- Step 1 – Jack up the Vehicle. …
- Step 2 – Remove and Check the Leaf Spring.
- Step 3 – Reinstall, Align and Adjust Leaf Spring.
- Step 4 – Adjust the Toe In.
- Step 5 – Check Wheel Turn Angle.
How do you align rear leaf springs?
Position one
jack stand three to
four inches from the end of the leaf spring, taking care not to lift the car too high. Use a wrench to loosen the bolts and remove the rear spring bolt from the trailing arm and spring. Carefully lower the jack to ease the pressure on the spring.
How tight do you tighten leaf springs?
How Tight Should Leaf Spring Shackle and Spring Eye Bolts Be If the bolts for the shackle link and the leaf spring eye are too tight, the suspension won't articulate as it should. You want to
run the bolt down tight, then back it off by a 1/4 turn
, as you'd mentioned.
How do you adjust the angle on a leaf spring shackle?
Since you don't have the full weight, you can pull all but the main leaf from the spring pack. Measure back from the center of the front spring eye the flat length of the spring (54′′ or 60′′ as appropriate) mark plumb 0° then,
use your sliding bevel/protractor/angle finer to mark your desired shackle
angle.
Can you over tighten leaf springs?
Tightening the shackle bolts too much will squeeze the shackle straps against the leaf springs and the whole suspension system will bind and cause problems. The best thing to do when tightening down shackle bolts is to
use lock nuts and tighten them until they are snug and then backed off
1/4 turn.
Do you need an alignment after replacing leaf springs?
If you lifted both ends, you should get it aligned
. If you're just replacing warn out springs, you're probably fine without it.
What causes rear wheels to go out of alignment?
What are the causes of misaligned wheels? There are three main causes of wheel misalignment, these are:
Sudden jarring or heavy impact caused by hitting something
, such as a pothole, bumping a curb, or a road accident. Worn parts caused by wear and tear.
What happens if you over tighten U bolts?
When being tightened, the threads stretch out under torque. When this happens,
the threads are actually cut and grooved by the nut as the nut is tightened around them
. This means that if the nut is loosened back up or if it is retightened again, it is going to damage the threads on both the bolt and the nut.
How do you lower leaf springs with shackles?
Put the shackle in alignment with the spring eye and work them together. Connect the spring eye and shackle with mounting bolts. Elevate the truck and remove the jack stands.
Lower the vehicle down using the floor jacks
, and check the shackles.
Are leaf spring shackles supposed to move?
The braces welded between the sides of a shackle are generally used for stability purposes. The longer a shackle becomes, the more likely it is to flex side-to-side during suspension movement. As the leaf spring
moves up and down
, it will also move inward (upward movement) or outward (downward movement).
What angle should leaf spring shackles be?
A good starting point for shackle angle is
90 degrees
. In this position the shackle has no effect on spring rate. Keep in mind that the shackle angle changes (and consequently the spring's effective rate changes) whenever the suspension moves.
What is the use of shackle in leaf spring?
Shackles
allow your vehicle's springs to travel through a range of lengths as you drive over different terrains
, such as bumps, rocks, uneven dirt and potholes. They ensure the length of your leaf springs changes accurately during suspension movements.
How do you adjust rear shackles?
You'll need to
take your pry bar
, or whatever you are using, and use it to push the shackle forwards or backwards, whichever way you choose to go, as you can see in the picture above. Once the shackle is as far back or forward as you want it, hold the shackle in place and have someone tighten both bolts.
How much do I torque leaf springs?
A 1/2 inch diameter bolts should be torqued
between 45 ft/lbs and 70 ft/lbs
. A 9/16 inch diameter bolt should be torqued between 65 ft/lbs and 95 ft/lbs and a 5/8 inch diameter bolt should be torqued between 100 ft/lbs and 120 ft/lbs.
How do you tighten U bolt leaf springs?
Place the new U-bolt around the leaf spring. Connect the two portions of the “U” with two nuts. Use a
torque wrench
for the installation. Tighten them in a cross pattern, gradually bumping up the torque.
