blefevre

Hello, I need some help with my Jeep. I didn't get too much time to search because I am way too busy and I need to make sure my Jeep will be fine for a long trip this week.

The front end bottoms out VERY easy. Going 30mph over slight dips in the road will make the front end bottom out. I've only had the jeep for a few months and really haven't driven it much. From my service records I am pretty sure it has newish monroe struts.

What could be causing this? Too long of bump stops? Crappy struts? I was going to take a closer look at the suspension tomorrow but I wanted opinions as soon as I could. I am taking it for a 2000 mile trip and wanted to see if I can fix this quick. What else could be causing this besides struts? Any obvious signs I can check?

I really appreciate the input, I hate posting things before I check it out myself but I need good input as I only have a few minutes to look at it tomorrow.

Thanks again!

xj20004x4

could be bad struts or coils or both.

fallenknight308

Struts?
you never said what kind of jeep it was. xj's don't utilize a coilover stock.
But those old worn out springs and shocks can get really bouncy
Behold the difference between stock, and rustys HD 3":

blefevre

Sorry it's a 2000 XJ Sport. Is there anything I can measure in the suspension to see if there is a lot of sagging?

muddeprived

Jump on your bumper once. If it stops bouncing on the first or 2nd bounce it's ok. If it keeps bouncing 3,4, or more times then you got problems with your shocks/coil springs.

Look inside the coil springs. There is a rubber bumstop hanging down from a tower. How much space is between the bumpstop and bottom plate at the bottom of the coil?

nick_n_ii

Sounds like you might have bad shocks to me..

Getting ready to fix the same issue on mine this weekend..

muddeprived

You got RC shocks? I dunno if mine will fit yours but i have some brand new bilstein shocks for sale in the for sale forum. extedded 28" compressed: 17.5". they are too long for my lift height. Might save ya some $$.

danimal

Wonder if they put the wrong shocks on it. If they're relatively new and Monroe so a pretty good piece usually. Maybe they're too short?

nick_n_ii

Wish I had known this.. mine got ordered on Friday..

muddeprived

FAIL! jk

Whatcha order?

blefevre

Well I decided to replace the shocks to see if thats the problem. I looked up the part number of the shocks that are on the Jeep and they are the lowest model of monroe, something like $20 each. I was able to get Rancho RS5000's locally and I will install them tonight. I really hope that they cheapo shocks are just blown and these rancho's are decent.

muddeprived

Expect a very stiff ride with those shocks. They are valved for a light truck, not jeeps so they will be rough. Just an FYI.....

blefevre

Well sure enough it was the cheapo shocks. The monroes had a different design to mount the bottom and had an adapter bracket on. When I compressed them side to side the monroes were at least 3 inches longer, pretty poor design.

As for the stiffness, all my other cars are BMW's, so it still feels very soft to me. I will be changing the rears out when I get back from my trip.

muddeprived

Oh so they were too long for your jeep? That makes sense. What kind of adapter bracket did it have on it?

blefevre

The part number says its the correct shock for my Jeep. They must just use a standard shock for other cars and provide the adapter for a Jeep.