1995/1996 4.0 Splash 4x2 rides rough
 

Hey guys,

I hope everyone is well and staying safe. My truck has been feeling quite rough lately with the ride quality. Iv'e changed and the shocks (Belltech) and also the front coil springs (factory) as the old set were worn out I think and that was over a year ago which made a big difference in the front end. But lately its been quite rough and shaky and feels loose, could it be the body mounts? Cab mounts? Would bad radius arm bushings cause this? These are all original so I was thinking of changing all of these if possible and wondered if anyone could offer some good brands and advice.

Thanks

What tire pressure are you running?
tires absorb the small bumps unless they are over-inflated

Throw some weight in the bed just to see if ride improves, and have a look at the leaf spring hangers, they like to rust out on all pickup trucks, not a Ford thing, lol

Hey RonD,

tire pressures are good (34psi) and I put 750LBS of horse feed in the bed and it did feel a bit smoother which I think that amount of weight would do. The leaf spring hangers are still good and I don't have to worry about salty roads here. It still felt loose and when turning I feel a clunking under my feet on the floor board. When the truck rocks side to side it feels like the mounts are letting go or giving out but they are there as I looked.

Thanks RonD

Could you post a picture of the leaf springs? I'm in a similar situation like you, I would like to compare (Also a Splash).

The clunky sound under your feet is most probably a bad control arm bushing.

Hi Anko, the leaf springs are lowered leaf spring by Belltech suspension and look just like the factory ones. What particular part do you want a pic of?

Upon further inspection I found that the body mount on the drivers side front under my feet was very loose and could not tighten because the bolt threads were a bit rusty. So I removed it, cleaned the threads and applied some grease to it and it went back on and tightened good. It's a bit less noisy now but but still feels a little clunky so I think the radius arm bushings are worn as well so will look into them.

There are 2 more mounts to the front of the truck close to the fog light connections that are apparently gone because I can only see the location and a couple pieces of what looks like rubber mounts. I will take a pic of the area later and post but in the meantime does anyone know if the mount kits out there are the correct fit for these pickups and are they complete?

Hi RangerSP

About the rubber body mount, I hope this can help:


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.ran...c526367ce8.jpg


About the leaf springs, I want to know if mine are normal because I find them a little flat. I know that the Splash trim come with lowered suspension (1 inch in rear, 2 inches in front for 2WD versions), but just want to make sure. Pictures are with the truck unloaded.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.ran...f3f30e0cb1.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.ran...5ba4f5a0c7.jpg




Thanks.