Leaning
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Elder User
Joined: Feb 2007
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Leaning
Hey. Ever since I bought my 99 F250 Powerstroke 2 years ago it leans severly to the drivers side. I mean like a 3 inch difference from the passengers side. Anyone have any ideas on what I could look for?
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Joined: Sep 2003
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From: KS
I had an old 1988 F-150 regular cab long bed that did the same thing. Just noticeable from the back. I did a bunch of measuring and still could not figure out how to fix it. The suspension was not off any. Then finally I noticed that it was the bed or frame that was tweaked. Looking by the cab back glass everything was straight but the farther back the bed went, the drivers side would slowly go lower then the passengers. Looking at and compairing the back bumper and ground distance, it was noticeable. It was exactly 2" off. Dont know what caused it. Never was able to fix the problem. At least it would not pull or dog-leg going down the road. Traded it in on a new truck and the Ford dealer never noticed it. It was very annoying though!
Last edited by stevenn1; Jun 3, 2007 at 10:47 AM.
Post Fiend
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Take a look at the shackles, and compare them from side to side. They should be at the same, or very similar angle. if you see one that is at a greater angle than any others, or different than the other side, it will be safe to assume that you have a spring that has weakened. When the spring starts to sag, it will get longer, and the shackle angle will be increased. A broken, or cracked spring can cause this, but a tired spring will also cause this. Good idea to check all of the bushings in the suspension too. Probably bushings alone will not cause such an extreme lean, but combined with other problems just might.
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Finally got a chance to take some measurements. There is a 1 1/4 inch diffenrece in the amount of space between the leaf springs and the rubber stops that are located on the frame. Same thing for the rear. Both on the Drivers side. Im out of guesses.
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That would indicate weak springs. Odd that two are that way, but may or may not be related. Did you look at the angles of the shackles. There was an open TSB regarding leaning trucks, but the fix was a block of about an inch, and usually only one spring, but I guess it could happen to two. Also possible that one weak spring is causing the lean, and the other spring is compressing as a result of it.
The shackle angles will tell you which one is the weakest. It will have the greatest angle to it.
The shackle angles will tell you which one is the weakest. It will have the greatest angle to it.
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Joined: Jan 2007
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From: Gilbert Az.
I have seen that a lot on 1/2 & 3/4 tons when used as transportation by shall I say "portly individuals" & verly rarely having any load in the bed seems to be a common trait as I have seen it on all makes. Vans seem to be very suseptable to this, an old mechanic once told me that swapping the springs side to side "fixed em right up" but i would imagine that much work would be better to install new springs.