Suspenion problems??

Joined: 30 Oct 2003 Location: South Cast NSW

Hello all,

I have had rancho 5000 put on the front of my 88 hilux, leaf springs reset, and new bushs...problem is the left hand side is still 18mm (meserment taken from the bumb stop to the rail, 140mm drivers side, 122mm passanegr side) lower than the right....the blokes rekon they made the left leaf spring 1" more higher than the other....any suggestions on a fix to try level it a bit more? does it also matter that the boots arnt on the shocks? they rekon they didnt come with them. I really dont like these guys so im not taking it back to them. Get the back done sumwhere else......needs new shackles and bushes...any in particular that u can suggest? i dont intend on doing rock climbing or anythin..just a medium off roadder. i also need new shcoks on back and sterring damper...stay with rancho's or king springs?

TIA!

Joined: 20 Oct 2002 Location: Greenbank

Swap the front springs left to right it should then sit level. The right spring is supposed to be taller. They ripped you off on the shock boots. All Rancho shocks come with these. However when the boots are fitted they usually rust the shock out. I run mine without and have had no problems.

Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2003 7:44 am

RUFF wrote:

Swap the front springs left to right it should then sit level. The right spring is supposed to be taller. They ripped you off on the shock boots. All Rancho shocks come with these. However when the boots are fitted they usually rust the shock out. I run mine without and have had no problems.

The left (passenger) spring should be taller than the right (drivers) spring because of the spring perch position. The drivers side perch is higher due to the perch being welded on the hump of the diff centre, the passenger side perch is lower, being on the diff tube, so swapping the springs left to right will worsen the problem. The drivers side spring is designed to be a little higher due to the load on that side - mostly driver (not always a passenger in vehicle), battery, fuel tank, dash gauges and steering gear are all on the drivers side.

You really should run the boots on the rancho shocks, because you will get stones that will chip and damage the chromed rod, these imperfections in the rod will damage the seals and cause the shock to leak and eventually fail prematurely. As you say it is for a general trail use rig, not a crawler, so no doubt there willl be some high speed dirt road driving involved...

You can put a flat shim 10-15mm thick (depending on the height bias) under the passenger side spring to compensate for the height difference if you want it to look right..

Joined: 16 Mar 2003 Location: Brisbane, QLD.

Are those measurements with you in the car and a tank of fuel ?

I just put all new springs and stuff through my 90 Hilux and the Right Hand Side front spring pack is about 20mm higher than the left. It is suppose to be. This is to allow for the fact that on a hilux everything is on the Right hand side of the car. Fule tank, Driver, front transfer case etc etc

I am confussed though as is it your driver side or passengers side which sits lower ? Your Passengers side should sit lower than drivers side but not by much.

Quote:

left hand side is still 18mm (meserment taken from the bumb stop to the rail, 140mm drivers side, 122mm passanegr side) lower than the right....

Also 140mm out of stock leaves is pretty high isn't it ? I am getting about that and I have longer leaves. Your shackles must be on a bitch of an angle, ie pointing fwd.

Joined: 30 Oct 2003 Location: South Cast NSW

i think i found the problem.....i do have a body lift as well.....the block under the front left is damged and bent...my guess is when i straighten out the block and get the rail fixed it will then keep the levels correct, both sides of the car.
it has ultimate leaf spring package. the angles are normal for the front and rear shackles.

i do want to replace the rear shackles with a greaseable kit setup...stay with rancho do u think same with the rear shocks and steering damper?

TIA

Joined: 30 Oct 2003 Location: South Cast NSW

i think i found the problem.....i do have a body lift as well.....the block under the front left is damged and bent...my guess is when i straighten out the block and get the rail fixed it will then keep the levels correct, both sides of the car.
it has ultimate leaf spring package. the angles are normal for the front and rear shackles.

i do want to replace the rear shackles with a greaseable kit setup...stay with rancho do u think same with the rear shocks and steering damper?

TIA

Joined: 15 Feb 2003 Location: ACT

If the block is damaged get a new one!!

Go for OME greasable shackles and steering stabiliser, as for the shocks I wouldnt know if Ranchos are any better than OME. So wait and see what others say