The little shock absorber in the middle of the axel..?

[storlied]

Can someone describe this sway? I still have my shock in the back of my truck..[removed] I didn't notice anything.. I wonder if I could sell it.. it's just sitting in the storage cubby hole thing..

Also; On another note.. Man.. I just had to dodge a moose doing 70... Ugh.. I have such a rush going on.. but I can say this Explorer with TT/Shackles and a 3" Bodylift did great. Stupid animals... damn thing just walked right out in front of me... should have seen the lady in the Jeep in the oncoming... oh man.. This will be moose #2 I've had to dodge at a high rate of speed. First time was during the winter though doing 60. I'm sure this would have been messy if I had to pull the same move I just did in the winter.

..Point being, these trucks can do pretty damn well with all the things we yank off of them.. I have no rear sway either. It was as smooth as butter, no tire noises.. no loss of traction at all and I didn't feel too tippy either.. not like I do sometimes when I'm off-road.

 

[Turdle]

. I wonder if I could sell it..
.

Not since it is probably worn out. That is why you didn't notice a difference.

 

[tobybul]

I think that is found only on 5.0L engines. Maybe because of higher torque, that would move the back end sideways?

Mine is a 4.0 6cyl sohc E and it has it. Curious how I would know if I need to replace it.

 

[SoNic67]

Just take it off (10 minute job) and push-pull by hand. If moves almost freely, or moves hard but doesn't rebound by itself under internal gas pressure, then is garbage.
The new one has gas under pressure inside and it needs some body weight to be compressed, and even then, it goes slowly down. Rebounds by itself slowly, in several seconds (due to internal pressure).

 

[mikepier]

Just take it off (10 minute job) and push-pull by hand. If moves almost freely, or moves hard but doesn't rebound by itself under internal gas pressure, then is garbage.
The new one has gas under pressure inside and it needs some body weight to be compressed, and even then, it goes slowly down. Rebounds by itself slowly, in several seconds (due to internal pressure).

That's how I tested mine. I just removed 1 bolt ( closest to the tire)and pushed and pulled on it. it still seemed fine, so I left it.

 

[JAMES209]

It's a horizontal gas filled shock. Therefore, you won't see a leak.

 

[Jstcruz]

I am finaly getting around to wanting to replace this turd, but cant find a source for it. I usually buy from advance auto - because of their customer service (in my area at least) and the awesome online discounts ) - but I cant find this specific part anywhere. Where and what part number or description did you guys find it under?

 

[gonenuke]

Try Amazon Damper Free shipping. This is the Monroe rear damper.

 

[Jstcruz]

Try Amazon Damper Free shipping. This is the Monroe rear damper.

Nice! Thanks for the link. Is $30 a regular price for those? Probably because its not a common part anymore

 

[gonenuke]

You can find them a little cheaper if you look around, but when you add shipping it almost always cost more. You could go with a Bilstein its only $99 but free shipping.

 

[alohamonte]

Without the 5th shock the rear end will have a tendancy to skip or hop through turns.

I bought my X used and one of the first things I did was replace the factory shocks. At the time, I removed the 5th shock partially because of what I had read on this site that it was a waste and didnt do anything.

Boy that was bad advice. Even with 100k+ miles on that little guy, taking turns without it was terrible. I didnt like it at all. Replaced it right away with the Monroe brand part. Well worth it.

 

[Jstcruz]

You can find them a little cheaper if you look around, but when you add shipping it almost always cost more. You could go with a Bilstein its only $99 but free shipping.

$30 isnt that bad lol

 

[bobflood]

+1 on everyone's advice to replace the "5th" shock. Monroe part is a SC2958; I paid $27.79 including shipping on Amazon in August 2010.

 

[FIND]

It will handle better and drive a lot smoother if it is replaced.

Some have removed theirs, but unless you need to for a lift I would install a new one.

Superlift even has a lifted version in their kit BTW---Why would they do this if it was not needed??

Check our forum vendors first for best pricing--


MONROE Part # SC2958

I was just looking for that part number. Mine is missing, and my lift aint big enough to need it gone.