Jeep Cherokee 1984-2001: How to Replace Front and Rear Shock Absorbers

This article will show you how to replace the shock absorbers and get you riding smoothly down the road again with the help of some fresh, new shocks.

By Brett Foote - September 21, 2015

This article applies to the Jeep Cherokee XJ (1984-2001).

Worn or damaged shocks not only make a lot of noise and result in a very uncomfortable ride, they can also be very dangerous. As shocks wear out, they also diminish your ability to stop, turn corners, and accelerate. This can lead to the damaging of other suspension components, and uneven or excessive wear on your tires. It's best to replace shocks before they get to this point, both to keep you safe and save you some serious money. Keep reading and we'll walk you through the process of replacing all four shocks on your Jeep Cherokee.

Materials Needed

Floor jack
Jack stands
Ratchet
Assorted socket sizes
Vice grips (optional)

Step 1 – Prepare to remove old shocks

Lift the truck up with a floor jack and place it on jack stands. Remove the wheels and tires. While shocks can technically be removed without removing the wheels and tires, doing so makes it a lot easier to complete.

Figure 1. Removing the wheels and tires gives you much more room to work with.

Step 2 – Replace the front shocks

Using a ratchet and socket, remove the lower shock bolts. Open the hood and locate the top shock bolt. Remove the nut on the bolt. If the bolt starts turning when you are trying to remove the nut, you can use a pair of vice grips to hold it in place while you wrench the nut free. Remove the washer and rubber grommet on top of the shock underneath the nut. Move back underneath the wheel well and pull the shock out. Slide the new shocks in place and reinstall the bottom bolts, upper rubber grommets, washers, and bolts.

Figure 2. Remove the lower shock bolts.
Figure 3. Remove the upper shock bolts.
Figure 4. Install the new shocks.

Step 3 – Replace rear shocks

Remove the rear shock bolt and pull the shock straight back to remove it from the rear mount. If your Jeep has rear bar pins, you will need to remove the two bolts from the bar pins and remove them first. Remove the top shock bolt and pull the old shock out. Set the new rear shocks in place and reinstall the top bolt, bar pin, bar pin bolts, and bottom bolt.

Figure 5. Remove the bottom shock bolt.
Figure 6. Remove the two rear bar pin bolts and the upper shock bolt.
Figure 7. Install the new shock in the bar pin bolt, then reinstall the bar pin bolts and lower shock bolt.