Squeal like a pig boy...

[deadbeat son]

So my '09 Taco has 6600 miles and sounds like it's trapped in a scene out of Deliverance. The rear suspension (I suspect the springs/bushings since they were replaced for the TSB 4-leafs under warranty about 3k miles ago) squeaks horribly. The squeak occurs if I'm climbing in or out of the truck, when I stop or start driving, or over any little bump, dip, or what-have-you. It's loud enough I can hear it with the windows up and the A/C running. Sometimes, I can even hear it over the radio.

Should I pull the shackles and pins out and grease them, or should I just take it to the dealer and have them fix it under warranty? I'm heading out for an extended trip Saturday, and doubt I'll be able to get it in before then. Regardless, I'll probably give them a ring in the morning. Has anyone else had this issue?

 

[tacomadave]

Yes, lots of Tacoma owners have this "problem" including me. One thing you can do is spray lubricant on them, I used the aerosol teflon stuff that dries up so as to avoid attracting dirt, and it worked for a while.

I basically gave up, squeaking doesn't hurt anything but it is kind of annoying. You could try UHMW tape between all the leaves, a lot of Series Rover guys do this..

http://www.mcmaster.com/#76445a24/=32arag


Or upgrade to Deaver, or OME Dakar rear leaves i'm sure will squeak less...

apparently getting the dealer to fix it doesnt last long...

 

[deadbeat son]

Good to know; thanks Dave! I'll pick up a can of aerosol teflon dry lube and give that a shot. Should I spray the anti-friction pads between leaves or should I spray the bushings in the spring eyes?

 

[tacollie]

For the record my dakars and alcans squeked as bad as the stock.

 

[deadbeat son]

For the record my dakars and alcans squeked as bad as the stock.

Great...I've never had a vehicle that squeaks this bad. I can deal with the occasional squeaking, but this is ridiculous.

 

[4Rescue]

Well my OME Dakars have little to NO noise what-so-ever out of them. They have the pads in between the leaves yada yada yada and they have greasable shackle pins. Between the added load carrying ability, the mild lift and the improved ride I don't think that I could be more happy with them. I've got well over 10K on them now and frankly they couldn't be better. I just grease them up any time I think about it and it's silent running for me.

Could it be a resonence issue with the bed and the materials used??? Like could the truck actually be amplifying the noise somehow??? Anyone have any thoughts???

Cheers

Dave

 

[deadbeat son]

Thanks Dave, but the Dakar kit for the Taco doesn't have greasable pins and the factory springs do have the anti-friction pads between leaves. I probably just need to perform some periodic lubrication. I'll report back afterward.

 

[Dave Bennett]

Bump for the Dakars, but any aftermarket spring should solve this. Having had the OEM, Deavers, and now the Dakars I have to say I have been most impressed by the OME stuff.

I'm sorry Toyota, but the OEM springs under the rear of the 05+ Tacomas are junk - they sound 100 years old when new!

 

[ryguy]

I used white lithium for mine

 

[TRDPARTS4U]

I used white lithium for mine

That is what I use on the Dakar springs. I Usually need to re-apply a few times per year.


Jacque

 

[deadbeat son]

I used white lithium for mine

That is what I use on the Dakar springs. I Usually need to re-apply a few times per year.


Jacque

Thanks guys; again, should I apply the grease to the bushings in the spring eyes, to the pads between the spring leaves, or both?

 

[ntsqd]

I would use something like motorcycle chain wax instead of grease. It doesn't wash off nearly as easily, and it doesn't attract dirt, which will accelerate wear. Unless accelerated wear is part of the "Plan" to get OME's.....
:sombrero:

Rolls-Royce's from the 20's had leaf springs bathed in grease, but they also had complete leather wraps to keep the grit at bay.

 

[ryguy]

What i ended up doing was drilling a hole at each end of the spring where the noise occured and put in silencer pads from a first gen tundra leafs. I just got tired of having to apply grease once a month.

 

[RocKrawler]

An old trick a buddy & I learned was to get 1/8" thick sheetmetal strips as wide as the spring, cut them down to about the length of the spring perch, and drill a hole through the center. Then you simply unbolt the centerpin and separate the leafs, putting one plate inbetween each leaf & bolting them back together. It eliminates all friction between the leafs since the spring rides on that plate in the center and the isolater "buttons" on the outside, there is a gap the entire length of the leaf so they flex much better, and as a side benefit, since the friction is gone, so is the squeaking. Worked great for us on several rigs.

 

[Rexsname]

I have the All-Pro springs on my Tacoma and have never had a problem with the rears squeaking. The uni ball upper control arms, however, are another story. They have no provision for any lube and squeak badly.

REX