Axle wrap. Help me beat a dead horse.

I have read almost every post over the last month on this topic. Info is starting to run together as i figure out if i should replace my leaf pack to solve my rather savier problem.

My question is aimed at those of you who bought your Gen 1 new and are dealing with axle wrap. New did Gen 1's have a knock and it got worse over time or did they start out with nothing and axle wrap just starts as the leaf pack wears out.

Contemplating the group buy. To Wheelers credit, Dan was up front and honest saying that a new 4 leaf pack will/may not solve the problem. Only a traction bar will do that and i do not want the lift of the 4 pack.

So.... any more info out there as many of us decide what we will do?

BTW, i have a 04 DC with 93K miles.

 

there was a mod I saw where you add helper springs form autozone and it is supposed to reduce axle wrap. I don't really know much about it though.
here's a link http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/technical-chat/4838-cheap-free-mods-5.html#post47217

 

Trac bars will get rid of the axle wrap if done right

 

Ive given up with this problem. Ever since i bought my truck ive had this problem. I lifted my truck using add a leafs and that problem did not go away at all. So i really doubt that the leaf springs have anything to do with it. My guess is its from the drive shaft.

 

its probably not the springs. try lubing the driveshaft with some grease and ill bet it goes away or greatly reduces it. i had the same thing and put an aal on my truck hoping to solve it (plus it gave me an excuse to lift it) and it just slightly reduced it. ill also be buying a new transmission mount to help reduce other problems as they are under a $100 and cant hurt either way.

 

Thank you.

Still no-on who bought theirs new and has this issue or are some of these responces from original owners.

I have already lubed the drive shaft. Pumped it full. It reduced the knock for about a week and it was back full force. Now i have the smell of grease on the hot exhaust as it flings out.

 

the 4 leaf pack from wheelers is a stock height replacement. i got the 5 pack, and it helped greatly with mine..............BUT.....i also took the shaft apart from the rear diff and cleaned it out....packed new grease in, put back together and the hit it with the grease gun. my axle wrap doesnt ever appear anymore really.

 

I have been there. I still have grease from the slip yoke all over my muffler

Sorry, not the original owner, but traction bars took care of it. The grease, and the spring helpers didn't do much. Traction bars were night and day!

Matt

 

So let's see those traction bars! I've seen some pretty crazy heavy duty ones that seem over-the-top for a daily driver...

 

x2

 

Leaf springs, leaf springs, leaf springs.....

Not necessarily an option in todays standards - but - when I owned my 96 tacoma, I had the axle wrap also. I lifted my truck about 2" = I actually had my leaf springs re-arched PLUS added 2 custome made extra leafs in the pak. It was one-hell-of-a heavy duty leaf spring setup. It was stiff, handled loads like it was nothing and I loved it. Axle wrap was a thing of the past!

 

Front bracket...



Rear bracket (both pics)...






Profile view (from front)...



Pain in the a$$ to install: Yeah;
Expensive: Yeah; and,
Solves Problem: Yeah.

I'd recommend trying AAL/new leafs first.

 

^^ those are perdy.

I bought these


From a local guy (North San Diego) http://speed-freek.net/?page_id=39
He made them for 5-lug Tacomas. The five lugs don't tend to have axle wrap, but he made them for people that like to put 300+ ponies in them. I contacted him at a local Tacoma event and he said he would use my truck as the guinea pig for six-lug trucks. He had to do very little to install them (shave the bracket here or there).

An overall shot. There is that slip yoke grease all over the Magnaflow.



The traction bar plate under the leafs



He (Jason) asked me before hand if I off road. I don't. Dirt roads is about all I ever see. He said these may limit suspension travel at the very extreme ends and that he could make some off-road worthy ones if anyone needed them.

I also looked at these guys.
http://www.budbuilt.com/new/traction_bars.html

The traction bars not only stopped the axle wrap, but it also seems more sure footed. The rear end would get wobbly on fast sweeping corners with bumps.

Matt

 

Cool. Thanks for taking time to post pix. Interesting setup. I've seen the Budbuilt one before, and it is spendy, as much as new leaf packs from Wheelers.

 

mtucker: Having any problems with that setup? I'm not suggesting that you are/will...just wondering.

 

At sometime >> 6 months, I developed a crack in the passenger side plate. It looked like it cracked from the leaf spring stop (whatever that short leaf spring that isn't in the leaf spring pack is called) pushing down on it. He had never seen that before (on the 5-lugs). He said they normally bend a bit, but never brake. He made me new plates that were extra thick (don't know the exact thickness, but the pictures are of the new thicker plates) and installed them.

I've never noticed any binding or weird noises other than the Heim joint (the ball socket looking thing) needing a little grease to stop it from squeaking.

Matt

 

mtucker,

When you put the truck on a lift, did you notice whether the rear driveshaft was sliding back and forth/compressing and decompressing at the (what I'll call) "joint"?

The reason I ask: From the looks of your setup, it seems like the rear axle would be able to move up and down, but not forward and backward, and no articulation. While this would stop axle wrap (which was the goal), I'm wondering whether the driveshaft "joint" is being used and/or what kind of stress(es) the restriction of movement is putting on other components or on the traction bars/mounts themselves. Did Jason tell you what the cracks in the mounts were caused by (other than stress)?

 

I didn't notice if the driveshaft was moving in/out when it was jacked up.
The plate crack formed right on the bend where the leaf spring stop was pushing down on it. It looked light a straight forward stress crack from being flexed too much. He said they normally bend there, but had never seen one actually crack.

Matt

 

Gotcha. Sick running and fog lights btw...waiting for the writeup/howto...if you've posted it somewhere, let me know (uber-interested)!