Should the shock be centered in the coil? Coil not leaning?

[Cerwin D. Vega]

I am trying to figure out what may be the cause of the poor ride quality of my Ranger. One thing I noticed while crawling around under the front is that the shock is not centered in the coil spring. This is apparent in that the dust cover is almost touching the side of the spring.

Another thing is that the spring itself is arched over a little bit. In other words the spring has a bit of a lean. I do not know if that is by design or not. It seems like it would should circuit the distance of travel.

Any help is appreciated.

Sponsored

 

[User79]

Sorry to hear you are still having issues, I thought the 16"wheels/tires cured it for you.

They should be centered, I can't say for sure that there's a problem with yours but if it's close to rubbing I would have the dealer look at it. I attached photos of mine for you to compare.

 

[Cerwin D. Vega]

79,
The 16" did help me get back and forth to work without myofascia lock up, but not enough to attempt a 10 hr round trip to the mountains.

Thank you for the pictures I will take some pictures to compare to yours.

 

[DBRanger]

79,
The 16" did help me get back and forth to work without myofascia lock up, but not enough to attempt a 10 hr round trip to the mountains.

Thank you for the pictures I will take some pictures to compare to yours.

Maybe I'm late to the party, but have you driven another Ranger to see if it's just yours? Or maybe another Ranger owner drives yours? I love the ride of my Ranger and came from a Dodge Dakota that rode similar to my Ranger. If you have done these things I am sorry for being redundant.

It just seems like you have a real lemon or your body geometry is not right for a light pickup. One or the other.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

I am trying to figure out what may be the cause of the poor ride quality of my Ranger. One thing I noticed while crawling around under the front is that the shock is not centered in the coil spring. This is apparent in that the dust cover is almost touching the side of the spring.

Another thing is that the spring itself is arched over a little bit. In other words the spring has a bit of a lean. I do not know if that is by design or not. It seems like it would should circuit the distance of travel.

Any help is appreciated.

Hi CDV,

Okay...which side of the front suspension? Or both sides? Sounds like you have a a spring that is not in its spring seat. Springs should be concentric to the shock. If both sides, I have no idea but my Ranger has the springs concentric to the shocks. Have you lifted your Ranger? Al bets are off for these lift kits.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[Cerwin D. Vega]

Phil,

Not lifted, and it appears to be on one side. I have not made any firm conclusions. I took picture and drew lines and on the passenger front the spring does not appear to be straight. I need to look at it a little closer.79's pictures line up well with one side, but the other side seems a little off set on my truck. So three of four pictures show the lines being straight, the one that has a slight offset is the one that I believe is the problem. I want to check it closer and verify it with some type of rock solid proof before i take it back to the dealership. But i suspect you may be on target with the spring seat.

DBB,

I have been driving light trucks personally and occupationally for the past 25 years. I test drove the FX4 twice including on one road that currently gives me problems. Additionally i specifically ordered a Non FX4 as a measure of safety in regards to RQ.

Sponsored