HELP: Should AAL be flat against spring pack? | Ford Explorer Forums

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HELP: Should AAL be flat against spring pack?

RPheezy

Well-Known Member
Joined
February 19, 1999
Messages
219
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2
City, State
Vallejo, CA
Year, Model & Trim Level
1998 Sport
Hey Guys, I'm doing the AAL on the multi leaf springs right now and I want to know if the AAL should be flat against the spring pack after tightening the bolt.

I installed the AAL and have been tightening the nut and bolt as hard as I could, but there is still a 2-3 milimeter gap between the top of the AAL and the bottom of the first spring and I can still see the bolt between this gap. Should I keep tightening it until it's flat? I've tightened it pretty much as hard as I could, but the gap is still there. Any suggestions? Does anyone know the torque specs for this bolt? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Raphael
 






After looking at the spring pack, I'm thinking that the gap should be there. Between the first 3 original springs, there is a metal spacer between the 1st and the 2nd spring and between the 2nd and 3rd spring. Without these springs, there probably would be a gap.

So, can anyone verify if this gap between the top of the AAL and the bottom of the 3rd spring in the multi spring pack is normal.
 






I believe the torque spec for the spring centerpin is 80 ft/lbs, but don't take my word on that I could be wrong. Basically if you tighten the bolt up that much and still have gaps you're fine. The only thing is you'll want to check the gaps periodically. If the pack compresses and the gaps get smaller, you'll need to tighten the bolts.
 






I'm pretty sure mine had a slight gap between the leaves for a while. The weight of the rig will settle it down, then just recheck the bolt every once in a while.
 






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