sagging rear?
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New User
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 16
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sagging rear?
haha sure, now that I have your attention!
My (new to me) 01 Expy leans to the right (lower on the right side), approximately the same amount in both the front and rear.
No air ride suspension, and according to carfax it's never been wrecked, so what should I check to see what to do to correct?
measurements to the top of the wheelwell are are follows:
Front Rt 36.5"
Rear Rt 34.5"
Front Left 37.5"
Rear Left 35.5"
I assume front to rear height difference is normal, and could be adjusted with the likes of torsion bars??
My (new to me) 01 Expy leans to the right (lower on the right side), approximately the same amount in both the front and rear.
No air ride suspension, and according to carfax it's never been wrecked, so what should I check to see what to do to correct?
measurements to the top of the wheelwell are are follows:
Front Rt 36.5"
Rear Rt 34.5"
Front Left 37.5"
Rear Left 35.5"
I assume front to rear height difference is normal, and could be adjusted with the likes of torsion bars??
Postmaster
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 3,028
Likes: 1
From: Annapolis, Maryland
A bit of tweaking with the torsion bars should get you to where you need to be. Here's what I did:
The most important part of this whole process is to count how many turns you give each bar!
Also, it's hard to tighten those bolts if the front end is on the ground. A jack really helps; takes the tension off the bars.
XXL
- Remove both torsion bar bolts completely, bounce truck to make sure bars settle in.
- Put the bolts back in, tighten as tight as I can using fingers.
- Give each bolt 5 turns, so that they are currently even with each other.
- From there, I checked all the heights, and tightened the bar on the sagging side until the whole thing was even (every revolution or two, I'd get up, stand on the bumpers, and bounce the whole thing up and down to settle the bars in).
- Now that the bars are correclty tweaked to even the whole thing out, I began loosening them up 2-3 turns each after each test drive (my 35 mile commute to school). Now I've got the whole thing tweaked to give me a great highway ride.
The most important part of this whole process is to count how many turns you give each bar!
Also, it's hard to tighten those bolts if the front end is on the ground. A jack really helps; takes the tension off the bars.
XXL
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 327
Likes: 1
From: Midwest
Adjusting the torsion bars will not affect the rear ride height disparity, however.
If it bothers you, you could get a set of Ride-Rite (or similar) airbags to install in the rear coils. I recently did got a set from Napa for $80, and installed them in my rear coils for towing--but you can fill each bag separately, so you could adjust the pressure for normal driving and eliminate the uneven ride you're experiencing.
If it bothers you, you could get a set of Ride-Rite (or similar) airbags to install in the rear coils. I recently did got a set from Napa for $80, and installed them in my rear coils for towing--but you can fill each bag separately, so you could adjust the pressure for normal driving and eliminate the uneven ride you're experiencing.
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 327
Likes: 1
From: Midwest
I would guess the L/R difference is attributable to varied loads on the two sides. If the vehicle is driven frequently with only a driver, that's X pounds only on the left side...the fuel tank is mounted off center...that's another X pounds that's always sitting off to the side, etc. Over time, these things add up. I wouldn't worry too terribly much about it if the truck is still riding fine and all--but a close suspension inspection might be in order (look for any cracked or oddly bent springs, bent mounting brackets, etc.)
