Truck leans to the left

[wdlong]

I have a 2000 Ford Explorer that leans to the left. Does anyone have any ideas as to why it might do that? thought my driveway was crooked at first then noticed that it does it everywhere. Any thoughts greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[waskly]

its doing the gangsta lean?

probably a busted torsion bar.

 

[1AJeremyD]

Gas tank is on the left side. The springs is probably sagging. Normal problem with this vehicle. Try swapping the leaf springs around.

 

[corkey]

leans in the front or the back ?
or both?
front tighten the torsion bar adjusting bolt a bit to get it level;
back it will need a spring swap to even it out,,

 

[ThePhoenix]

never a BAD torsion bar...maybe a mis adjusted one.

the alignment shop I went to said they dont adjust them...I thought that was weird.

 

[lovebite]

x2 gangsta lean

 

[Paraphoe]

Yep - gansta lean. Driver AND gas tank are on the same side. After a while, the leaf spring will fatigue and sag a bit on that side. It's pretty common.

 

[dcdyd]

I have the similiar experience but only when I make right turn!

I think that my 98 Explorer may behave the same way. But I only feel it leans towards left when I make right turn. I feel that the truck pulls me to the rear left side when I turn right. So I am driving carefully when I turn.

This morning I took the picture of the both side of the truck at the rear part which is close to the rear tire and found that the body is one inch lower at the driver side then at the passenger side. Certainly this is at the rear part of the body. Here are the pictures that show what I mean.

Rear tire at passenger side (Note the gap betwen the top of the tire and the body. It is 4 inches.)

Rear tire at driver side (Note the gap betwen the top of the tire and the body. It is 3 inches instead of 4)

In addition, I feel that my truck doesn't absorb shocks on the road any more. it makes a lot of noisies when driving a uneven road.

What could be the possible cause of this? Is that the shock/stuts or torsion bar/spring? Now is Winter in Minnesota and I plan to jack the truck up and check it out when spring comes.

Any suggestion is appreciated.

P.S. THis is my first post with pictures and I use Flickr for hosting the pictures. If the pictures don't show up please let me know.

 

[ThePhoenix]

thats all you lean....be thankful

I have a good 1.5 - 2 inches

if you turn right,, how could your truck lean left?

isnt mercedes trying to perfect that anti roll turning system?

 

[dcdyd]

I don't understand your question Are you joking or are you asking the question. When I turn right, I feel that the truck is pulled towards the rear left and my body is pulled the same direction. I didn't notice this until couple months ago.

Is this something that needs to be worried about?

 

[ThePhoenix]

my bad....sleepy. I read it all backward

rewind....erase embarrassing stuff...play

 

[SPCHenderson]

i know my truck leaned badly to the left because my ball joint in the cv axel broke....funny thing it never made any noises and it still turned fine...then it completly broke one day and it got expensive to fix..lol

 

[Bigham]

Will the gangsta lean affect the tire wear? I just replaced my rear shocks because the inside tread of right rear tire was a lot more worn than the outside treads. Is the caused by the left side lean or becasue of the bad shocks?

 

[SoNic67]

No, original shocks don't provide any static support. You can move them slowly by hand.

Except only the ones with helper springs on them or the monotubes (with high pressure gas).

Swap the rear leafs (left/right) and see if helps. Torsion bar might need to be adjusted after that.
And yes, leaning vehicle will vear differently the tires.

 

[yavapaires]

No, original shocks don't provide any static support. You can move them slowly by hand.

Except only the ones with helper springs on them or the monotubes (with high pressure gas).

Swap the rear leafs (left/right) and see if helps. Torsion bar might need to be adjusted after that.
And yes, leaning vehicle will vear differently the tires.

If the 2000 has a solid rear axle, then how will a body lean cause tire wear on the rear? Most likely the tires started wearing while on the front, have become noticable now that they have worn more while on the rear, unless the rear axle housing is bent.

 

[SoNic67]

My guess (I might be wrong): When it leans on a side in straight drive, it will put more weight/pressure on that side tires in turns. That will "eat" more of those tires (when tires try to "grip" the road, they get worn). Of course the sway bar minimize that, but who knows what shape are those bushings after so much time being lean?

 

[Bigham]

After replacing all 5 shocks and adding a leaf to the left rear I found out I have a scallped tire, the one that was originally on the right rear. I guess the answer is yes, it will wear out your tires, but not sure if shocks or the lean or a combo casued it.

 

[mikepier]

Check the front stabilizer links. When my truck leaned, I found a link broken in the front. Replaced it and it's a lot more level now.