Sagging front gen 2.5 adjustable suspension

[Souper]

Took some measurements of the spacing between the tires and the fenders on my generation 2.5 Montero and seen that there is a difference between each side wondering what the possibilities could be. Not sure if the suspension due to its adjustability is failing... Or if one of the shocks is broken? Any insight?

 

[mapper]

Springs, in this case torsion bar style springs, carry the vehicle weight. Shocks merely dampen the motion of the springs. Shock failure is most notable through excessive bounciness over bumps.

Torsion bars are likely aging. Common. You can adjust them to level the truck. A good alignment shop will do this as part of an alignment. Of course something may actually be broken but more than likely your T bars just need adjustment.

 

[jlocster]

+1 on just tightening the torsion bars...mine were sagging when I got my truck producing a very mushy feel in the front when going over bumps. Tightened them up no problem. The truck was leveled and the ride was much firmer. You will need an alignment after you adjust the torsion bars though.

 

[Souper]

Great. Wasn't too sure on that, especially with the adjustable suspension. Which leads my curiosity to how one would determine the status of the adjustable shock. Since on regular shocks the excessive bounce would lead a guy to believe they're shot. How would you with these.

 

[Mrknowitall]

before you start wrenching on things, lift up the back of the truck with a floor jack (somewhere in the center). Re-measure the front. The rear coild can sag just the same.

 

[Souper]

In essence the torsion bars wouldn't necessarily need to be adjusted if the coil is bad?

 

[Mrknowitall]

Sorry, I was short on time/detail.

In essence the torsion bars wouldn't necessarily need to be adjusted if the coil is bad?

Right- If you pick the truck up by the center and it levels out in the front, then the lean isn't from the front end. If one or the other coil spring is sagging, then it will introduce a lean just the same. If you then crank the torsion bars to level it, you will have a condition sometimes referred to as cross-jacking. This can make handling rather wonky.

If it is the torsion bars, then adjusting is fine. Consider lubing the adjusting bolts in advance. As you're doing the adjustment, make sure to cycle the suspension a bit and even drive around to make sure you're not fighting any binding joints/bushings.