Bus is lower on one side

[ozzmonaut]

Okay, so my bus sits about 1" lower on the passenger side. This is most obvious in the rear. Up front, it only sits maybe 1/2" lower. My rear axles are the same height off the ground, so it's not a flat tire, lol. I have been underneath looking for any obvious cause. Everything looks fine. There is more space between the rubber stop on one side, so something is definitely off. I'm guessing that the torsion plate is worn more on this side, relaxing it more than the driver side. However, my engine also sits much lower on this side. Since it is bolted correctly to the trans, I assumed that the trans would be twisted as well. The front trans mount looks good, and the trans actually looks pretty straight from underneath. Has anybody ran across these issues? Maybe at least point me in the right direction. I'll try to get a pic up soon.

[ozzmonaut]

I know it is difficult to tell just how tilted it is. But I laid a level on the floor and then across the rear gutter of the bus to make sure that it wasn't just the floor. The engine tilting is pretty obvious. It has been tilted since I've owned the bus, but not quite this bad.

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[busdaddy]

Have you ever replaced the rear torsion bushings and control arm bushings?
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[TDCTDI]

Check the engine mounts, on my bus, one of the mounts had separated & the mustache bar had lodged above the frame so that the engine sat 2” higher on one side.
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[ozzmonaut]

Everything looks good with the moustache bar. Torsion and control arm bushings sounds like a start on the bus tilting. I will take a look. As far as the engine tilt, I was replacing my exhaust and used a jack to lift the right side of the engine. It picks up a little, but not enough to straighten out in relation to the engine bay. All 4 bolts are in place holding the engine to the trans, so it really makes no sense.

[vwwestyman]

Seems to me that the leaning of the body, and the leaning of the engine, are two separate issues, barring something super crazy like all this being caused by an accident prior to your ownership. (Though it seems like an accident that would cause all this would have caused it to be written off.)

The engine should sit level in relation to the body. So for that, as others have said, I'd be looking for some issue with the carrier bar and/or motor mounts.

For the body lean, the torsion bar and/or the bushings are likely the issue.

It would really probably be a good idea to just order a whole set of bushings and check both sides at the same time. Once you wrap your head around the angle stuff, it isn't that difficult of a job. Just be reasonably careful when moving the spring plate off its stop.
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[ozzmonaut]

I have been planning to replace a lot of things in the rear end anyways. The rear is also a bit low, so I want to index the torsion to raise it a few inches. My hope is to do rear brake components, wheel bearings, and torsion adjustment all at once, so I would be replacing all bushings then.

[ozzmonaut]

Also, I notice a lot of squeaking from the right side rear, so it is likely the torsion bushing. Would that bushing actually contribute to that dramatic a difference due to sagging?

[CarlosZ]

Was the PO’s wife a fatty?

[busdaddy]