My suspension sucks and need to shocks. Or at least I think I do. Its a pretty bumpy ride, progessively getting worse. Tires are in excellent condition. Could I do this myself in my driveway (change whatever it is that I need to)? Any suggestions what it might be if its not the shocks?
2006-06-22 09:14:27 · 5 answers · asked by volcmstar 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
If you have a truck, odds are you have shock absorbers, not struts, but the idea is the same.
Either way: To test your shocks, push down firmly on the front and rear bumpers one at a time, and wait to see how long it takes for your car to come back to ride height. If it bounces only 1-1.5 times, your shocks are probably fine. To make sure, crawl underneath your truck with a flashlight and visually inspect each shock. If the shock body (the tube part) is wet or heavily caked with grime, it's leaking and should be replaced.
If your shocks are fine, then you probably have a wheel balance issue; you can go to a tire dealership and ask them to check the balance on your wheels, and correct it if necessary. This should solve your problems.
As for the ease of changing the shocks out: you could, but not without a proper set of jackstands, a good floor jack (capable of supporting 1-1/2 to 2 tons), the proper tools and the strut change-out procedure.
In trucks, it's generally very simple to get to the shock absorbers. If you follow the procedure, you'll have no problems changing them out. I'd want someone helping me, though...just in case.
Your truck's alignment might be affected when you change the shocks out. Just to be sure, take it in for an alignment after you're done. Better to prevent tire and ride problems in the future.
2006-06-22 09:24:39 · answer #1 · answered by bracken46 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The shocks are on springs, the vehicle is lifted and a tool is used to pull the shocks out, and compress the springs.
Try your dealer, ask for shocks for weather, performance, or comfort, even gas saver.
Some are for street, highway, off-road.
2006-06-29 07:31:22 · answer #2 · answered by Neil 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1) Get a repair manual.
2) Make sure you get the correct tools / parts for the job before you start.
3) Shocks are not that hard to install. Just takes some patience.
***One suggestion though get the truck aligned afterwords
2006-06-22 09:27:18 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
its easy to do the shocks, but you may need to compress the springs on the shock itself :-(, you will need a spring compressor to do that
2006-06-22 09:18:29 · answer #4 · answered by drackoegutt 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yeah, if u have access to a lift
2006-06-29 04:40:32 · answer #5 · answered by racingirlsmokesem 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋