Lean to the left!

[n55luvr]

My 04 cruiser with 125K on the clock leans to the left. With a full tank of gas driver side rear is about half an inch lower than passenger side. it is about a quarter an inch shorter with a quarter tank of gas. so basically the driver side is always lower than the passenger side. I can easily notice it with just me eyes when parked level but also confirmed via measurements.

The lean drives me nuts. What are my options to fix. New springs in the rear? Previous owner towed a boat. Maybe the springs are sagging?

 

[Dwight S]

Adjust your torsion bars.

 

[Sandroad]

Have you looked at the left rear spring and suspension? Anything amiss? I doubt the towing affected only one side, though it could have made a problem with one spring worse. Any accident history? Did it happen suddenly? Without more info and history, I don't have fix options, but if it was mine I'd consider spring replacement first.

 

[TwiceWithHair]

Adjust your torsion bars.

Is the front leaning also? If it's not your springs, I bet your driver side torsion bar could use a couple cranks.


...via IH8MUD app

 

[SmoothLC]

^ this

 

[n55luvr]

Front tbars have been cranked (lifted front by about 1" to level things out a bit but front is still lower than rear by about an inch) and the front is sitting level or within 1/8" side to side. I did have to crank the driver side bolt much more than passenger side but I've ran into that before on previous trucks so not too concerned about that discrepancy unless you all think other wise.

No accidents. I did visually inspect all rear suspension components and everything was in place and seated correctly.

 

[LTrain0800]

New rear springs (OME 865) cured this condition for me. Your truck has been sitting on those springs for 11 years...

 

[n55luvr]

Kinda what I am thinking LTrain. You recall the lift you get with the 865's? I was thinking either those or OEM's with a small spacer. Your ride with the 865's get worse or better? I'm super floaty now with all OEM suspension bits. New OEM shocks all around as well.

 

[Traskew3]

MY 98 LX does this and when I had the T-bars and height sensors adjusted at ACC Garage in Atlanta, the Shop Foreman who did my truck told me that this is common for them to do...

 

[TwiceWithHair]

865's gave me 1.7" of lift when first installed. Don't remember the actual measurements or I could go out and see if they've settled any since then. My ride quality didn't change much, but now it looks sexy as hell. And I don't get all squat bottom when I load up the back. I used to bottom out over bumps when I had rear passengers. Reckon my springs were tiiiiiiiiired.


...via IH8MUD app

 

[n55luvr]

I just put 32" tires on and like my stance as it is with OEM springs (other than the lean). I am really torn between OEM and the 865s. Since I get offroad pretty much never (but do enjoy it when I can) it almost seems logical to stick with all OEM suspension. I wonder if there a spring that is slightly stiffer than OEM but not quite 1.5" lift.

 

[TwiceWithHair]

Freshly lifted on 275/65/18's (32's)


...via IH8MUD app

 

[TwiceWithHair]

Ditched the 32's for 295/65/18's (33's)


...via IH8MUD app

 

[n55luvr]

Man, that looks good Twice!

 

[Manhattan]

Until you isolate the suspension - front to rear - there's no way tell where the lean is originating... well, unless you just start replacing parts, e.g. springs, T-bars, etc.

Let's say a truck was leaning on the Left Front by 1". You could "fix" that by cranking the T-bar 1" on the Left Front. The Front would now be level. But, if the problem wasn't the Left Front T-bar... the Rear would now be low on the Right Side... by 1".

Isolating each end is tough. I had a CJ that leaned by 1" - Right Rear. It seemed like it HAD to be a sagging spring. These were new 4.5" springs - the best available (Rubicon Express). So, it wasn't likely... but possible. To figure it out, I swapped the rear springs left to right... The sag was still there - 1" on Right Rear. Not the rear springs.

With a floor jack, I raised the frame at the sagging corner, until it was level in the rear. Now, the Front Left was down by 1". Not good. I swapped the front springs Left to Right. No change.

After inspecting all spring mounting points the culprit was identified... a twisted/bent frame. The "Jeep Lean" is a known thing. AMC actually had a TSB for it - putting shims on the spring perch equal to 1/2 the amount of the lean... to split the difference, e.g .putting some of the lean in the front and some in the rear.

I'm not suggesting you have a bent frame - it's a Land Cruiser, not a Jeep. CJ frames were poorly made and not strong. I'm only suggesting, that you've got to consider all four corners when chasing out of level suspensions.

 

[jcrandall]

I'm only suggesting, that you've got to consider all four corners when chasing out of level suspensions.

That's a good way to say it. I had a significant lean, and it was solved by adjusting torsion bars. Don't make the mistake of thinking that if you adjust the torsion bar it will only impact that front corner. If you could adjust them at ride height (which you shouldn't), but if you could I suspect you'd see the rear change orientation first and then the front ride height change.

 

[n55luvr]

I'll mess with it some this weekend. I like the idea of swapping rear springs side to side to see what happens. Definitely some good ideas. I'l lstart by lifting at the frame on the left leaning corner and once that is level take some measurements to ensure front is still close to same side to side. I think that would eliminate Tbar concerns.

 

[uHu]

80 and 100 series always sag more on the left side, as it's heavier. You just crank the TB more on the left and you're OK. No big deal.