Rear shock exploded!

[mastacox]

What's long,black, and sprays oil everywhere when it decides it hates me?

That would be my passenger rear shock absorber:
http://pictures.strikeforceniner.com/wp-content/gallery/photobucket-pictures/ShockExploded1.JPG
http://pictures.strikeforceniner.com/wp-content/gallery/photobucket-pictures/ShockExploded2.JPG

I pulled into a pull off that is a slight incline from the road doing about 15mph, and I hear a loud CRUNCH :headscratch: I knew it couldn't have been a tire rubbing, so I look around a little, and see a ton of oil dripping from in and around my passenger rear wheel well... :confused: Didn't take long to figure out what the problem was.

So, time for new shocks in the rear. I'm open for suggestions, keep in mind I have a 3" spacer lift... I had Rancho RSX's on my '92 4Runner and loved them, I might look into those.

[MillerPKA]

I'll be the first to recommend the ome n86s, great performance for the price

[4x4mike]

Wow. Were those stock? I take it you were just "driving along".

I don't think people buy Ranchos any more. I'd get the new Bilstiens in an extended length.

[CJM]

Rancho adjustables like the 9x series :)or OME.

[Seanz0rz]

brian, that seems really strange... i would check the condition of your upper links especially. kinda seems like the axle rotated or something. ive never seen a shock do that under the situation you described.

[mastacox]

brian, that seems really strange... i would check the condition of your upper links especially. kinda seems like the axle rotated or something. ive never seen a shock do that under the situation you described.


I'll do that, I don't expect anything is wrong with the links though because I haven't felt anything "strange" driving around. It's possible if the shock had seized up it buckled at the middle and blew out. I'll investigate it a bit more when I pull it out.

I drove by the spot that the incident occurred, and there's a big spray of oil on the road in addition to a leaky trail to where I stopped. That's definitely where it happened.

[Robinhood4x4]

Well that's cool. :thumbup:

[mastacox]

Anyone have recommended compressed and extended lengths for this thing?

[Okie81]

Anyone have recommended compressed and extended lengths for this thing?

around 12-13" compressed and 20-21" extended should work

[mastacox]

around 12-13" compressed and 20-21" extended should work


That's basically what I was looking at, I was eyeing up a set of Rancho 9000XL's with 14.0" compressed / 23.375" extended length... I need to get under the 4Runner and measure some stuff.

[Okie81]

Cool. It's amazing how much oil is in those things.

[mastacox]

I'm trying these ones out, and if they don't work I'll return them:

http://static.summitracing.com/global/images/prod/large/ran-rs999040_w.jpg
Rancho RS9000XL Shocks- RS999040 (http://www.summitracing.com/parts/RAN-RS999040/?image=large)
Extended Length 23.375 in
Collapsed Length 14.000 in.
Body Diameter 2.750 in.
Application: 2000-2006 Tundra 4WD, 0-2" raised

I can get them from Amazon for $86.40 each, with free 2-day shipping.

[troyboy162]

let us know how they work. id be interested if you can crank them up with super slow rebound for the rocks

[Robinhood4x4]

I had the 9000s on my 4runner and liked them. You can definitely tell the difference between the hard and soft settings on the road. For the trail I never changed them because it's one more hassle to go through at the trail head.

[Crinale]

i kinda wanted to go rancho 9000s with my lift, but i couldnt afford them at the time, so i got some budget SkyJacker n8000's... and so far i am incredibly impressed with the $30/side shocks...

[mastacox]

Alrighty, so I got the 9000's installed and they are genius! Ride quality is good, and they fit with just a little modification to the lower bushing. I think I may have to drop the bump stops down a bit due to the longer compressed length, but I have to flex things out to tell for sure.

Got the broken shock out, it looks like something internal may have unthreaded.
http://pictures.strikeforceniner.com/wp-content/gallery/photobucket-pictures/IMG_7742.JPG

They look like the original shocks to me:
http://pictures.strikeforceniner.com/wp-content/gallery/photobucket-pictures/IMG_7736.JPG

It was impossible to undo the top nut, so I cranked the shock back and forth until the upper stud snapped off. It worked perfectly!
http://pictures.strikeforceniner.com/wp-content/gallery/photobucket-pictures/IMG_7748.JPG

Got the Ranchos, they are good looking shocks IMO:
http://pictures.strikeforceniner.com/wp-content/gallery/photobucket-pictures/IMG_7743.JPG

Definitely longer than stock:
http://pictures.strikeforceniner.com/wp-content/gallery/photobucket-pictures/IMG_7745.JPG

The shafts are a lot bigger than stock too. Beefy!
http://pictures.strikeforceniner.com/wp-content/gallery/photobucket-pictures/IMG_7746.JPG

The coveted adjuster:
http://pictures.strikeforceniner.com/wp-content/gallery/photobucket-pictures/IMG_7744.JPG

[mastacox]

The bushings are similar but not identical. Nothing a big drill bit and some washers can't fix:
http://pictures.strikeforceniner.com/wp-content/gallery/photobucket-pictures/IMG_7751.JPG
http://pictures.strikeforceniner.com/wp-content/gallery/photobucket-pictures/IMG_7753.JPG

Drilled the bushings out with a 3/4" drill bit, and got some washers from the local hardware store to space things properly:
http://pictures.strikeforceniner.com/wp-content/gallery/photobucket-pictures/IMG_7756.JPG
http://pictures.strikeforceniner.com/wp-content/gallery/photobucket-pictures/IMG_7755.JPG

Getting the shocks back in required some "custom clearancing" on the gas tank side, so I could get my hand in there. There basically wasn't any other way, glad I have a 1" body lift!
http://pictures.strikeforceniner.com/wp-content/gallery/photobucket-pictures/IMG_7760.JPG


Installed! I'll have a lot more droop, that's for sure.
http://pictures.strikeforceniner.com/wp-content/gallery/photobucket-pictures/IMG_7763.JPG

[YotaFun]

next time remove your spare, sooooo much easier to get to the rear shocks from the back....

The look good, can't wait to hear on there performance

[mastacox]

next time remove your spare, sooooo much easier to get to the rear shocks from the back....


I'm not really sure that would have helped on the gas tank (driver's) side... and the passenger side wasn't too bad to get to. There's just so much stuff in the way with the elocker harness being bolted nearby and some other random connections to the gas tank.

[Seanz0rz]

i just sit under the truck and reach up into the buckets over the rear axle. works well for me.

DANG those old shocks are rusted out!

[mastacox]

DANG those old shocks are rusted out!


Yeah, I'm pretty sure they're the factory originals which means they're 12 years old and have 150,000 miles on them. I thought my rear end was starting to porpoise a bit... :fishing:

[strykersd]

hhmm, if the stock shocks had a compressed length of 12"-13" and these have a 14" compressed length, sure the shock doesn't bottom out before the suspension? Looks good though!

[mastacox]

hhmm, if the stock shocks had a compressed length of 12"-13" and these have a 14" compressed length, sure the shock doesn't bottom out before the suspension? Looks good though!


I have a 3" spacer lift in the rear, which also spaces the bump stop in the coil 3" lower. So in theory, it won't bottom out but we will see when I flex out and take some measurements. I may have to space the "secondary" bump stop on the frame rail a bit lower as well...

[Okie81]

Those shocks look nice, good choice. When you drilled out the bottom bushing, did you put another metal sleeve in or are you just going to run the washers?

[mastacox]

Those shocks look nice, good choice. When you drilled out the bottom bushing, did you put another metal sleeve in or are you just going to run the washers?


I'm just running three 3/4" grade 8 washers to make up the difference in width between the stock shocks and this one. The metal sleeve isn't necessary because the lower mount on the axle acts as its own "sleeve," with a short bolt that holds the shock on.

[Obi..]

*Thanks for posting what you used, I just got done pricing everything out. The 9000Xl's vs. Bilstein vs. OME's.

Planning on doing anything with the fronts and stabilizer at all?

IIRC the OME's and Bilsteins are the same pricing, or close.

[mastacox]

I'm planning on getting a set of coilover's for the front in the future, since I have resigned myself to the fact that I will never be going long-travel on this thing unless I come into a large inheritance :loser:

I removed the front and rear swaybars a long time ago... is that what you mean by "stabilizer"?

[mastacox]

IIRC the OME's and Bilsteins are the same pricing, or close.


For what it's worth, I bought the pair of 9000XL's from Amazon.com for $86 each, and had free 2-day shipping through my Amazon Prime account.