Should you grease the leaf springs? (2 Viewers)

[VMAX]

I am in the process of restoring the leaf springs suspension on my '81 BJ42 and somebody recommended I should grease the leaf springs. I've searched the forum and the internet and came across divergent opinions on this matter:

NO, you should never grease or oil the leaf springs because petroleum based oil will cause premature fatigue to the type of steel used in the springs. Also, grease / oil will attract dirt and keep it there rubbing the springs
Source: Lubricating Leaf Springs - EATON Detroit Spring - https://www.eatondetroitspring.com/lubricatingleafsprings/

YES, you should grease the leaf springs because grease and oil protect the steel (for example ball bearings, valve springs) and you get a better ride after that.
Several websites recommend this, not sure this one is the best example : Cleaning and checking leaf springs - https://www.howacarworks.com/suspension/cleaning-and-checking-leaf-springs

What do you think?

 

[Dizzy]

The conclusion that I came up with was, who knows?

But, because I don't really know if there is a benefit to oiling or greasing springs, I'll stick to not oiling or greasing. Oil might be too superficial, and grease might be the magnet for abrasives?

 

[Roadnoiz40]

Maybe this:

 

[pjohnson]

Disassemble, clean thoroughly, paint between leaves with Slip-plate, reassemble, paint outside with black paint of your choice as needed.

Done.

SLIP Plate

SLIP Plate® products use high quality graphite powders from certified and qualified sources to produce the highest level of coating protection. Order today!

www.slipplate.com

 

[Downey]

Downey springs, which were manufactured by NHK (Toyota's spring vendor) were graphite primered, which was a lifetime lubricant/protection for the leafs, but I don't have specific details on the process/application/availability.

 

[finally]

I sprayed mine w a wool wax.

 

[Jim S.]

I second Slip plate. Good stufor.

 

[-MaTTi-]

Greasing of springs is recommended by Old Man Emu. Page 2: http://www.jeepolog.com/UserFiles/downloads/Oldman_Leaf_Spring_Maintenance.pdf

 

[B y r o n]

For your suspension to work properly the leaves need to be able to move freely. Different products have different life spans and effectiveness. You need to determine which product fits your desire/ability to be able to keep up with. Teflon pads, lubricant, WD40 or whatever, you'll need to decide.

 

[BC40]

choice of what you place between leaf springs to reduce friction also affected by whether corrosion is an issue where you use the truck. I've done dry graphite spray over paint and also greasing. I think in most cases graphite spray would be fine. I've found grease thickens and gets more sticky after a while. Havent seen grit other than along the edges build up.

 

[ryanwk628]

I took my springs apart, made sure they were not stuck together from paint, and coated them with Slip Plate. Then once that was dry I hit them with some moly grease near the inside ends of each leaf and by the center hole, assuming these would be the points of most wear. Im thrilled with how well they rode right away!

 

[Engineer8000]

I was curious about this statement

"Starting in the mid 50’s the steel used to make springs began to change over to SAE 5160 which does not like petroleum based products, grease/oil/etc."

I googled SAE 5160 and petroleum and found in every place where this was discussed used the term "does not like". That seemed odd to me and suggests it originated from a common source. I have seen power plant components of all types filled with grease operate without deterioration for many years - when lubricated properly. I initially thought it was perhaps hydrogen embrittlement with the hydrocarbon in contact with the high strength steel but the research I found concluded the grease would actually inhibit that process.

Looking further, I found this in a research survey of various degradation mechanisms for coil and leaf springs. This makes sense if the lubricated leaves flex more and more often (made worse by bad shocks) due to loss of damping due to friction. Any metallurgists in the crowd?

"

 

[ryanwk628]

I was curious about this statement

"Starting in the mid 50’s the steel used to make springs began to change over to SAE 5160 which does not like petroleum based products, grease/oil/etc."

I googled SAE 5160 and petroleum and found in every place where this was discussed used the term "does not like". That seemed odd to me and suggests it originated from a common source. I have seen power plant components of all types filled with grease operate without deterioration for many years - when lubricated properly. I initially thought it was perhaps hydrogen embrittlement with the hydrocarbon in contact with the high strength steel but the research I found concluded the grease would actually inhibit that process.

Looking further, I found this in a research survey of various degradation mechanisms for coil and leaf springs. This makes sense if the lubricated leaves flex more and more often (made worse by bad shocks) due to loss of damping due to friction. Any metallurgists in the crowd?


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I think you’re over thinking this. Cycles are a constant based on use regardless of if you lube them or not. There are the same number of bumps in the road. The leaves are designed to flex independently and must have some movement to do, sliding along each other with the stack flattening under each load cycle with the different curves of the leaves. Increased friction would only inhibit this and increase spring rate by making them less “flexy” with the extreme to demonstrate the point being gluing or welding the spring leaves together.

Many of the nicest leaf springs have pads at the ends of the leaves which reduce noise (friction) and create a small gap between the leaf point and the next leaf. This is viewed as a feature.

The forces applied by the vehicle hitting a bump are what they are based on factors outside the spring. Maybe flexing (deflecting) a tiny bit more could be what youre thinking but less of that that would lead to a harsher ride and I can’t see how allowing the spring components to slide with less friction would be much worse than the localized stress concentrations that would happen at the leaf points to the leaf above from increased friction, a resistance to sliding as the leaf above tries to flatten out the leaf below, all during the same number of cycles. If anything increased friction could cause increased heat which has its own impacts on steel deformation.

Me personally, my biggest concerns are having a soft ride, resisting corrosion and not having it squeak all the time. My springs were very nice and didn’t squeak at all on my first test drive

 

[Engineer8000]

.

 

[Jim S.]

Not on a Toyota but I used slip-plate on the spring packs on my CDN M101 trailer . Springs look good and work great.