My Ranger leans to the left (TIB camber problem)

[brages]

I threw a little more sunk cost into my 315k mile Ranger and put on a new set of Hankook Optimos. The last set had lasted 60,000 miles, so why not?

Anyway, I decided to get it aligned as well. The alignment guy was able to set the toe, but he said I have 4 degrees positive camber on one side and 4 degrees negative on the other. The truck also leans a bit to the left side. Apparently, this is so common that it's referred to as the "Ranger Lean", like the "Camry Dent"! Since it has Twin I-Beam front suspension, a lean to the side should affect the camber as described, although 4 degrees sounds like a lot. I suppose I could/should replace the ball joints in the knuckle and also install camber adjusting bushings. But I think I need to first fix the lean and then see where we end up on camber.

I measured from the center of the hubcap to the top of the wheelwell at all four wheels. I'm seeing about 1.25" inches of difference between left and right sides at the front wheels and 2" of difference left-to-right in the rear. For this reason, I'm thinking the fix is probably going to be replacing the leaf springs. I didn't see any leafs that looked obviously broken to my eye. I think the spring hangers have been replaced already - they looked OK to me as well.

I hate to spend for new springs. I might try grabbing some junkyard ones if I can convince myself that I can evaluate whether they are any good. I suppose I could first pull the springs I have and see how they measure unloaded.

 

[GSCJR]

I use to service a fleet of trucks, mostly Fords with the odd GM and Dodge. The Rangers would required rear spring service to correct sagging. Occasionally, the front coil springs were also culprits.

 

[brages]

I looked at the front springs - I have heard that sometimes you may have broken coils or cracked "pockets" but I didn't see either of those. Makes me think the rears are the most likely culprit.

 

[Mcbeem5]

Might want to take a look at the rear leaf springs, I have a 2010 chevrolet colorado and the springs on some of the small trucks can become straight rather than having a decent arch,and ride height can drop substantially!

 

[02SE]

Any spring can sag, especially after 315k miles. Springs sagging more on the drivers side when the driver is usually alone in the vehicle, is also common.

 

[Nukeman7]

Are the rear leaf springs identical or mirror-imaged? If they are identical, I would try swapping left and right positions to see if that might get it back closer to even on both sides. If they are different and not interchangeable, never mind.

 

[brages]

Are the rear leaf springs identical or mirror-imaged? If they are identical, I would try swapping left and right positions to see if that might get it back closer to even on both sides. If they are different and not interchangeable, never mind.

They are in fact identical. Not sure if I have the energy to swap them though.

I have a memory of swapping rear wheel bearings to try to hunt down a subtle vibration in my departed Volvo. That's something I would not do today.

 

[CheezWhiz]

I have some family members like that. I just try to avoid political discussions during the holidays and we get along just fine!

 

[Lubener]

Ride height has a big affect on alignment. You will need to realign when you get the ride height fixed.

You really need to measure front and rears independently. With that many miles, it's possible you need front and rears. The leafs or coils do not have to be broken to sag some. Since Ford likes to put the fuel tank on the left, it's common to see a sag to the left. My F150 sagged on the left. I measured the L-R difference and cut a solid steel bar to that dimension (1.25 inches) and placed it between the spring and axle to boost it up.. That was 15 years ago and still good.

 

[meep]

I don’t know how the front is set up, but to a degree, it can be easy to insert a thin hard rubber spacer above or below a coil spring as well. I think the ideas to shim the springs are probably good ones for the mileage. It’s also quite possible that the left and right springs are indeed different rates from the factory to compensate for fuel tank weight, etc., I’ve seen this before in factory part descriptions.

 

[brages]

I replaced the rear leafs (leaves?) and it didn't seem to do anything for my "Ranger Lean", so I have ordered a set of Moog coils for the front.

What a waste of time --- EXCEPT with the bed off I found a crack in the fuel filler neck, so I think it will be nice not to be leaking gas when I fill it up.

 

[brages]

I finally put the new front coils on my Ranger. The lean remains!! I didn't see any difference in the springs I pulled off.

I'm pretty close to stumped here!

 

[D60]

I finally put the new front coils on my Ranger. The lean remains!! I didn't see any difference in the springs I pulled off.

I'm pretty close to stumped here!

Forget the why and find a way to lift the low side or lower the high side. Spacers or lower a spring tower or whatever.

 

[brages]

It's not magic - there has to be a reason this is happening.

I am going to try to take a few measurements: (1) how much are the springs compressed when the truck is sitting on level ground? (2) if I support it from the frame on jackstands of equal height, how high off the ground are a few key locations (coil spring towers, fwd and aft leaf hangers)?

Even if, say, the frame were bent I think that would make for a twist (LHS high in front, RHS high in rear) rather than a lean. (LHS is low on both front and back).

One thing that I think could do it would be if one of my front I-beams (twin I-beam suspension) is bent. I also thought that maybe I could have shocks on the left side that have lost their charge (this doesn't seem to be the case).

Another idea: The orientation (rotation) of the spring inside its tower might affect its preload somewhat. I don't know.

It's really common with Rangers for there to be corrosion of the shackles and hangers. On mine, it appears that the LHS front coil tower has been replaced (RHS I'm not so sure). On the rear leafs, I think everything has been replaced. If I recall correctly, I replaced the front spring hangers and the rears seem to have been replaced by the previous owner. (The left rear spring punched through the bed when the shackle failed - this is very common).