Leveling Kit Headache

bigben5054 · Nov 28, 2016

Hey all. I bought the 2.5" leveling kit from Rough Country for my 2014 1500 and tried to install it over the weekend. All went well until it came time to compress the coil spring and remove the top strut nut. The Rough County instructions in all caps and bold text warn not to use an impact gun on this nut. Well, without some sort of special fancy tool that I don't have, there was not a chance in h*ll that nut was coming off. So I Googled it and far and away the most information out there says use an impact. So I gave it a try - but it failed to work as well. I was careful to not just sit and spin the nut (and shaft) too much, but I probably did about 20 spins at a moderate speed. Finally I just gave up. Did a little reading and found that many leveling kits (like Hell Bent Steel) do not require the coil spring and strut to be taken apart - they just sit on top of the strut. Well, I ordered the HBS and will return the Rough Country. Meanwhile, I have to put the truck back together, which seemed to go fine. Everything nice and tight, and I made sure the coil spring ends were seated correctly. Problem is now I have a bit of new noise under that side. A bit clunkier, perhaps a rattle type noise. So give it to me straight - did I ruin the strut? Assuming the nut never moved on the shaft, did spinning loosen something internally or what might be going on here? Thanks in advance.

brandonjansen · Nov 28, 2016

Either something came loose or broke if you're having a clunking noise now.

You'd be far better off going with Bilstein 5100's rather than a spacer type leveling kit. Spacer levels often lead to issues with the upper ball joint popping out of the UCA as spacers allow the front suspension to overextend. Bilsteins keep suspension travel within OEM specs and give you a better ride quality than stock. You can read more about that in the Guide to Leveling linked in my signature.

Bilstein's do require the OEM strut to be taken apart as well so you'd be back in the same position. To get them apart, first spray penetrating oil on the threads and let it work it's way in for 10-15 minutes to free everything up. Then put the spring compressors on but don't take up all the tension in them. Leave some on the strut and then use the impact to loosen the top nut. That generally helps it come off easier.

Ricks Ram · Nov 28, 2016

brandonjansen said:
Either something came loose or broke if you're having a clunking noise now.

You'd be far better off going with Bilstein 5100's rather than a spacer type leveling kit. Spacer levels often lead to issues with the upper ball joint popping out of the UCA as spacers allow the front suspension to overextend. Bilsteins keep suspension travel within OEM specs and give you a better ride quality than spscers

What he said......Bilsteins are your best option. More money but worth in IMO.

Csanders1992 · Nov 28, 2016

What branden said. Leave some tension on the top cap with the spring. And use the impact like it's intended. The hammer action is what will get the nut off without spinning the shaft

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bigben5054 · Nov 29, 2016

Thanks all. Think I will go with the Bilsteins. Getting that top nut off wont be so bad if I'm not worried about messing up the OEM strut.

iam_canadian22 · Nov 29, 2016

Use a shallow socket and hold it with vice grips, that way you'll be able to hold the part of the shaft sticking up

quietpeen · Nov 29, 2016

you can also use an offset wrench on the nut, then a regular box wrench or even a socket on the shaft to get that nut off.

Leveling Kit Headache

bigben5054

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brandonjansen

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Ricks Ram

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Csanders1992

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bigben5054

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iam_canadian22

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quietpeen

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