I don't recall seeing a rear shock replacement thread for the annoying rear shocks up to 2002, so feel free to direct me elsewhere if the topic has already been covered comprehensively. Otherwise, it seemed like a good idea to compile people's experiences in one convenient place. I haven't actually done mine yet, so at this point I'm interested in seeing tips and options.
I've casually looked at mine over the years and contemplated what I've read in various places, but looking at them more closely suggests it ain't gonna be anywhere near as easy as some have made it sound. I could be wrong, but here's what I'm dealing with on the passenger side of my 2000 MGM:
(I neglected to get a shot of the driver's side at the time, but it's about the same except with no lines running beside it.)
It's hard for me to even imagine getting a wrench on the damn nuts (and having to deal with the oil spray doesn't help). But, it's been done by others. Here are a few YouTube videos:
Has anyone had any luck without destroying the old shocks? If the new shocks end up outlasting the car, I would want to put the old ones back in if it's possible to do a final trip for the drive-in rate at a junk yard.
Something I'm thinking of doing is asking the local Ford shop if they have any special tricks, or even whether they would put on aftermarket shocks if their shop time/price is reasonable.
As far as the need for rear shocks goes, I'd like to put if off as long as I can, but I'm pretty sure I'm due. I get more bounce out of the ass end than I would like (though it's not too bad), and I can see rust marks on the air springs where they've been contacting the axle tubes. Are the rust marks a definitive sign that the shocks are done?
And one last thing for now, for the metal part that the KYB rear shocks have in the bottom bushing, is there a convenient coating for it to prevent rust? I can just imagine the bare metal surface of that part inside the bushing developing a rust coat that ends up acting like sandpaper against the bushing.
I've casually looked at mine over the years and contemplated what I've read in various places, but looking at them more closely suggests it ain't gonna be anywhere near as easy as some have made it sound. I could be wrong, but here's what I'm dealing with on the passenger side of my 2000 MGM:
(I neglected to get a shot of the driver's side at the time, but it's about the same except with no lines running beside it.)
It's hard for me to even imagine getting a wrench on the damn nuts (and having to deal with the oil spray doesn't help). But, it's been done by others. Here are a few YouTube videos:
Has anyone had any luck without destroying the old shocks? If the new shocks end up outlasting the car, I would want to put the old ones back in if it's possible to do a final trip for the drive-in rate at a junk yard.
Something I'm thinking of doing is asking the local Ford shop if they have any special tricks, or even whether they would put on aftermarket shocks if their shop time/price is reasonable.
As far as the need for rear shocks goes, I'd like to put if off as long as I can, but I'm pretty sure I'm due. I get more bounce out of the ass end than I would like (though it's not too bad), and I can see rust marks on the air springs where they've been contacting the axle tubes. Are the rust marks a definitive sign that the shocks are done?
And one last thing for now, for the metal part that the KYB rear shocks have in the bottom bushing, is there a convenient coating for it to prevent rust? I can just imagine the bare metal surface of that part inside the bushing developing a rust coat that ends up acting like sandpaper against the bushing.
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