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4 minute read
DIY: squeaky leaf fix
Compliments of beachbumberry @ www.tacomaworld.com
6-15-2010
ok, so after seeing all the issues everyone has had with this, and only seeing people say what to do to fix it (grease, new leaf pack, dealership, innertube) i decided to do a DIY of it. NOTE: I AM NOT RESPOSIBLE FOR ANYTHING YOU DO TO YOUR TRUCK with that said, here ya go!
things you'll need:
bicycle tire tube- $2.65 at wally world
(optional) glue-$4.95 for gorilla glue
jack-should be in your truck
prybar and wedge
scissors/knife/cutting utensil
Step 1: jack the truck up. the best way IMO is to lift it by the hitch reciever if you have one to lift it evenly on each side. lift it just enough to releave pressure on the leafs (so just before the tires are off the ground). i suggest chocking the front wheels and setting jack stands under the frame just forward of the front spring mount, in case it falls.
Step 2: spread the leafs apart. the best way i've found is to put a crow bar at the front just ahead of the c-clip looking thing that is mounted on the bottom leaf and pull down. while you are pulling down, put something metal in between the leaves to keep them seperated. i used a small chizel.
the gray stuff on the spring is anti-sieze i had put between the leaves before. it makes the squeek go away, but it isn't permanent, and ends up leaving a big mess. i suggest only going this route if you are ok with redoing it once a month.
Step 3: now time to clean. if you havn't greased/anti-siezed your spring before, this should be relatively quick and easy. i used a can of brake parts cleaner and a rag. spray between the 2 leaves and shove the rag between them and pull it in and out to clean it. you will probably have to spray this out several times until it is dry and clean so you can get proper adheasion.
in this picture you can actually see what is left of the OEM rubber friction pad. garbage.
before
after
Step 4: now it's time to cut the tube to fit. i made mine long, because i didn't want to have to worry about missing any point that a squeak may develop.
Step 5: put whatever type of glue you wish to use, if you feel the need to. i did this first without any sort of glue and drove it down the interstate, on a rough road quickly, and then down the beach with no problems, but i feel for the sake of longevity i decided to use gorilla glue on one side to fix it to the bottom leaf. the person i origional saw this idea from used super glue and claimed that it has worked flawlessly for 8 months.
Step 6: slide the tube inbetween the leaves and flatten it out, making sure there are no folds.
Step 7: using the crowbar, spread the leaves back apart and remove whatever you used to seperate them. lower the truck and the leaves will close back together.
hope this helps everyone!