[bchap05]

So my truck which has been a disaster of a purchase since selling my Ram. It has had never ending repairs in less than a year and just had its most recent expensive repair, a broken leaf spring. This is after re doing the entire rear end the month prior. And now my well waxed and taken care of clear coat falling off of the truck due to GM's horrible paint job.

It has a 6inch fabtech lift with the dual front shock mounts, and fabtech traction bars.

So I took it to a local spring shop and they added 3 springs to each side to take the tension off the rear end hopefully making it last longer and replaced the cracked leaf.

I could have had them just fix the one leaf but decided to spend more and do it right being that I'm so upside down now with constant repair bills on this pos that I'll probably have to drive it for 400k miles.

They told me it wouldn't need aligned. But now the truck is turning hard left especially when braking and has this horrible very load groaning creaking noise in the front end on acceleration and stop. Does it every single time you stop or take off. They only worked on the rear leafs did nothing to the front.

It doesn't do it side to so it's quiet on turns. Its when the weight of the vehicle either swings forward or back based on starting or stopping. Sounds like some old horror movie when they open the door and it does that long creaking noise.

I tried lubing everything which did nothing. Next step I was planning on re torquing the entire lift basically. Where are likely spots for the noise if its a front to back momentum noise?

 

[GR2017]

I can't help, but the issue certainly isn't anything to do with GM's design.

 

[bchap05]

No the entire suspension has been re done with fabtech mainly so the groan isn't GM. The paint falling off a well cared for non rust area truck is.

 

[CT2500HD]

If the noise is from the rear, creaking/groaning from leaf springs happens when the spring eye bolts are tightened when the vehicle is not sitting on its own load (they tightened the eye bolts while truck was up on the lift, not when it was back on the ground sitting on its own weight). To correct it, loosen the eye bolts with the truck sitting on the ground (normal load), the tighten again. If rubber eye bushings, no grease needed. and don't go back to that shop if this is the case.

That might NOT be the case. So your springs are now much stiffer- acting more like a really stiff sway bar. So when the vehicle needs to sway, the front is giving more than the rear, which makes more articulation happen up-front. Solution could be to stiffen your front end, but that's just more $ and an overall stiffer ride.

Have you checked your front sway bar ends and frame-mount bushings? All cheap to replace.

 

[bchap05]

Awesome info thanks! I haven't gotten that far to really dig into the front end yet. Being that everything is aftermarket its a little more confusing than stock to know what everything is. I replaced the entire front end myself on my old truck.

I'll probably swing by the shop tonight and have them re torque and see if they torqued on the lift or ground. They told me to come back for a re torque anyways.

 

[ferraiolo1]

not being in the rust belt has nothing to do with your clear coming off that just poor preventative maintenance. Its a almost 11 year old truck. You don't know it it sat outside every day of its life and was ever waxed. now if its a 2016 and clear is coming off then yes GMs fault.

 

[bchap05]

not being in the rust belt has nothing to do with your clear coming off that just poor preventative maintenance. Its a almost 11 year old truck. You don't know it it sat outside every day of its life and was ever waxed. now if its a 2016 and clear is coming off then yes GMs fault.

Could be true. There isn't a dent on the body, not a scratch, very shiny where the clear isn't falling off, interior looks brand new, the truck had over 6k-7k in aftermarket stuff put into it.

So I assumed someone that cared that much about the truck would at least wax it and care for the paint. But possible they didn't.

Either way was a horrible purchase by me. Should have found a non lifted truck and did it myself. Problem was my other truck sold in 3 hours, over book which I didn't expect and I didn't have much time to look around.

 

[ferraiolo1]

True.. sadly when you buy a lifted or performance modded truck youre ether buying some one else's pride and joy or their problems.

 

[bchap05]

True.. sadly when you buy a lifted or performance modded truck youre ether buying some one else's pride and joy or their problems.

I just keep hoping eventually it will end. I fix one thing, I'm like sweet I got it all worked out, 2 days later something new. Been like that non stop since I bought.

First was the rear end started leaking, had shop pull the cover and they saw some metal so they replaced something in the pinion.

Like on month later tire shop said your rear end sounds horrible. So I took it back and they were like we thought everything was good enough to last for while but its gone bad. So they pulled the rear end and redid most everything.

Then I notice the clear falling off. Which I haven't done anything about yet. Mainly on the hood so I might get quotes if I do my own prep work. Hoping I can get a prepped hood sprayed for not a crazy amount.

Start hearing a noise, go to get tires rotated they are like your leaf spring is broke. So have spring shop redo that. And they say hey your rear end is leaking on your brakes which are now ruined (which I just replaced). So I took it back to the other shop and they found the seal they had put in was bad. Replaced the seal, and gave me new brakes this time for free. So got that fixed yesterday hopefully or while this time.

And now it sounds like I'm driving a wooden covered wagon everytime I take off with this groan

 

[ericlw]

certain people on here think leaf springs should make noise and cant be made to be quiet. i wont name any names yet.

 

[wildchevy]

life lessons should have kept the RAM

 

[bchap05]

life lessons should have kept the RAM

Haha it was a 2wd and I camp and hunt a decent amount so occasionally need 4wd. Plan was to get another one in 4wd but I couldn't find anything for sub 22k at the time with the newer body style. Never like ford but didn't mind GM and with all the mods it looked cool. So went with it. And for most part when it's not broke I like it.

 

[bchap05]

Went to spring shop and they suggested removing my traction bars. I like how they look but they felt they were restricting any flex and whining. Pulled them off. Truck is silent