven't been driving the truck very much and may just be too use to the car. Time will tell.