Add A Leaf / Ride Height Update

[Martin Torres]

Soa brief recap and update as well as a new question. Had a squat and significant driver's side lean. I had it aligned and he said he cranked the driver's side torsion bar almost all the way and there was still a lean. I swapped the rear leafs side to side and installed an add a leaf. Rear was too high but visually it appeared to take the lean out but I never measured it. The ARC was constantly trying to lower the rear and after about 15 minutes would give me the error message on the center control panel. The bottom OEM spring was the same length as the add a leaf so yesterday I took them out. It dropped it down to an inch above the fronts measuring the wheel well high point to the ground. BUT!!! the driver's side lean is back. No sign of a bent frame or a repaired accident.

I pulled the torsion bars thinking maybe the driver's side was old and weak like me and was gonna swap them side to side until I learned that is a big no no. So I reinstalled them and used the adjustment bolts and adjusted them the same number of turns. The closest I can get cranking the driver torsion bar all the way in and the passenger backed out until the bolt retainer hits is the drivers side 1" lower than the passenger side measured at the wheel wells. Since I swapped the leafs the passenger side has the weak spring now. Playing with the torsion bar adjusters I learned that it raises and lowers the opposite rear corner also. Does this sound like a torsion bar that is old and weak and needs to be put out of it's misery?

 

[Rick]

The drivers side lean is super common on the Explorer due to the fuel tank being on the drivers side. There are many threads here that talk about the "gangster lean".

When torsion bars become weak they won't hold an adjustment.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

at least it dont look liek this