Rear leaf spring squeakiness -- Dakars, Alcans or all?

What does a set run$?

 

I am on my 2nd set of Alcans. Neither set has ever squeaked.

 

The Alcans were $630 at the time.
The Deavers were part of a larger SUA kit and not a replacement item.

Both companies are very responsive from my experience. Send them both a message. They may ask for some measurements and how much lift required, extra weight over stock, etc.

Not sure where you’re from, but Alcan is a CO business and Deaver CA if that makes a difference.

Come to think about it, @ARCHIVE Garage is a Deaver dealer in upstate NY if that’s more your area.

 

I spoke with Alcan a couple weeks ago. They quoted me $710.

 

My OME Dakar’s squeaked like crazy til I found out they need to be greased through the grease gun fitting. Then they were quiet again.

 

wtf? I got mine in 2008 and without constant lubrication they have squeaked since basically day 1

 

My Dakar’s are almost a year old and they just started squeaking today . What fitting are you talking about ?

 

Best bet is to pinpoint the source of the squeak. In my case its the pad closest to the rear shackle on the passenger side. Every now and then Ill shove a screwdriver in there to separate the leafs a bit then squirt some moly grease in there. The teflon material always slips out, especially if it goes up on a lift. At this point I just deal with it.

 

I installed the OME Dakar set-up w/ greasable shackles and AAL last September - squeaks like hell ... pretty sure it is those damned poly bushings that are the recommended choice - perhaps OEM is the way to go as far as bushings concerned

 

Welcome to TW

 

@lynyrd3 - Thanks! first time commenter and member, long time lurker

 

I just add more weight til they stop squeaking

 

silicone dry type or what?

 

I installed Dakars with greaseable shackles and the newer yellow polyurethane bushings all around on my 02 a year ago and have around 6000 mi. on them. I used Super Lube silicone grease and followed OME instructions on where to apply...and where not to. The loud squeak just started and I thought it was from the spring pads but after prying and re-greasing them I learned the problem was the front bushings. As you can see by the picture the friction between the insides of front hangers and bushing faces dried and was causing the problem.
Some options: Disassemble and re-greasing the fronts as regular maintenance - Try another brand bushing - Look into greaseable front bolts.
Isn't polyurethane itself the same regardless of brand? Maybe other have different designs but they all look pretty much the same. It seems at 115 ft-lbs per "toyota-specs.com" that surface area and pressure only has room for a very thin film of grease that will dry out regardless of bushing manufacturer. The greaseable bolt appears to make sense but some say you will have drill out the hanger holes to accommodate the larger diameter bolts. Others say having a "hollow" bolts could be risky. I have decided to only torqueing those bolts at 85 ft-lbs vs. 115 hoping not to press out almost all the grease.
Quiet for now but probably not for long!
Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

Welcome to TW.

Verify that you are not torquing those bolts until the truck is back on the ground and everything is at ride height.

 

Yes, hand tight till off jacks, then torqued. That was a great tip to learn thanks to all you guys on this site!

 

My Dakars with AAL squeak like crazy. Used moly lube on the friction pads, always kept the greasable shackles greased which helps a bit. Pretty sure the squeak is coming from the front poly bushings.

 

I wonder how often squeaking gets mixed up with creaking..? My Deavers creak but only when dirty or dusty & they're being flexed. After a wash they're silent again for months until debris builds up between the leaves again.

I used SuperLube grease during my install

 

How are squeaking and creaking different? Honest question...

 

To me, squeaking is a high pitch sound you don't want to hear for very long.

Creaking is more of a lower tone. Metal groaning from slight lateral movements over each others surfaces.

Just my take, but squeaks and creaks are very different sounds. Squeaks high pitch, creaks low pitch.