Suspension Height difference

[JohanM]

I am having difficulties getting the front end of my SFA to stand level. It has been like this since I fittted the OME Suspension to my vehicle in 2006.

Problem is after fitment I went back and queried the difference of 20 MM between LF & RF wheel arch clearance. I was told it is to accommodate the weight of the driver and to live with as it is the way it is. THis was fitted by OME Edenvale.

Below is a pic of my van parked on a level surface. It is something that really irritates me, but i'm living with this as it appears OME has no sulotion to this problem. A lot of people see this and ask if the vehicle is actually skew. I had the chassis checked by various places it is was confirmed the vehicle's chassis is straight.

SO the problem lies with the springs then. I managed to get hold of a old OME (2002) fitment catalogue and it states in there that sometimes the vehicle needs to have 2 similar sides springs fitted to get the trim sorted out....

SO now, do I fit 2x Driver side springs or do I live with this irratation??? Your advice is appreciated.

[Spartan]

Dit sal die rook uit my pla as dit my Van was, dalk moes jy vir daai ou gese het jy is nie so dik soos hy nie

[yotaman]

I would throw the book at whoever did the fitment! Stand by you rights & have them sort it. I bet if you get in behind the wheel the difference will still be visible!

[Stef]

I have the same problem with my LTD; mine is just on the driver's side. Also an OME lift underneath.

With 4 people inside it is sitting level
If I grab the fender & lift it, it stays level, until I sit in it again.

I think it could be the shock or maybe the leaf's need a tensioning. Haven't checked the part numbers to see if the left & right leaf's are actually from the same kit.

[Mud Dog]

The front axle pedestals are not at the same height ... the driver's side sits higher because of the diff on that side. The leaf packs are made up differently so as to accommodate this and with the correct packs in place it's supposed to be level! I suspect that they've got something mixed up or they have installed two identical packs ... the story about accommodating the driver's weight is hogwash, pure unadulterated brown stuff. Ask Louis (4x4Megaworld) for his opinion.

[JohanM]

Andy,

I also felt it was a load of hog and still to date no one can solve this yet. I will pop in at Louis tomorrow afternoon on my way to a meeting. Will also take the invoice's ect with. I suspect that the A/B on the spring packs are for passenger side/Driverside. However mine is fitted with the B Spring pack on the passengerside which might actually be the driver side Spring pack??

Looking at the height from spring saddle heights it seems the driver side is about 20mm higher so maybe my SFA's springs are fitted the wrong way round.????

[Mud Dog]

Or you have two of the same packs ....

[JohanM]

I'll be taking the Van this afternoon to Luois to have it check out and deciding what we are going to do next....I'll keep you posted.

[Stef]

Checked my leafs last night... the left has a ser# CS008 FB and the right is CS008 FA. Both leafs have 5 blades each; same as Torro's setup...very weird indeed :wth:

IMO they must be the right way around, as it is sagging towards the side with the highest mounting;swopping them would tilit the bakkie the other way. Beginning to think it might be the shock.

[JohanM]

Stefan,

Thanks for the Info. Myne is CS 009FB / FA springs with 6 springs in each leaf pack. I will be in at Louis this afternoon and then we'll take it from there.

[Stef]

Het met een van my kollegas gepraat, volgens hom het sy '90 SFA SC 4x4 dieselfde probleem as my LTD...sak aan bestuurders kant. Glo 'n algemene kwaal; hy het sy leafs weer laat tension, maar dit hou blykbaar net 6 maande of so

Wonder of mens 'n spacer (sommer 'n ekstra blade) onder die regter leaf spring kan insit?

[rebuilder]

Heard somewhere before that an extra blade and/or tensioning gets fitted on one side by the oem, depending on country (left or right hand drive) to compensate for road camber and weight of full fuel tank etc. Swapping them are other alterations that do not compensate makes vehicle look uneven.

[Mud Dog]

The problem could even be at the rear .... transferring to the front.

[Castos]

I have the same problem with my LTD; mine is just on the driver's side. Also an OME lift underneath.

With 4 people inside it is sitting level
If I grab the fender & lift it, it stays level, until I sit in it again.

I think it could be the shock or maybe the leaf's need a tensioning. Haven't checked the part numbers to see if the left & right leaf's are actually from the same kit.

Dito, mine has the same problem.

[JohanM]

I briefly visit Louis yesterday at his new shop. Seems like the problem might be coming fron the rear. SO I have ordered the correct OME trim packer that fits underneath the spring pack. Once its arrived I will clean the springs, shackles ect and fit the trim packer at the back and reassemble the lot. One tht is done I will remeasure the vehicle and see what the difference is. I suspect that the difference might be less(afterwards) than 10mm which would translate into an almost level SFA...

[Stef]

That's cool Johan, how much was this trim packer?

[Mud Dog]

The problem could even be at the rear .... transferring to the front.

We tend to look at the obvious or where the problem manifests, but it doesn't always originate there. The rear packs are normally stiffer and have less 'give', so a trim difference at the back tends to show up at the softer front.

That said, I would wonder why the rear is out of trim .... there has to be a reason. OME have been making suspensions for over 2 decades and wouldn't leave a trim problem un-addressed ... especially not with a popular vehicle like the Lux, so there must be something that's out of whack, unless there's a broken blade in one of the rear packs.

[JohanM]

That's cool Johan, how much was this trim packer?

It was about R 180-00.

We tend to look at the obvious or where the problem manifests, but it doesn't always originate there. The rear packs are normally stiffer and have less 'give', so a trim difference at the back tends to show up at the softer front.

That said, I would wonder why the rear is out of trim .... there has to be a reason. OME have been making suspensions for over 2 decades and wouldn't leave a trim problem un-addressed ... especially not with a popular vehicle like the Lux, so there must be something that's out of whack, unless there's a broken blade in one of the rear packs.

Andy I had a look at the fitment sheet from 2006. The pre measurement showed the L/F was 5mm lower than the right, but the rear was the same left & right.

The after measurement showed up a 10mm difference between L/F & R/F. However the L/R was 5mm lower the the R/R. The inspection check was done and the difference was 15mm difference between L/F (Lower) & R/F (higher). The rear was L/R 5mm lower than R/R. So somehow I suspect that the L/R Springpack might actually be a little bit less tensioned than the RR springpack which means it hangs slightly lower on that side.

I will now wait for the spring pack trim packer from Louis and then fit it with new friction liners on the rear springs and then remeasure the vehicle afterwards.

[LouisZ]

Sometimes SFA bakkies have to be trimmed to level the Bakkie out. The Cuiser 75 have more trimming to do than a Hilux. Remember, as the Bakkies get to work, i.e loads the blades start to settle more than it will when driven unloaded. Always load evenly. Also, the saddle correction when fitting Ome, Ironman, TJM or Mikem or any other suspension must be done when fitting that suspension.

The rear that we will trim on Johan's bakkie is to correct the level, and according to the Ome manual one trim it only on the rear.

[JohanM]

Thanks Louis for th update. I wasn't aware that the L/C 75 needs a lot of trimming. However fact is that it can be trimmed and is not always a sign of a weak spring or other things that people think it is.

I am sure after the trim packer it will be right.

[Rebel 4x4]

I am having difficulties getting the front end of my SFA to stand level. It has been like this since I fittted the OME Suspension to my vehicle in 2006.

Problem is after fitment I went back and queried the difference of 20 MM between LF & RF wheel arch clearance. I was told it is to accommodate the weight of the driver and to live with as it is the way it is. THis was fitted by OME Edenvale.

Below is a pic of my van parked on a level surface. It is something that really irritates me, but i'm living with this as it appears OME has no sulotion to this problem. A lot of people see this and ask if the vehicle is actually skew. I had the chassis checked by various places it is was confirmed the vehicle's chassis is straight.

OME Problem.jpg

SO the problem lies with the springs then. I managed to get hold of a old OME (2002) fitment catalogue and it states in there that sometimes the vehicle needs to have 2 similar sides springs fitted to get the trim sorted out....

SO now, do I fit 2x Driver side springs or do I live with this irratation??? Your advice is appreciated.

I've got the same problem with my OME, the rear is actually the problem and that transfers the problem to the front. I've got a total of 8 blades at the back and 6 on the front. The load leaf or something to that effect is thicker on the one side than the other. Couple of ways to solve it: spacer.... thicker load leaf on the opposite side... make shackle slightly longer... or the last one I took........ ....... wait for it....... Just leave it, brings character to the Van

[JohanM]

I've got the same problem with my OME, the rear is actually the problem and that transfers the problem to the front. I've got a total of 8 blades at the back and 6 on the front. The load leaf or something to that effect is thicker on the one side than the other. Couple of ways to solve it: spacer.... thicker load leaf on the opposite side... make shackle slightly longer... or the last one I took........ ....... wait for it....... Just leave it, brings character to the Van

I see you have similar setup as I am, and yes it does give it character, but im trying to sort everything out so that the van actually looks better when parked.

I will keep you up to speed when I get it and fitted it with the measurements ect. Maybe you can do it too and level your Lux.

[Rebel 4x4]

Thanks Johan,

Appreciate it

[Stef]

Visited 4x4 Megaworld Zambesi today...

The oke there reckons that I have the wrong blades in the front (CS008); apparently it should be CS009 due to the winch & bumper. One option is to add a blade (R450) to each pack in the front and then check. One should only then look at the trim packer if there is still a problem I'm told. (That was the advice of the importer over the phone). Apparently the "+" & "-" are just to mark the difference between front & rear, although I thought that is what the "FA" & "FB" was for...to indicate the front leafs The saddles are still straight.

There is also a fitment kit ; basically 2 plates that fit upright between the bottom & upper saddles (welded in) to support the top one to prevent the edges from rounding off. R170/side a bit much. A piece of 50 x 3 mild steel flat bar could easily do the trick.

[JohanM]

Visited 4x4 Megaworld Zambesi today...

The oke there reckons that I have the wrong blades in the front (CS008); apparently it should be CS009 due to the winch & bumper. One option is to add a blade (R450) to each pack in the front and then check. One should only then look at the trim packer if there is still a problem I'm told. (That was the advice of the importer over the phone). Apparently the "+" & "-" are just to mark the difference between front & rear, although I thought that is what the "FA" & "FB" was for...to indicate the front leafs The saddles are still straight.

There is also a fitment kit ; basically 2 plates that fit upright between the bottom & upper saddles (welded in) to support the top one to prevent the edges from rounding off. R170/side a bit much. A piece of 50 x 3 mild steel flat bar could easily do the trick.

Stef the CS008 springs are for a SFA with a front nose weight of up to 45KG (extra). The LTD Edition SFA with the winch & B/Bar will need the CS009 springs which are for 45 - 110 Kg extra on the nose. So those are the correct one's and is the heavy load spring pack. Basically by adding the leaf you are taking your CS008 and making a CS009 spring as that is the difference. The extra soring to handle the additonal wight.

THe "+" & "-" are the actual front and rear of the spring pack. So the "+" must be on the bumper side of the axle in order for the spring to work correct.

I'm sure you can straighten the saddles en fit a normal mildsteel flat bar in there. But I will take it to Louis in Menlyn @ 4x4 mega world as he is a member here and gives exceptional service.

[Stef]

Certainly not good news; and I don't have the ZAR's to fix it right now... wonder if there will be any damage to the leafs? IIRC the "-" is on the bumper's side as well
Fortunately the saddles are still straight, but I think I'll do the mod to keep it that way, but I'm not paying R170 for 2 plates

So the fronts must have the "+" on the bumper side & the rear leafs must have the "-" on the towbar side right?

[JohanM]

Certainly not good news; and I don't have the ZAR's to fix it right now... wonder if there will be any damage to the leafs? IIRC the "-" is on the bumper's side as well
Fortunately the saddles are still straight, but I think I'll do the mod to keep it that way, but I'm not paying R170 for 2 plates

So the fronts must have the "+" on the bumper side & the rear leafs must have the "-" on the towbar side right?

Stef, im sure no "damage" would be done to the springs but I will advise you to fit the extra leaf in order to compensate for the Winch & B/B as if left leike that it will make cause the spring pack to lose its tension a lot quicker.

I will check my rear sprngs tomorrow and see if the "-" are on the towbar side. I presume it will be, but I'll let you know....

[Stef]

Johan , wat se Leafs het jy in die agterkant? Die outjie by Mega world reken CS010 is beter, om meer tekan laai...ek het CS009 agter in.

[JohanM]

Johan , wat se Leafs het jy in die agterkant? Die outjie by Mega world reken CS010 is beter, om meer tekan laai...ek het CS009 agter in.

Stef my SFA het die OME medium spring packs agter in gehad, en het so 2 jaar terug die ekstra Dakar blade bygesit om hulle nou die OME heavy load spring packs te maak. DIt rating is nou vir 'n konstanste 250kg agter op die laaibak tot by max vrag. Met die mod's wat ek al gedoen het om my SFA staan hy nou met die kaste en dinge in basies 20mm laer as gewoonlik, wat amper gelyk is. SOdra hy swaar gelaai word dan hang die gat met so 50mm totaal wat steeds heelwat higher is as die STD springs so ek is happy.

[Rebel 4x4]

Waar op die leafs sien julle daai nommers???????

[JohanM]

Waar op die leafs sien julle daai nommers???????

Bo op die boonste leafspring as hy skoon is. Geel verf. Dit gaan wel af met tyd ook.

[Stef]

Waar op die leafs sien julle daai nommers???????

Onder die modder :haha: :haha:
Aan die bo kant vd leaf is 'n geel of wit nommer, net voor die voorste diff. Die agterstes is net agter die diff aan die towbar kant...dis nou op OME's, weet nie vd standaard of ander "brands" nie.

[Rebel 4x4]

Waar op die leafs sien julle daai nommers???????

Onder die modder :haha: :haha:
Aan die bo kant vd leaf is 'n geel of wit nommer, net voor die voorste diff. Die agterstes is net agter die diff aan die towbar kant...dis nou op OME's, weet nie vd standaard of ander "brands" nie.

Ek't Old Man's in, maar reken myne het dan al gekwyn, want die leafs is al 4jaar oud of so.....

[JohanM]

So on Friday I visited Louis at his new workshop to pick up the trim packer that was ordered.

This afternoon i was spending some time playing with the measuring tape and the highlift jack.

Something that I picked up in the front was that it seems that the one side ofe tha front cab mounting rubbers has collapsed or is the wrong one. There is a difference of at least 4mm in height between passenger side and the driver side which is the higher one.

So, now I will spend the next few evenings stripping the springs, and re do-ing them and fitting the trim packer also to the left rear spring pack as indicated by Louis.

Combined this level correction with the difference in cab height rubbers it might actually be level for the first time in a while...

[Rebel 4x4]

Piccies will be awsum!!!!

[Stef]

Great Johan,
I'm curious about the rubbers, are they on the suspension or between the cab & chassis?

I'll hopefully have 2 blades added to the front of my lux to make it CS009 soon; must find out who has stock for me.

[JohanM]

Stefan,

Die rubbers is tussend die cab en die chassis self. Dit is om die vibrassies en dinge te absorbeer en nie deur te vibreer na die kajuit toe nie.

[JohanM]

The past weekend I stripped the spring packs and replaced the inter leaf liners, cleaned out the springs and reassembled the spring packs. Also fitted the trim packer to the left spring pack. Will post pictures tonight when I have a free moment.

I have taken it for a test drive to let the springs settle and will park it this afternoon on a level surface to measure the sides. If this is not sorting it out, im going to try and swop left and right side spring packs around and see if it does change anything.

After this, if this does not sort it out, I will have to buy 3x sets of new load springs with longer centre pin bolts and replace the load springs in the two packs and add a extra load spring as one has then most likely lost a bit of tension. This is possible from bottoming out on full load at high speed with comfort springs fitted instead of load springs...

Also the reason for adding a 3rd load spring to the pack is to level the rear more when loaded and not have such a big tail drop and not to increase the load capacity of the vehicle. I will rather fit an extra spring to the pack than add other things to the system that is not designed to work with the system such as load hog springs, ect.

[Stef]

Will be interesting if the trim packer made a difference...
My height diff is 15mm in front. Leafs are only 18 months old, no "w" shape.

Waiting in anticipation

[Stef]

Had a chance to crawl under the Lux with a lead-light (b4 the dog chwed through the ext cord,nearly went )

Here are some pics, you can see a slight "w" shape which I didn't see previously. Now I guess it could be due to the leafs being overworked or I might have deformed saddles/pedestals after all.

[JohanM]

Stef myne lyk ook so links voor, maar myne het al die saddle correction treatment gehad........Wonder of ek dit sal weer moet laat doen??

[Stef]

Stef myne lyk ook so links voor, maar myne het al die saddle correction treatment gehad........Wonder of ek dit sal weer moet laat doen??

Dis nou vir jou 'n ding dag die saddle correction moet dit verhoed...en jy't nog 009's in ?

Sal vandag vir Louis/ Craig bel, miskien is dit dalk normaal

[Stef]

Het die pics gister vir Darrell by Mikem & Carl by Menlyn Megaworld gestuur. Volgens altwee lyk die vere op die oog af reg, OME moet blykbaar so effe van 'n "w" hê sê Darrell, a.g.v die plat stukkie onderaan die veer pak.

Altwee se advies is om die sadlle correction te doen (wat ek in elk geval wou doen as ek die vere moes afhaal). Volgens Carl kort daar defnitief 'n blade voor. So wag nou vir voorraad. Sal weer post as ek dit laat doen het.

[Stef]

Het vandag 'n draai gemaak by Louis, vere nog OK, kan maar net blade bysit. Pro-comps ly blykbaar ook nog OK.
Wag net vir voorraad.

Miskien is joune dan ook nog reg Johan?

[JohanM]

Ok so I have fitted the trim packer to the left rear spring pack. I also cleaned out everything while I had the spring packs out and also fitted net inter leaf liners.

The trim packer has cured the left / right 5 mm difference at the rear but the front stays 15mm out. SO I have been thinking if I shouldn't just swop the left and rear spring packs around with the trim packer and see if the front wants to level out....

Also the left / right loads in the load bin are almost identical in weight and will soon be near perfect balanced when I have fitted the Deep cycle battery on the right rear wheel arch with the split charging system.

[Stef]

SO I have been thinking if I shouldn't just swop the left and rear spring packs around with the trim packer and see if the front wants to level out....

So you want to swop the rear packs around? Guess it could work...can't make up my mind about the trim packer, maybe swop without the packer at first?