Leaf spring issue

Hi,

That is because the springs are not loaded. It looks normal to me. Do you see any cracks in the springs themselves? Are the shackles in good condition?

Let me know.
Joe

I guess they are, bushings look okay.

Do both sides do this? Clearly the spring should feel solid and not move much at all so I suspect it is broken at some point. You want to inspect the entire pack and see if you can find where it is broken. I attached a picture of a dramatic case but it will be the idea.

The shackles there that you mentioned in your other post are only intended to keep the leaf springs from fanning out so they are not the issue.

Thanks again for getting this new post started. I understand it may seem silly but the internet search engines actually punish the websites when they are not separated out like this which is why we require it.

Let me know what you find and we can go from there. Worse case, I would go to a salvage yard and get a new leaf spring pack.

Both sides do it, yes. I noticed one side I can grip the spring pack and compress with my hand, and another pack stays compressed, no movement.

Inspect the leafs for cracks. Keep in mind, the springs are fully unloaded. When you pull up on the axle, it will move.

I agree with Joe. You should be inspecting these for movement loaded and not unloaded. If you have movement with the leaf springs like this when the suspension is loaded then it is probably cracked.

Hi there,

Just thought I would throw something out there.

I think that is a lot of movement. The clamps are what caught my eye.

It almost looks like it is missing a leaf. How old are the springs?

Roy

Roy I thought the same thing. They are from a 2011 Ford truck 320,000 miles, but they both have the same number of springs, just one moves in the clamp, the other does not.

I watched the video again. I honestly see nothing out of the ordinary. The clamp may have stretched which I have see many times. The axle is pulling down on the leafs, so when you pull upward, they will move easily. What are your thoughts, Roy?

Joe

I agree Joe. I am concerned there may be too much up and down movement. He may also have worn out shocks as well.

Roy

Well, with weight on it I can't do much by hand, so maybe it's the shocks? They compress up and down too without weight.

There should be resistance if the shocks are good. How old are they?

Roy

These are original.

Okay, 9 years old is a long time for shocks.

I think Joe may be right about the springs but I am looking at the up and down movement which I think is shock related.

Roy

Wow! Original and 300,000 + miles? They have to be bad. LOL

Let us know if we can help.
Joe