Spring pack movement

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The Rat - 22 Feb 2005 03:10 GMT

The rear leaf springs on my vehicle seem to be moving side-to-side in the
pack. Evidence for this is a clip (3/16" thick!) around the back of the
pack being spread apart. How is this possible? Is there a fix?

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Nate Nagel - 22 Feb 2005 09:50 GMT

> The rear leaf springs on my vehicle seem to be moving side-to-side in the
> pack. Evidence for this is a clip (3/16" thick!) around the back of the
> pack being spread apart. How is this possible? Is there a fix?

The only way I could see this happening is if the U-bolts have become
loose somehow.

good luck

nate

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Mike Romain - 22 Feb 2005 17:12 GMT

That means the u-bolts are loose. I recommend a fast fix before the
center pin snaps and the axle starts moving backward and the driveshaft
falls out like happened to a friend recently.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

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The Rat - 27 Feb 2005 04:18 GMT

I got under today and put a 2 foot bar on those bolts. Can't move them.
No sign of the U-bolts being loose either, though there is a gap between
the U-bolt and the spring pack, like the wrong size U-bolts were used.
Could this be a potential cause? Could the center pin actually be broken
or deteriorated, allowing movement?

> That means the u-bolts are loose. I recommend a fast fix before the
> center pin snaps and the axle starts moving backward and the driveshaft
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>> the pack. Evidence for this is a clip (3/16" thick!) around the back of
>> the pack being spread apart. How is this possible? Is there a fix?

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Mike Romain - 27 Feb 2005 15:03 GMT

If/when the center pin snaps, the axle can/will shift back and the
driveshaft will fall out on the ground. You can't have any movement
where the springs come together or parts like the pin will fatigue and
snap.

Are there any threads left on the main U-bolts? If the nuts are
bottomed, then you do have the wrong ones.

The last set I saw fail was tightened by a couple large people with 2'
power bars on 'used' u-bolts. Buddy then had the driveshaft fall out in
a swamp 25 miles from the nearest phone coverage while being lost in the
deep bush trying to find a camp. He was lucky and heard us on the CB so
we could track him down and show up to help.

The u-bolts were no longer any good. They had lost their temper because
they were stretched when a shop or the manufacturer installed the stock
springs. New u-bolts are cheap.....

Mike

> I got under today and put a 2 foot bar on those bolts. Can't move them.
> No sign of the U-bolts being loose either, though there is a gap between
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> >> the pack. Evidence for this is a clip (3/16" thick!) around the back of
> >> the pack being spread apart. How is this possible? Is there a fix?

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Ray - 22 Feb 2005 23:56 GMT

Do you drive like a manic? :)

On my dirt track Camaro, I had the same problem in the first race - the
little clamps that hold the springs in place weren't there - didn't
notice - one leaf was rubbing on the tire.

We used a BFRH* and made some homemade clips out of barstock and a bolt
to hold them in place.

Never thought to check the UBolts... but the whole rear end is coming
out shortly anyway... (changing shocks and spring bushings) so we'll
double check those...it's one of the few things I didn't break and have
to disassemble last year...

*BFRH = Big Fancy Rubber Hammer. I don't recommend hammering on springs.

btw, what kind of car?

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