Problem Please Read NEWBIEE

[sqweak]

I just bought a 2003 Sport Trac XLS.. it has 65k miles and i picked it up for $4500 well for the past week i have been worried that something was wrong with it. took it to a shop on friday had it checked out and the only problem was the brakes, and it needs new tires.... great truck, but cleaning it this weekend i noticed that it sags on the front driver side you can only tell if you look from the back, doesn't look that bad but it bothers me.. does anyone have a clue of what it could be... again i keep thinking it may be the tires, cause it needs new tires...

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thanks for any help...
i'll post pictures soon...

 

[Clusterpup]

Its the famous explorer gangsta lean, you dont like it? Tons of explorer roll around like that.

Just kidding, you could tighting the drivers side tortion bar to raise that side a little and make it match the passenger side.

 

[MidnightRebel07]

Yep, the infamous RBV lean.

They do this because the gas tank is on the drivers side and there's always going to be a driver and there weight in the truck while driving added with the weight of the battery, etc....

You can do a slight Torsion Twist to compensate for the sag, there's a write-up here and in the '95-01 modified Explorer section.

 

[blakshukvw]

A torsion twist is not the correct way to fix this problem. I did it and when I go over bumps at speeds over say, 50, the truck feels as though it sways side to side while moving up and down. This is due to the spring rate being higher on the drivers side now?

 

[swshawaii]

The torsion twist/drop works very well, you are limited to about 1.5"-2".
Mark the bolts, should you need to return to the original position(s)
Adjusting the front will raise/lower the opposite rear corner, and alignment
will almost always be needed. (Lower Passengers Front = Higher Drivers Rear)

 

[LONO100]

it is most likely due to the gas tank, but your shocks could also be blown. the heights in each of my wheel wells were all over the place and my trac had the craziest stance before i upgraded from the old blown oem shocks to some rancho rs5000's. once i put those on, my left side is only a quarter inch lower than my right side. you can only notice it if you had a tape measure.

 

[OffTrac]

Blakshukvw

The torsion twist is not your problem. You probably need new shocks and possibly new sway bar end links.

A torsion twist is a suitable fix.

 

[blakshukvw]

Have brand new sway bar end links and new rear shocks. The fronts could probably stand to be replaced but the truck started doing this immediately after I did the TT to correct the stance. It's a little unsettling when it occurs at speeds over 65. I guarantee if I put the TT back where it was, it will go away. The Torsion bars really need to be set to the same settings otherwise one is preloaded more than the other. I hate it. I'm gonna have to get new rear leafs ASAP.

 

[gtyates]

I would also agree with the idea that you need new shocks. Your truck is 8 years old, and even if the miles are low the shocks should be well past their prime. I put Monroe Sensatracs on my 2 wheel drive '05.

 

[Clusterpup]

The consensus round here is that our trucks roll off the line with shocks that are already shot.

 

[OffTrac]

I haven't heard of the TT causing that problem, even when done unevenly between the driver's and passenger's side, but I guess that could cause some of what you're experiencing. It does make sense that it would have that kind of effect but I would never have thought it would be that noticeable. I wonder if anyone else has had that experience and would chime in?

I'm sure shocks would at least help some of that.

For the cost of an alignment, the torsion twist is definitely the most economical solution. You could just rebuild the entire front suspension. I ended up doing that anyway. I never had a bad lean, though and I twisted mine just for a little more tire clearance and did both sides evenly.