sagging rear springs

jimmyroyse · October 2, 2003

NEWBIE in need of some info....
I did a search

but didn't find what I was looking for.

some background first; I bought a 01' mountianeer in may this year with 18,000 miles I now have 22k on it and with the addition of a trailer hitch I have done nothing to it. I bought this to replace an aging jheep xj that just wasn't up to pulling a travel trailer anymore.
The problem; The rear end sits low. the front measures 33.5" and the rear measures 31.25" it looks like its always going up hill. if it has a full tank of gas it drops to 30.5" at the rear and add camp suppies or even junk for a day at grandmas and i swear its sitting on the bump stops. In the searches I found that this is common with the monoleafs and higher milage, but I have nither

I took it to the stealer and they said that the adjusted the air ride and every thing look good. Neat trick, it dosn't have air ride suspension.

Is there a fix out for this or is this "normal"? I'm looking for options before I go and get new rear spring to replace the ones that appear to be wasted with 22k on them.

Thanks in advance.

Alec · October 2, 2003

You torsion bars may actually be cranked up a bit, you could try lowering them (though you may need an alignement). For a band-aid fix you could install add-a-leaves too. You could also try air shocks, not the automatic ones, but those you fill up like a tire to compensate for heavy loads.

jimmyroyse · October 2, 2003

I'll have to check into the front bars, thanks. I'm trying to avoid the add-a-leaf, helper spring; I really like the way it rides it just "looks" wrong. air shocks are a thought however the more you raise them the stiffer the ride gets btdt. I tried the air lift bags on the jheep I got rid of; wont do that again!
is there a tsb or anything on this? rear springs just seem really weak?

Alec · October 2, 2003

I'm guessing the previous owner put too much weight on the rear and sagged the springs.

CodePoet · October 2, 2003

Well I think I would consider warrior shackles. From the sound of it you need about 2" in the rear...the shackles will give you that, and retain the current ride. It's another band-aid fix like the aals though. Hope that helps!

Later
CP

jimmyroyse · October 2, 2003

I hadn't thought of shackels. Thanks. I still have about 2 months of warrenty left and i'm going to test the stealerships knowledge with the info I'm gaining here

here is what I have so far;
- check front torsen bars

- find out how to adjust the invisiable air suspension

-check rear spring rates

Keep the ideas coming! This is great!

Thank you!

Robb · October 2, 2003

If you are going to be towing with it, I would go ahead put a set of add-a-leafs in. Single AALs don't hurt the ride much at all, and will help with the extra load.

IMO, longer shackles will encourage sagging with heavier loads.

jimmyroyse · October 10, 2003

Well the dealer is working on my mount at I type. So far they "tweaked" the front torsion bars down a touch but still can't get the rear to be where it's supposed to be, they have to talk to the ford rep

on the plus side this mechanic couldn't find the air suspension that the previous mechanic worked on either :smoke:

on a better note I got my Explorer Express cataloge today :bounce:

JOHN V. · October 10, 2003

This is a common problem with Explorers & Mountaineers starting in 1999. Our theory is that Ford softened the spring rate for ride comfort and it results with a sagging rear end. I have heard horror stories about Ford dealers trying to fix this problem. I see it more and more of this all the time. I have three options that I recommend.

-You can lower the front end to level out the ride height.

-We have Monroe Load Leveling Shocks that we have for customer with that carry heavy loads. They have a built in coil spring and will raise body height about .50"-.75".

-The best option would be the Air Lift System. This is a load leveling system that utilizes air bags to adjuist the ride height. It has an optional kit that allows you to adjust the ride height from the drivers seat.

I prefer this over the add-a -leaf because it does not effect the ride quality and you have the ability of adjusting the height depending on what your towing or carrying.

This air bag set will work with our X-Spec Handling Package, but we would not require the lowering blocks.

This set up will also compliment the X-Spec Sway Bar & Edelbrock Shocks. We have done many of these on lowered & standard height vehicles. This will definitely solve your problem. Let me know if you have any questions.

AX59514 Air Lift Kit..............................................$194.95
AX25592 Controller Kit.........................................$121.95
ZD5622 X-Spec Rear Sway Bar.............................$179.95

JOHN V. · October 10, 2003

Here is a picture of the Air Lift kit as installed on an Explorer.

aldive · October 10, 2003

What about having the springs rearched?

mosinman · October 10, 2003

monroe load leveling shocks

Hey John V. - any input from customers on the ride of the monroe LLs ? Have you rode in an EX so equipped? My EX sags a tiny bit in the rear, but quite a bit when loaded down (which is not often). Thought these shocks might be my solution as long as unloaded ride quality wasn't harsh.

JOHN V. · October 10, 2003

Yes I have experienced these shocks. The ride quality is favorable, not too stiff at all. The vehicle that I drove was not loaded. The coil springs are very long. I think the length gives soft dampensing, but still helps the load rating. We have these in stock for $119. per pair.

emon · October 10, 2003

Originally posted by JOHN V.
Our theory is that Ford softened the spring rate for ride comfort and it results with a sagging rear end.

i have read somewhere that removing leaf springs would soften the ride on the explorers? is there truth to this? what is the draw back to this set up?

mosinman · October 11, 2003

monroe LLS

thanks for the info JohnV.

jimmyroyse · October 11, 2003

THANKS JOHN!

Well it's at the dealer because it is still under warrenty (22k miles) and costs me nothing.

So far they lowered the front slightly (don't know how much yet) but that apprently did not solve the problem. currently the are checking with the factory rep and quantifing the problem. (measuring everything including the wieght of the gas in the tank)

My basic complaint is that it should not be hitting the bump stops with a full tank & a load of grocerys.

I cannot say enough great things about JOHN V. He apent a good long time on the phone with me when I ordered my swaybar (Got it thursday

) . Once I get it back and see how the dealer fixes it I may do the air shocks.

98EBV8 · October 13, 2003

Originally posted by emon
i have read somewhere that removing leaf springs would soften the ride on the explorers? is there truth to this? what is the draw back to this set up?

This is from Kirlinla:

"After you replace the shocks, you can also improve the ride by removing the bottom overload leaf on the rear of your Explorer to soften the spring rate. This will help eliminate the side to side rocking you get when going up/down a diagonal surface. It will drop your rear-end by about1/2" and reduce your load carrying ability a little, but it will dramatically improve the ride quality without any expense to you."

Source: Dead Link Removed

96_explorer.com · October 13, 2003

I have something simular, but everything I go over an bump or hump in the road I hear like an rubbing sound on the rear like my tires are rubbing,, but it is not (mostly when I go over them at an angle (not a speed bump). I inspected the tires and see no signs of rub marks on them. Do I probably need rear leafs??

If I get on the back of my bumper and bounce it,, the noise is NOT there... it is only when I am moving and going over a bump or a hump at a angle.

Anyone know what the the problem might be?

Thanks

(I have new shocks on it for about 6 months now)

Brandons · October 13, 2003

Id just get new "stronger" leaf springs. if the sagging, i dont think you would want them anyways, they probably have lost there "spring" because when they make them (so ive heard) the carbon or something eventually turns the spring to sag.

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