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Small rear shock?

Heuster

Active Member
Joined
June 10, 2004
Messages
92
Reaction score
2
City, State
Phoenix, AZ
Year, Model & Trim Level
'97 5.0 AWD
I'm gonna sound like an idiot...but I have a small shock in the rear that is all rusted and bad. I don't know what it is called to replace it...and it's not the shocks :thumbsup:

Sorry - I'll get my X down soon or later :)
 



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I'm gonna sound like an idiot...but I have a small shock in the rear that is all rusted and bad. I don't know what it is called to replace it...and it's not the shocks :thumbsup:

Sorry - I'll get my X down soon or later :)


Its called an axle damper. Suppose to limit lateral movement. But there have been some discussions on this. Some people have removed it and noticed nothing different. Do a search and you can read more about it.
I have a 99 XLT, and still have my original axle damper on.
 






i took mine off a while ago as it limits articulation , and never noticed it was gone.

if it is rusty it probably doesn't work anyways, so leaving it off will not be a big deal, ,
 






fwiw, it's listed as a "steering stabilizer" in most shop catalogs.
 






i bought the monroe brand off amazon.com cause they had the best price going at the time, search "Monroe SC2958 Magnum Axle Shaft Damper". to me replacing it was a night and day difference.
 






i bought the monroe brand off amazon.com cause they had the best price going at the time, search "Monroe SC2958 Magnum Axle Shaft Damper". to me replacing it was a night and day difference.

I agree with everything stated here. The designers put it there for a reason; I bought my replacement from Amazon.
 






I agree with everything stated here. The designers put it there for a reason; I bought my replacement from Amazon.

the engineers put the "5th shock" and traction bars on because of random NVH (noise/vibration/harshness) issues on the 5.0.

Numerous people have removed the 5th shock and/or traction bars with no adverse affects.

Others have stated they did notice a positive difference when replacing a shot/blown 5th shock with a new one.

So, replacing it may or may not make a noticeable difference.
 






I still have the original on my 97 sohc...Every once in a blue moon I think about changing it...
 






I still have the original on my 97 sohc...Every once in a blue moon I think about changing it...

yeah. At one point I removed mine. Then put a new one on. Then replaced the rear axle with one from a 4.0, and didn't put it back on, nor the traction/anti-wrap bars. Then regeared my original axle and installed it, and put the shock and traction/anti-wrap bars back on.

I really haven't noticed any difference myself.
 






I had a vibration without it, but randomly not all the time. now with a new one the random vibration is gone....
 






I bought mine at the local NAPA. They were the only FLAPS in town that knew what I was talking about. The guys in Autozone and Advance just gave me a funny look when I said I had a "third shock" on my rear axle. Oh, and in my case, it made a difference.
 






First gens didnt come with this,just a big donut looking thing and i dont think ill be putting this on my new 99 rearend
 






What's the going rate for one of these? If they're cheap enough maybe I'll change it just for the hell of it, maybe it'll improve something. Or not.
 






IIRC, I paid around $30 for it.
 






What's the going rate for one of these? If they're cheap enough maybe I'll change it just for the hell of it, maybe it'll improve something. Or not.

$27.79 last August from Amazon. Monroe SC2958.
 



























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