jeep58

I have the rear shocks in my jeep that i think are original, they have the chrysler sign on them they are black. The jeep have 155k on it, there is a clunking noise coming from the right rear side. I disconnect the top of the shock and pulled it down it has resistance, it does not retract up by itself you have to pull the shock up they are gas shocks. does this sound like time to replace them? I can get rancho RS 5000 for about $90.00 for the pair on a special order thru the internet! I just want to be sure that they are bad, I do not see any leaks from them either!

Cleman Simpson

If those are the original shocks with 155K on them you can pretty well bet they are worn out.

jeep58

That's just it I do not know if they are original.

jeep58

What is the thought on rancho shocks good bad ?

blueseasons

Everybody here really like Bilstein shocks. I am not a hardcore off road type guy. I bought these "Monroe Reflex Monotube Shock Absorber". And they seem to be fine for what I need. I have that 3/4" factory lift so this exact shock may not be what you need. I can't see overspending on shocks. But that's just me. I have Rancho shocks on my full size Chevrolet and they seem fine.

Jeepin'_Aint_EZ

Shocks do not generally clunk unless the bushings are worn. When the shock is worn out, you'll have a very bouncy ride. Rule of thumb is when you push down on the front or rear of the vehicle, if it bounces up and down 3 times, that the shocks should be replaced. If you can bounce it like a basketball, they're definitely shot. Rancho makes a good quality shock but if you just need a replacement shock, throw some monroes on and send it unless you want to spend extra money for your shock to say rancho.

jeep58

Ok so I went down to pick them up and notice that the shocks have the same resistance as the old one so I am holding off, If I take the wheel off and put a pipe under the wheel moving up and down there is definitely a clunk type of noise coming from that side, will take shock out tomorrow and check it out had the top out it looked good, How to you tell if bushing is worn just by appearance ? Been a while since I messed with shocks!

blueseasons

When my stock shocks were replaced around 140,000, there was space between the bushing and the body. On the fronts, I could literally grab the shock and move it around as the bushing no longer held the shock tight in the wheel well. They were flat, dried up, worn out. I got the clunk in the front when I went over bumps and train tracks. It wasn't until after I removed them, I could REALLY tell how less "shockey" they were. My shocks were shot at 140,000K. Yours must be. Like myself and the other guy said . Get your self some Monroes. I got mine off AMAZON, free shipping and your problem will be solved. Monroe and Rancho are both owned by the same company. Not saying they are the same shocks with different labels, but why would a company compete with itself? Hot Tip: The new shocks will come compressed. Don't take off the nylon straps that holds them compressed until you have the bottoms bolted in place and the tops lined up with where they are attached on the vehicle. If you don't ,It will only be then when you will find out how worn your old shocks were. I only say this because you stated it has been a long time , since you messed with shocks.

jeep58

Thanks for the information I ordered Monroe Sensa Trac Load Adjusting Shocks, they have a spring on the shock I do pull a boat to launch in the summer time so I figured may as well change them out!

Charlie Foxtrot

Replace the shocks. Do yourself a favor & replace all 4. Use gas shocks, they are way better than non-gas. Monroe (Tenneco - same company makes Walker exhaust, Rancho shox, Clevite bearings, etc) makes good shocks, ditto for Gabriel. Bilstiens, KYB, Delco, Sachs, and a bunch of other companies all make good shocks. Shocks are like brakes, mufflers, tires and wipers - they all wear out. The shock makers used to recommend replacement every 20-30k miles, or when ever they fail the bounce test. BTW if a shock lets you cycle more than once, its worn out. If the car is a DD you can get a good set of 4 on-line for $100-150. You could spend lots more, but why? They aren't going to last significantly longer. Its a different story if you are off roading or racing. Then the extra $$ are justified. BTW when I was young and spinning wrenches in a high volume shop I worked for a boss that really pushed shocks. He'd offer money back replacement for the first week on new shocks if the buyer didn't like the improvement. I worked for him for five years & he only had one come back. (We did private label Monroes & Gabriels real cheap.) He was a good guy, a man of his word, and ran an honest shop. He claimed that he had been doing that for more than 25 years before he retired, and only had a handful of refunds. Buy the shocks, do a good install & you'll wonder why you waited so long.

dave1123

In my opinion, you can't get a better shock for the money than Monroe. I've used them all my driving life and never had a problem with them. I even used Monroe "500" (not made anymore) on my 67 Camaro when drag racing it.

My 2000 WJ had the original factory shocks on it at 125K miles and the upper rod covers were rusted so bad they were gone for the most part, but they passed the bounce test. There is a pavement crack on the highway near me that is in a turn and if I hit it at 70 mph, the rear end would skip sideway! Very scary! I put 4 Monroe Sensetracs on it and I now have a hard time finding that crack. It now has 209K on it.

CrisostamoSH90

How did that upper shock bolt look? A problem with the WJ is the upper shock bolt wears away and creates a shoulder on the bolt. When I replaced my shocks i replaced all four bolts. I have attached an image from google of what the shoulder looks like. You can see the the original diameter of the bolt and where it steps down due to wearing.

dave1123

^^This^^ is a good point! That's a grade 8 truss head bolt (truss head meaning it's made with a large shoulder on the head) You probably won't find them at a hardware store, but you can at an industrial or farm supply house. Even a large heavy washer will work. The unthreaded portion on the end is just a pilot to help you find the nut hole.

jeep58

Thanks The upper bolt and hole in shock looked fine, When I used the pry bar under the wheel ( with wheel off ) I can hear a noise coming from what sounds like the shock, fronts where changed when it was purchased. I am going to buy the Monroe shocks one with the spring for the rears, I do trailer a boat 20 ft Bayliner with outboard maybe 1 mile on weekends!

Charlie Foxtrot

X2 on Crisotamo's tip & Dave's observations. If you have trouble finding a duplicate bolt, try McMaster-Carr. They ship/deliver.