Carli level came today - "cleanup" questions

RyanD

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Folks,

I bit the bullet and ordered the Carli level kit minus shocks - it showed up today:

  • 2.5" springs
  • track bar
  • alignment cams
  • resi mounts

Having watched endless YouTube vids of lesser men haphazardly install spacers, clean shops doing pristine installs without breaking a sweat, and sitting through hours of heavy-metal intros, I feel like I can do this myself. However, in the interest of being fully prepared, I have a few questions I hope someone can answer.

TRACK BAR - this one is giving me the most heartburn. I have settled on installing it with tires/springs in, but for people who have done it, what size pickle fork did you use to break the passenger side loose? I have a 15/16" opening I used for my stabilizer, but am happy to buy the right size. As for full torque specs, I plan on laying on it as hard as I can, and asking the shop I trust to align it/torque it down. Likely 6-7 miles on less than Thor torque. Also - any other tips to get the old one out/install the new one will be met with great appreciation.

ALIGNMENT CAMS - same question - what size forks will help these monsters out? It's a bit difficult to get in there with the wheels on/cams bolted down to figure it out.

I've seen lots of back and forth as to whether the cams/track bar are necessary, but would like to do them for peace of mind that its done once and right.

And, if you're in the San Antonio area and want to lend a hand, I will supply all the beer and BBQ you can consume. PM me.
 

RyanD

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Not sure how this got into the "Bunker" - Mods, can you move to the Suspension forum? Thank you!
 

sootie

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Why did you order it without shocks? They are the best part!
 

JRLott

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He did order resi mounts. Might have bought them separately.

I'm not far North, but probably not gonna be able to escape with the brides blessing or without her wrath for a day. Hope it's easy for you.
 

RyanD

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Sorry about the delay - I am going to order shocks separately!
 

RyanD

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UPDATE:

I ended up taking it over to Truck Source here in town and they did the kit with alignment for me for a great price. Got it back today and love it. However, I am now chasing a left pull. Here is what I am experiencing:

- At speed, if I let the wheel go, it will somewhat aggressively wander left. It was doing this after I installed the Fox stabilizer, so I can't blame the lift completely
- Aside from the pull, the truck feels "lazy" when turning left...the steering wheel does not want to correct back to straight as quickly as when I turn right. It sort of stays left and meanders back, whereas when I turn right it wants to snap back straight. This is new.
-After doing some research, I went out and inspected the tie rod ends. They look OK, no tears, fairly clean (truck has 76K miles)
-steering has some play in it, but not a whole lot

my setup now are 295/65/20 Terra Grappler G2, Fox stabilizer in factory location, and Carli coils/trackbar up front. Any ideas on where to start diagnosing would be appreciated.
 

6.0 Tech

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If it happened after putting the fox stabilizer on, pull it off and see if its fixed. It may have the wrong valving in it or something. If i remember right, left is extended on the stabilizer, correct?
 

Jomax

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I'll have to look under my truck I have the fox stabilizer as well, and the truck drives straight as an arrow.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

sootie

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My fox stabilizer die the same thing. Put the stock one back and see if the problem goes away
 

RyanD

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When I look under the truck, the stabilizer is extended left (or to the right if I'm in the driver's seat).

My stock one was so trashed that i threw it away. I ordered an OEM replacement which I should have tomorrow and will report back.

Wonder what the difference between ours and Jomax's is? Odd.
 

Jomax

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I got mine from 4 wheel parts. My stocker went out and they were the only ones that had it in stock.


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RyanD

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Probably a shot in the dark, but I bought mine through an Amazon seller (fulfilled by Amazon) because of free Prime shipping - do you know the part number you got? Mine was 985-24-001 which looked like the only one for our trucks.
 

RyanD

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Quick update - I called Fox and was told the pressure should be 50-60PSI. Mine was 73. I bled too much out of it and now it won't hold air at all. I drove it today without any charge and the problem was solved. I'm still going to pull it off and see where it may be leaking. Even with no pressure, it performs better than stock (and tracks straight).

On another note, I LOVE THE CARLI. Even with the mild bump in height, it feels more stable and responsive than stock, and this is on garbage Bilstein stock replacements. My penny jar is now filling up for the shocks.
 

Zmann

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that stabilizer will still perform without a nitrogen charge but the charge is to keep the dampening oil from foaming so what you may experience is some
degradation in performance

i can only imagine you damaged the Shrader by letting the PSI out?
start with a soap test
there if you ultimately fix it don't run regular air in the system a motorcycle or good offroad shop can probably get you a nitrogen recharged

i don't like one charged stabalizer in a system dual opposing are better imo
 

RyanD

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Yep - I threaded the schraeder valve with teflon tape and it's holding regular air at 35PSI.

Honestly, I may ditch it for a modest dual setup at some point. I'm just happy I figured the issue out. Truck rides like a damn dream, so I can't wait for real shocks.
 

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