Leaf spring eye / loose bushing sleeve

[TanTLC]

Recently noticed an issue with the front right leaf spring eye. Notice the gap between the bushing and the spring and how the spring eye has eroded the bushing on the left in the photo. I've determined that the spring can slide laterally over the inner steel tube sleeve that the rubber bushings press into. Years of pounding from navigating back-country roads has probably taken its toll on the press fit of the sleeve into the spring eye.

As best I can tell there is not a substantial gap between the spring eye and the steel tube sleeve, which is to say i don't think there is much of a gap between the OD of the tube sleeve and the ID of the spring eye. But it has loosened enough for the spring to slide laterally on the tube sleeve. My initial thought is to weld the sleeve onto the spring with a few tack welds on either side to keep it in place.

Curious to know if anyone has experienced this and what was done to resolve it?

 

[g-man]

Looks like the left shoulder of the bushing is gone. You're gonna need a new bushing. Not sure about the "tube sleeve". my OME bushings didn't have and metal sleeves. You may need to check with the manufacturer. Prob need to replace that too. Or maybe just delete it?? I wouldn't tack it in place though. Is it supposed to move when the spring articulates??

 

[OSS]

Leaf springs don’t normally have a sleeve in the eye. It’s usually just the rolled leaf. Bushings come in all different sizes and not all springs that fit the 60 use the same bushing.

What I’d do is first purchase 2 (or 4) new rubber bushings from Toyota as a starter then remove the shackle from the spring and see how well the Toyota bushing fits. It should be snug but not a struggling swearfest trying to get it in.

If it fits good, go ahead and use them and get more for the other replacements.
If it doesn’t fit, get out your calipers and measure what you need then shop around for bushings that have your dimensions.

 

[TanTLC]

Looks like the left shoulder of the bushing is gone. You're gonna need a new bushing. Not sure about the "tube sleeve". my OME bushings didn't have and metal sleeves. You may need to check with the manufacturer. Prob need to replace that too. Or maybe just delete it?? I wouldn't tack it in place though. Is it supposed to move when the spring articulates??

No doubt on needing new rubber bushings. Its the bushing rotating on the pin that provides the movement, not the sleeve rotating in the eye. All the other sleeves are tight, I know because I replaced all bushings about 1.5 yrs ago.. Thanks for pointing out your springs don't have them, the OME suspension i have is coming up on 20yrs old. Now that one of the sleeves is loose, i'll have to check the fit of the bushings into the spring eye.

 

[TanTLC]

Leaf springs don’t normally have a sleeve in the eye. It’s usually just the rolled leaf. Bushings come in all different sizes and not all springs that fit the 60 use the same bushing.

What I’d do is first purchase 2 (or 4) new rubber bushings from Toyota as a starter then remove the shackle from the spring and see how well the Toyota bushing fits. It should be snug but not a struggling swearfest trying to get it in.

If it fits good, go ahead and use them and get more for the other replacements.
If it doesn’t fit, get out your calipers and measure what you need then shop around for bushings that have your dimensions.

My suspension is coming up on 20yrs old, so maybe there have been some changes by OME over the years with the use of sleeves. Not sure why they're there. I replaced all the busshings about 1.5 yrs ago and it all went back together just fine with all new pins and shackles. Thanks for the advice.

 

[RockDoc]

OME Dakkar springs? Shifting inserts were a reasonably well known issue 10-15 years ago:
ARB Dakar Spring Problems - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/arb-dakar-spring-problems.201928/

 

[TanTLC]

OME Dakkar springs? Shifting inserts were a reasonably well known issue 10-15 years ago:
ARB Dakar Spring Problems - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/arb-dakar-spring-problems.201928/

Very helpful, thanks for posting a link to this thread!

 

[Freewheel]

I have the Dakar springs with the steel sleeves in the spring eye. They were loose and contributing to the OME popping/clunking sounds. I welded them to the springs and it quieted things right down...

 

[lacalvette]

Had my front leaf moving, turn out that the sleeve inside the eye was loose and had wrong bushing installed(right length but wrong shoulder thickness) so there was a side by side movements. Scary on the road.
Took the sleeve out and did some spot welds on it (max 1/16) high. Around 20 years old OME.

 

[TanTLC]

Had my front leaf moving, turn out that the sleeve inside the eye was loose and had wrong bushing installed(right length but wrong shoulder thickness) so there was a side by side movements. Scary on the road.
Took the sleeve out and did some spot welds on it (max 1/16) high. Around 20 years old OME.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm going to take the same approach.