Jason Mankey
Active Member
We bought a 2010 Eddie Bauer standard length Expy last year. It had 188,000 when we got it, but was well taken care of. The engine, transmission, transfer case, differentials, interior and body all seem to be in wonderful condition.
However, when I brake...especially when pulling our 3,500 lb camper...it pulls to the right.
When we bought it, the tires were wore out. We looked them over to see if there were indications of abnormal wear during our purchase and they were worn very evenly. So we assumed the suspension was at least in decent condition. So I installed new Cooper Discoverer tires and have been very happy with them. They were great in the winter.
The brakes had been replaced in the past with some low quality parts and were pretty rusty. We suspected that could be the cause of the pull and these needed to be replaced anyway. We replaced all front and rear pads, rotors and even the parking shoes and hardware with high quality Raybestos parts about a month ago. The braking is much better, but the pull to the right has not changed.
So I am suspecting that with now nearly 200,000, the suspension needs some work. We only paid $8,000. We went into this knowing that it may cost a little to get it tuned up, but since we got it so cheap, we could afford to put some money into it.
I did the bounce test on the front and rear for the struts. I am a big dude and I could get it to move some. If I release all the way at the bottom of the bounce, the truck comes up and I get maybe 1/4 bounce. You can hear the struts making their noise, so it seems to me these were replaced and are working correctly. Based on how our Expy rides, I would say the struts are some stiffer truck style ones now because when towing our camper, I did not notice any extra bounce at all. It rides pretty stiff.
I would like to hear people experiences with the front and rear suspension. I am thinking that I probably need at least front ball joints. I have replaced ball joints may times, so no big deal there.
However, I have never owned a 4 wheel drive with independent rear suspension before. I have always owned solid rear axle vehicles. The rear suspension looks really busy with a bunch of control arms. So here are some questions I have.
1. Could the rear suspension being worn cause this pull to the right when braking? I would tend to think look at the front first, but I wanted to ask just in case.
2. What parts tend to wear on the rear suspension other than the strut and brakes?
3. With all these control arm links, is it common for some or all of them to wear, or do they tend to last the life of the vehicle? I have seen some vehicles that wear suspension and some that last almost forever depending on design.
However, when I brake...especially when pulling our 3,500 lb camper...it pulls to the right.
When we bought it, the tires were wore out. We looked them over to see if there were indications of abnormal wear during our purchase and they were worn very evenly. So we assumed the suspension was at least in decent condition. So I installed new Cooper Discoverer tires and have been very happy with them. They were great in the winter.
The brakes had been replaced in the past with some low quality parts and were pretty rusty. We suspected that could be the cause of the pull and these needed to be replaced anyway. We replaced all front and rear pads, rotors and even the parking shoes and hardware with high quality Raybestos parts about a month ago. The braking is much better, but the pull to the right has not changed.
So I am suspecting that with now nearly 200,000, the suspension needs some work. We only paid $8,000. We went into this knowing that it may cost a little to get it tuned up, but since we got it so cheap, we could afford to put some money into it.
I did the bounce test on the front and rear for the struts. I am a big dude and I could get it to move some. If I release all the way at the bottom of the bounce, the truck comes up and I get maybe 1/4 bounce. You can hear the struts making their noise, so it seems to me these were replaced and are working correctly. Based on how our Expy rides, I would say the struts are some stiffer truck style ones now because when towing our camper, I did not notice any extra bounce at all. It rides pretty stiff.
I would like to hear people experiences with the front and rear suspension. I am thinking that I probably need at least front ball joints. I have replaced ball joints may times, so no big deal there.
However, I have never owned a 4 wheel drive with independent rear suspension before. I have always owned solid rear axle vehicles. The rear suspension looks really busy with a bunch of control arms. So here are some questions I have.
1. Could the rear suspension being worn cause this pull to the right when braking? I would tend to think look at the front first, but I wanted to ask just in case.
2. What parts tend to wear on the rear suspension other than the strut and brakes?
3. With all these control arm links, is it common for some or all of them to wear, or do they tend to last the life of the vehicle? I have seen some vehicles that wear suspension and some that last almost forever depending on design.
