Spring sag

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31 Oct 2012 19:15 #1 by dandjcr
dandjcr created the topic: Spring sag
Forum Home > OKA Maintenance > Spring sag

Cando
Member
Posts: 199
does any one know if there is a left and right spring side to the springs packs? Ours has new front and rear fitted. has empty cab and no tray. but sagging 50mm on drivers side.
any ideas....??
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Happy trails

Cando and Bron XLT 112



July 29, 2011 at 6:41 PM Flag Quote & Reply

Dandj
Member
Posts: 367
I don't think there is a LH/RH spring pack officially but some spring makers might provide stronger drivers side springs.
Unladen as it is, your Oka will be supported only on the top 3 or 4 leaves which would be sensitive to any weight imbalance. When more heavily laden it might even out as the lower leaves come into play.
Since the springs are new, I would wait until you can check it with a full load on before doing any spring mods.
Check that the front pins on the rear springs are both set to the same pivot point (T or F).
You could swap LH/RH springs but this might transfer the problem to the other side.
Other than airbags to level the vehicle, you could have an extra leaf put in the weaker spring(s) or have them reset to compensate.
Regards,
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David and Janet Ribbans, Oka 148

July 30, 2011 at 12:36 AM Flag Quote & Reply

Aussie Bight Expeditions
Member
Posts: 109
Cand,
Depending whom you bought the brand new springs off, they could be marked with a + or - sign. I had a mate who sold them and did resets in WA years ago and he labelled them for left and right side for weight and also the camber of the road. The OKA in bus mode has allot more weight on the right hand side due to the placement of the seats, and also on the LT the transfer case sits to that side as well, not a problem with your XT though.
I would not of thought that with everything off it as you have, that it would not sit square to the ground, but do you have the motor in as that might change things, as Dandji suggests. The weight on the back might not and since by your photos have the means to put a pallet and some weight on the back that is what I would do and see what happens.
One thing I have found with my air bags set up is that I measure to the wheel arch flare and to the bottom of the wheel rim on the curve. This eliminates the difference to the ground from tyre pressure and is an easy way to do it. Something I have found when adjusting the air pressue in the bags is that one can alter the spring settings on the front quite dramatically by having the wrong pressure in the back. Say you have too much in the back right it will push down the front left. Although that coud not be your problem, no air bags.
Good luck and rebuild, looks good so far, but I bet you have put in allot of hours so far but the result will be rewarding.
ABE TONY
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July 30, 2011 at 8:02 AM Flag Quote & Reply

Cando
Member
Posts: 199
G ' Day Aussie Blight,
the motor is in. the real weight missing is the rear tray and the internal fit out of the cab., mayby another 100KG max once cab fitted out and the tray . what egver that weighs. just cant see y it'd lean 50mm unless something is wrong.
Are Airbags worth having?
RE hours spent so far... you betya. its now 630 pm , got here at 630 am and still havnt completed the tunel upgrade. will complete the sheet metal fab tomorrow... yeha. Rewarding, it sure will be when its all done.
thanks for the info
--
Happy trails

Cando and Bron XLT 112



July 30, 2011 at 6:34 PM Flag Quote & Reply

Aussie Bight Expeditions
Member
Posts: 109
Hi Cando, There is somewhere ib here a discussion on air bags.
I own 2 OKA's with them on, run one without for 12 months and there is no comparison. The air bags win hands down in ride and also the main fact that one can level the weight up, so that the OKA sits as it was designed, you can not do that with just springs.
I bought mine from Darren Visser in Melbourne and he was making good kits for them and does all the different types that are required for the different set ups on the OKA's. He owns a few OKA's, Paul Knott knows him very well. Phone number 049522225 and he does what I think is the easiest and quickest conversion that I have seen. Price? phone and see, as I can not honestly remember, too many years ago and mine are still fine never touched.
Regards TONY
Aussie Bight Expeditions
Web www.aussiebight.com
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July 31, 2011 at 7:00 AM Flag Quote & Reply

Dandj
Member
Posts: 367
Cando, Darren Visser still has airbag systems mentioned on his home page (VIN 273) so he's worth a call.
I developed my own airbag system (see this forum entry) and wrote it up on our blog here.
Regards,
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David and Janet Ribbans, Oka 148

July 31, 2011 at 9:30 AM Flag Quote & Reply

len&rina
Member
Posts: 38
Hi Cando,
After the problem with my new rear springs,and my inability to resolve the problem with either Oka or the spring mob,Im not surprised you have a problem.I believe you have NT springs too.The permissable weight loaded should not even notice your unloaded weight.
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August 11, 2011 at 3:45 PM Flag Quote & Reply

Cando
Member
Posts: 199 Thanks for all the input, not sure what to do yet. The from shocks don't even go due to the fact the springs sit the cab too high. If I was to fit air bags I'm not aue if rhis This will help with this issue
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Happy trails

Cando and Bron XLT 112



August 13, 2011 at 12:20 AM Flag Quote & Reply

David Hallandal
Member
Posts: 133
Airbags are the only way to go, have them on all 4 corners and wouldn't be without them
David
August 13, 2011 at 6:56 AM Flag Quote & Reply

Tony Lee
Member
Posts: 539
Might pay to wait until your conversion is finished because just about anything you put on behind the cab is going to add weight to the frontas well as the back
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Tony

picasaweb.google.com/114611728110254134379

August 13, 2011 at 7:25 AM Flag Quote & Reply

frank
Member
Posts: 59
Considering putting new springs on #164.
Is there any fitting issue with putting NT springs on an XT?
thanks
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Frank & Christine Thomas

June 4, 2012 at 9:24 PM Flag Quote & Reply

T & D Morris
Member
Posts: 29
Cando at July 29, 2011 at 6:41 PM
does any one know if there is a left and right spring side to the springs packs? Ours has new front and rear fitted. has empty cab and no tray. but sagging 50mm on drivers side.
any ideas....??
Hi
OKA told me when they ran their sales and repair workshop in Welshpool that OKA'S are 40mm low on the driver’s side rear.
The bare chassis that you see in their brochures used to be in their show room and it was 40mm low.
I asked OKA to beef up our XT ready for the change from multi cab to pop top camper body.
They fitted an additional 3rd leaf to both rear springs to take the extra weight.
By fitting one extra 3rd leaf you only needed to change the centre bolts
This raised the rear 10mm and levelled it a bit and stopped it sagging anymore.
I was told to fix it completely I would have to get the right rear reset but I was worried that it would affect the steering by pushing the front left down.
Maybe someone has had the right rear reset and it drive ok?
Terry


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June 4, 2012 at 10:15 PM Flag Quote & Reply

Dandj
Member
Posts: 367
Terry, I've made numerous changes to our rear springs, from old sagging springs, to new springs with additional leaves and subsequently airbags, and I've never noticed any adverse affect on the steering.
A good mod is to replace the original 16mm suspension pins with 20mm pins (or the NT pins) and urethane bushes. It reduces the chances of a pin breakage and provides improved stability.
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David and Janet Ribbans, Oka 148

June 5, 2012 at 7:58 AM Flag Quote & Reply

Peter & Sandra James Oka 374
Member
Posts: 412
374 has always sat down on the RH front even when stripped, roof cut out etc prior to starting the camper conversion. It also has a 20mm spacer between the RHR spring and diff perch so it would be even worse without it.
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Oka 374 LT Van

June 5, 2012 at 8:02 AM Flag Quote & Reply

Dean & Kaye Howells
Member
Posts: 79
When we bought #413 the springs were totally s(h)agged. I replaced all of the 'erkot' spring bushes with steel/brass bushes from Paul Nott and most of the shackle pins and high tensile washers etc as well.
I removed the springs and took them to Moorabbin Springs who retensioned them to original +10mm free camber (to allow for sag). The original springs were 8mm thick and I had two additional front main leaves made to the same spec but 10mm thick.
When I re installed the spring packs, even with the factory fitted 10mm spacer on the drivers side, the vehicle sat way too high and was down on the drivers side. The majority of the too high problem was due to the fact that I'd let the Oka down gently from the stands which didn't allow the springs to 'take up'. I jacked it up again and 'dropped' it quickly which allowed the springs to flex and this made quite a difference.
#413 was still down on the drivers side even with the factory spacer installed. I replaced the passenger side main leaf with the original re tensioned 8mm main leaf and all became good. (The rear springs must be even for this to happen as if they're uneven it affects the front.)
So the short story for me is 2mm thicker main leaf on the drivers side is perfect. #413 has a NT transfer case which is monstorous and is biassed to the drivers side so it is heavier on the drivers side than other LT's.
I think this is an easy fix for RHS sag and if the drivers side is a little high you can always remove the 10mm spacer to help.:)

Deano
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June 5, 2012 at 5:18 PM

David and Janet Ribbans - Oka 148
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