I noticed an unusual noise coming from the passenger side rear tires of my 2000 F-350 dually. Broke a leaf spring again on this truck! Drivers side went out about 20,000 miles ago and I remember it was somewhere between $500-$700 for the dealer to put a new spring in. Was hoping you guys could help me with a part number or a website where I can buy a new leaf spring for the passenger side of my truck. Looking for something that meets OEM specs so that the truck will sit evenly.

Did a quick browse on eBay and found all sorts of "spring kits" to add height to the truck. Is there a difference between a rear leaf spring for a dually and single rear wheel truck?

The truck is a 2000 F-350, long box, SuperCab, diesel, 4x4, dually. It has about 186,500 on the clock.

Thank you in Advance!

 

It's my understanding they should be replaced in pairs, for ride height and wearability/durability. What I would suggest is purchasing a pair from a salvage yard and having them re-arched.

 

I got lucky and found a pair for $200 from a guy that worked at a 4x4 shop. They had been sitting in the shop on a shelf for about 4 yrs. Put a WANTED ad in Craigs list. you might get lucky. Or maybe call some 4x4 shops and see if a customer did some upgrades and didnt keep their OEM springs. But it is wise to replace them in pairs.

 

Ace is right the dealer should have insisted on replacing both. I would have replaced them when the first one broke with a good matched pair of used springs. I have 2005s on my 1999. Found them on CL for $75 for the pair. People like to put lifts on there trucks and sometimes just want to get rid of there old set.

FYI - Rear leaf springs from 1999-2007 are interchangeable.

That being said, if you intend to replace only the newly broken side you need to use a Ford spring. Pairing springs of different ages and wear is one thing but springs by different manufactures, .... NO.

Just for my own curiosity which leaf broke each time?

BillyBob - did you replace yours because of a break? Which leaf?

 

Springs should not wear out. If they do, they are not springs to start with.
But if I would have 2 spring failures in short time, I would search for different manufacturer for sure.

 

Actually, all springs wear out. They have only a limited life span. Failure is caused by repeated flexing. Take any piece of metal regardless of what it is and flex it repeatedly it will eventually break.

Failure occurring when the vehicle has 160,000 to 180,000 miles on it is well beyond the stage where poor manufacturing (defects) would be the root cause. Springs with this mileage are entering or possibly in the later stage of their life span and spring failure is not uncommon. Bad roads, bad shocks, bad brakes, corrosion, damage, and overloading will increase the failure rate.

 

That seems pretty steep for replacing the spring. When mine broke, I bought a new spring pack from the dealer for $190 and installed it in about 1.5 hours. Check the dealer for a price for just the spring and see if you can find a shop to install it for you, probably save you some bucks.

 

Right on! At 185K miles, I'm surprised it hasn't happened already, especially if the truck has been loaded a lot.

To the original poster, was it the top leaf that broke? And there were no other leaves that broke first, as in, it would have been prudent to change the spring pack before the top one broke?

A salvage yard, or even a local spring shop should be able to hook you up with what you need.

 

+1 tawells01 is completely correct. All springs will wear out and fail. I think at 185K the OP got pretty good life out of them.

To the OP like the others said I would have replaced them in pairs but I don't see why you need them from same manufacture at this point. All springs manufactures should follow standards from SRI. As long as you get the same SRI number spring you should be fine.

 

Dealer did highly suggest replacing both sides. I declined and just wanted the broken side. It was $344 in parts today, bought new from Ford. I ordered everything they replaced when it was in 20,000 ago for the same problem on the other side. The drivers side cost me $631.52 from the dealer (parts+labor).

The 2nd leaf from the bottom is what broke. No helper springs on this truck, I think because it has air bags in the rear. Would have liked to been able to look around a bit for a new spring, but it is a work truck and I do need it. Plus I don't believe in putting used parts on vehicles or equipment.

Thanks to all for your advice! FTE is #1!!!!

DC-9-32