When is it time to replace leaf springs?

Good morning,
So I have a 2006 double cab 2wd. I love the truck, had it 2 years. I am not a very mechanical guy trying to learn as I go, and I have a mechanic I can trust, which I am thankful for. There are some big things he has taken care of for me: timing belt &water pump, rack & pinion steering system, and the upper & lower ball joints. At different points in my time driving it, I hear loud squeaks. The ball joints were bad, I thought that may solve it. Steering was going, so I thought that may fix it. Nope. I was looking at my frame and noticed I need to get a grinder and wire brush and address some of the rust issues. When looking at things it made me wonder if my leaf springs my be the cause of the squeak I hear all the time and if it is a sign to change them. Thanks for any help.

 

shoot up some pics of the rust. If they have lost their arch, sagging or are heavily corroded they may need replacing. Show us what you are working with.

However, an 06 with who knows how many miles could probably benefit from new springs/suspension. I needed to replace the stock suspension on my 06 4runner a few years ago when it hit about 100k miles, springs had sagged and shocks were toast.

 

Thanks for the reply, I will get under there later in the day and take a couple of pics. I kick myself for not going down south to buy a truck that had a clean frame. I think that with some work I can halt the corrosion, treat it and coat it to prolong the life. Body is good and so is engine and interior. I have 128k miles, just getting broken in. I think if I replace them, I want to look for a heavy duty option that would allow me to hold more weight. I don't haul every day, but when I do for projects...it usually puts the old girl through the paces.

 

The space between the leafs is where your squeaks likely come from (or the rear shocks). Originally had pads between some of them, likely gone. Corrosion isn't helping. ATS and General Springs both offer HD leaf replacements. Replace the shocks as well and the rear end should ride like new.

 

I'm in the SAME exact boat. I have some slight rust, and i cleaned and painted my leaf springs, after about 10k miles i noticed rust dust shooting out from in between the individual leaf. I was considering the HD leaf pack also but I have a concern:

the ride quality/performance of the
HD pack vs a new oem pack with add a leaf. thoughts?

 

Been thinking about this for my '04 DC.

Here's some info I've gotten:

Kind of half for your information and half me asking if this makes sense: I talked to General Spring a couple of weeks ago and they told me that of the packs they sell, the ones labeled '04-'06 are more heavy duty than the '00-'04 though ride height is the same ( https://www.generalspringkc.com/leaf-springs/toyota/tundra/2000-2006/ ). I asked them because I found it odd that the 04'-'06 cost more than 2x what the '00-'04 cost.

Though then looking at the part numbers it seems that there might be a bunch of different leaf spring specs? Which would make sense considering the trucks weight different amounts. I pulled these part numbers for the left spring on various first gens:

2000-2004 access cab 482200C040 left

2004-2006 double cab 4wd / 2003-2004 double cab 2wd 48220AF082 left

2003-2006 double cab 2wd 48220AF072 left

2000-2006 regular cab 482200C061 left

2003-2006 2wd access cab 48220AF051 left

2003-2006 2wd/4wd access cab 48220AF061 left

I mean, damn, I just want a cushy ride and 1-2" of lift.

 

Custom leaf pack. Also won’t carry loads and be cushy. You could add airbags to a softer spring setup and get some of both, but airbags change the load carrying point on the rear frame and can lead to damage. Hard to have it all….

 

Yeah I think that's the ticket. I just liked the idea of OEM replacement for $130 a side from general spring. I'd buy those if they could guarantee me that they would at least match the leafs on a 4x4 double cab, but considering the variety of Toyota spring part numbers I'm not so sure that's the case. The original poster wanted more carrying capacity but I don't really need that.

 

I’ve read you could buy new silencer pads to replace the old ones on your oem springs. Need a wedge to open them up a bit to slide the new ones in. Might as well shoot some oil and grease between the patties of leaf and all up in the bushings too. Those springs will have new life as long as the sprang hasn’t sprung.

 

Thanks for the information, this forumis always so helpful. I should replace the shackles at the same time, right?