Sure I am up for doing this certainly!!! I am also going to talk to the local spring shop and see how much it would be to add a leaf like dfluid did on the other forum. How would I go about clamping them and what would I use to accomplish this to where the effect is the desired one? I imagine I would be clamping the front of the springs? So is the thought to clamp the overload spring to the rest of the springs thus engaging it?

 

Yes the front. Just use a c clamp and put it as far forward as you can but still getting that thick one clamped. Best, CB

 

I hope they get your truck fixed. Sorry to hear things have not changed at Ford. I'd take it in a few times and have it documented they can't fix it and Lemon Law it. I had nothing but problems with the Ford dealerships and Ford's typical deny and deny policy. It looks like nothings changed.

If you are lucky you may get a good truck with no issues.

I don't understand why people are so loyal to Ford when many get treated like this time and time again.

 

Actually this is the second Ford I have owned and the first new Ford. My first Ford was a 1967 mustang with a 428 cobrajet in it. Hardly compareable for sure...lol

For the most part I have always bought foriegn cars Honda's and Toyota's.

 

My first love was a 70 Mach 1 351C 4 speed, 9" w/4.57s. That thing RAN! My buddies' older brother owned it. I loved that car, jade green....

 

Hi PrinceValium,

I'm always happy to do what I can to help. I checked out your case notes and see that your customer service manager (CSM) will be following up with you on Thursday to ensure that things are progressing. Please keep me in the loop moving forward; I'll keep an eye on this thread as well.

Crystal

 

So I talked to the service manager today and he wants meti bring in my truck tomorrow and drop it off...so when the engineer is there he could look at my vehicle. I told him I would like to be able to talk to him about it to which he replied I am sorry it is not possible...the do not talk to customers!! I said oh how convenient!!! Really???!!!

Oh and thanks Crystal.

 

That's not completely true; they talk to customers on their terms. I remember getting a call from the FSE when they were looking at the turbo in my F350. He called from the dealer's number and wanted some more details of the noise it was making because he had seen my YouTube video.

A year and a half later this same FSE screwed up and called me when my Mustang was in the shop. They were trying to track down a goofy issue with my gauge cluster, and he called me by mistake. He was trying to reach one of his "engineer buddies", but he must have had my contact info in front of him instead. Seems to be a pretty exclusive group!

 

^^^^ That's funny Tom and thanks for sharing.

Hopefully Crystal was able to light a hot enough fire under someone's hind parts to get some action.

 

Hmmm, not good for instilling confidence in Ford.

 

Ok so I added the clamps to the front of the leaf springs engaging the overloads, here is a picture before adding the clamp...notice that it looks as if they are already almost touching!



Adding the clamps it looked like this...the ride was definitely different with the clamps on:




Doing this HELPED TREMENDOUSLY unloaded!! The shudder from a stop was gone and also the vibration at 60-65 was 99% eliminated as well!!!! The suspension seemed to "work" better although it was a little stiffer ride. So it seems this is in fact an axle wrap issue. I then hooked up the boat and towed it...didn't notice any shudder during take off...but since I had the load it changed the pinion angle enough to still allow the vibration at 60-65...although it was not as bad.

I stopped by a spring shop and talked to the owner at length about the issue and showed him the clamps etc. He is convinced the issue is the springs that are in the truck...they way they design the leafs now...and then he pointed out a block that is installed under the leafs. Tom...do you have a block under your leafs??? Anyway if I have to go that route I will document it all in another thread and post results and what exactly was done.

I told the service manager what I did with the clamps and upon giving him this information he is ordering a shim kit for the leaf side to change the pinion angle. He also thought about possibly replacing the driveshaft (which I doubt is the issue since putting the clamps on effectively eliminated that possibility) but at least he is trying.

The spring shop owner has fixed a problem Dodge has with some of their trucks...and has also had Chevy bring over 15 of their trucks that had the body leaning to one side (new ones) and the dealer PAID FOR THE REPAIRS AT THE SPRING SHOP!!!! Yes you can read that again...so if this does not pan out at the dealership I will go to the spring shop and get the springs done the right way by adding another leaf (he said he will find out what works best as to the length etc.) and go about getting FORD to pay for the FIX!!!!

So in putting the clamps on..I basically added more pinion angle unloaded which will not help when the truck is loaded as it basically almost reverses me clamping the overload spring. The spring guy said this would be corrected with a leaf added that evenly distributes the weight of the truck and he also has some tweaks here and there to help with towing etc.

I also talked to the spring guy about shocks as well but that would be down the road after this issue is resolved. He stated that the job would cost about $560...and knows he can get it resolved. He has been doing this for over 30 years and must be good if dealerships are bringing things to him to fix their issues. Comically enough his shop is right next to the Ford dealership and I can see people working on vehicles from his shop.

Anyway..I am going to let the dealer do what they can to resolve the issue and if it is not resolved I will then have the spring shop do their magic. (which more than likely is what will happen) So just thought I would let you guys know what is going on. To be continued...

 

To bad you didn't have or know someone with a go pro hero camera so you can mount it under the truck to see how the suspension is responding to this fix and without the clamp.

 

Well I may have spoke a bit too soon...the shudder is not completely gone as I do still feel it coming to a stop.

 

OK Rob, this is great stuff!!! Thanks for your leg work on this and your perseverance no doubt sheds some light on how others can fix their issues.

Well done my friend!! Reps sent or attempted.

 

I don't know. Mine's still at the dealer; they haven't called me. Of course I'm enjoying the hell out of the 38 MPG Focus they have loaned me in the meantime.

I don't know Rob. The fact that you are seeing some noise when you come to a stop indicates to me that your U-joints may for some reason be extremely sensitive to pinion angle. There is a range of angles that these U-joints are designed to operate in order to properly operate as the suspension moves about its range of travel. Perhaps when the pinion angle isn't perfect it does this. I'm no expert in U-joints, so it's just a theory.

I don't see that actually happening. Each manufacturer has their own procedures for resolving complaints, but I am really thinking that this is either a pinion angle issue or a U-joint one. My truck has the same springs as yours and mine doesn't shudder one little bit! This isn't a design issue, but rather a defective part.


That's great and all, but this problem really needs to be fixed right by the warranty that you paid for. The way I see it, you either have a bad driveshaft, wacky pinion angle, or possibly defective springs which I find highly unlikely. There's a process for fixing all of those, and that doesn't involve shelling out $500+ of your own cash!

Just my opinion of course. If I ever get my truck out of the shop I'll take some photos of my rear springs and post them up.