Front Shocks - How do you know?

[BTR]

2000 Explorer 4-Door 2WD 4.0 SOHC. 130,000 miles. Original front shock absorbers. How do I determine if my front shock absorbers are OK? I haven't done any off-road driving, the front end doesn't bounce up-and-down uncontrollably, and I don't feel anything that would lead me to believe the shocks are bad. How do I go about determining if they're OK (or not)?

Thanks for your help.

 

[German Engineer]

Aside from a visual inspection of the shocks (and other suspension components).
What I do is push the car down on the fender with my hands and body weight and see how it comes back up.
But that check can really only tell you anything when shocks are AWFULLY bad.
If you feel the car handles all fine and good, especially when going over bumps or when breaking hard, then the shocks should still be alright.
And if the car still handles really well when you're driving it quick on a bad uneven road or even on a dirt road, then you can be sure the schocks must be fine.

Here are two nice videos (pt1 and pt2) by the way that might be able to help give you a little bit of an impression, if possible at all in a video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVVgoB-BjXg
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx4UwV8Ex7s
(The video also continues with pt3 and 4 by the way.)
But then again, this video is not of an SUV or truck like the Explorer.
Naturally an SUV will not handle quite like a sedan, being heavier the center of gravity higher up and the suspension also set up with off road capabilities in mind and not just street handling. But if you can at all find helpful answers to your question just online, then this video in it's 2+ parts is probably a pretty good resource on what to look for.

Another general thing, when you check how the car handles with then intent of figuring out if your shocks are fine: Keep in mind that other components of the suspension of course also have their functions and effects on the vehicles handling.
For example the roll of a car will be affected negatively by bad shocks, but of course it could also (and even more so) be affected if old sway bar links failed.

And whenever you "check" the suspension while driving, please be critical and really expect a car to handle like it was all "new" and not just "somewhat okay" for a car that old.

 

[GroupExploder]

On my 99 4x4 XLT, my tenant rebuilt the front end for me--I bought off Ebay Detroit Axle package for $70+- bucks. While he had the front town down, we could see that one shock had leaked. I wondered around Pick a Part looking for minor parts (windows) I stumbled into a Mercury version with white KYB shocks. I think I paid $10 each.

Installed the difference is night and day.

 

[CDW6212R]

OEM shocks may last 100k miles, or 150k etc, but it's a good idea to replace shocks at say 100k or 5-10 years, any reasonable mark. Don't assume everything lasts forever, shocks can make a big difference in handling etc.

 

[J_C]

Around here roads are mostly twists, hills, and potholes. In winter, salted road slush gets on everything. I never get 100K out of shocks, more like 40K, maybe 75K on a lower riding car.

If you feel the ride is okay, and depending on which shocks you choose, new shocks will add control and to some extent, ride harshness over bumps.

IIRC the Monroe Sensa-Tracs had a position sensitive valve that had a huge amount of give for the first inch or two of travel so bumps were pretty soft but AFAIK they stopped making that series and I didn't much like losing the first inch of travel before they worked like shocks (due to twists and hills), but they would be a great choice for all highway driving.

 

[Mbrooks420]

I’m sure at 130k they are due.

 

[GLOCKer]

I'm pretty sure mine are shot. The ride is controllable, but ROUGH! I have replacements in my garage waiting for me to get the time to install them!