MOT Question - rear shock absorbers

[lightningad]

Have you looked inside the load area under carpet on the wheel arch?

not yet - but i shall now.

I was only asking in case anyone knew the definitive answer before i started pulling the interior out!

thanks

[CaptainBeaky]

It's all done by feel I'm afraid.

Sorry, are you talking about shocks now, or Eunice Huthart?

[BUSHWHACKER]

Ummmm, both I suppose!

[lightningad]

Ok - Bushwhacker, you were right....i got under and had a feel around and i can see how its done now (and before anyone else thinks they are funny - i'm not refering to Eunice!!). Thanks.

I did have a look under the carpets and there is no way of getting to the bolt from inside - although i did find a couple of plugs which open into the middle of the coils - bit pointless as the one bolt that could benefit from the hole is elsewhere!

Last question (i hope) - do i need to use the spring compressors when doing the rear shocks, as the springs are not actually linked to the shocks? I think the springs might help uncompressed here but i might be wrong!

[Gizmo]

Ok - Bushwhacker, you were right....i got under and had a feel around and i can see how its done now (and before anyone else thinks they are funny - i'm not refering to Eunice!!). Thanks.

I did have a look under the carpets and there is no way of getting to the bolt from inside - although i did find a couple of plugs which open into the middle of the coils - bit pointless as the one bolt that could benefit from the hole is elsewhere!

Last question (i hope) - do i need to use the spring compressors when doing the rear shocks, as the springs are not actually linked to the shocks? I think the springs might help uncompressed here but i might be wrong!

Leave the springs alone..your changing the shocks not the springs....just make sure you have sufficient support to assist.

[CaptainBeaky]

before anyone else thinks they are funny - i'm not refering to Eunice!!

SOH failure? Check your sig, Adam

[lightningad]

au contrare - i'm all for silly, but tedious and no funny in the first place bores me senseless. especially when it's clogging up a serious thread!

[CaptainBeaky]

Well, paint me pink and call me Mary - I shall consider myself properly put in my place...

[Morr]

One thing to watch out for depending on how you tackle the job.
If you support the rear of the vehicle on stands and disconnect both dampers at the same time, the axle can drop enough to strain the flexible brake line. There should be no need to have the surf too high off the ground as its only for your own access, but its no harm to keep an eye on the line.

Have a strap wrench or similar to hand as its about the only way to hold the old damper steady whilst undoing the top nut.
Depending on what brand your new dampers are you may need to reuse some of the old upper bushings, e.g. procomps have a very short threaded portion which makes it nigh on impossible to use the supplied new bushings, in that case using part new and part old does the trick.
Check your lower mounting bolts, not sure if its common, but on mine the spring washers had collapsed so completely I thought they were plain ones. I only discovered this after I lost one some days later!

[lightningad]

i was going to do it one side at a time, Morr. Is there a recommended order ie. top bolt before lower?, and would you use spring compressers? and would you support the axle or the chassis?

[CaptainBeaky]

Have a strap wrench or similar to hand as its about the only way to hold the old damper steady whilst undoing the top nut.

If you're not keeping the old dampers 'just in case', then a pipe wrench does a similar job and will allow more torque on the top nut if it is stiff.

[OK, Chillit, I have left a space to insert your own innuendo]

DISCLAIMER - I have done this on another vehicle, but not on a Surf.

If you do one side at a time and support the axle on a jack, you can drop it slowly, and just far enough to extract the old damper, then ease the new one into position by lifting the axle with the jack. If you can do it without the chassis up on stands, you could just jack the chassis off the shock, and lower it back down to install the new one.
Also, if you push the damper rod into the damper body, install the damper lower end and lower the truck chassis towards the shock, you can do the final insertion of the top end of the damper rod by extending the damper rod into place by hand. (Did that make sense?)

[Morr]

i was going to do it one side at a time, Morr. Is there a recommended order ie. top bolt before lower?, and would you use spring compressers? and would you support the axle or the chassis?

No need for spring compressors, you won't be touching the springs. Lift the Surf high enough for you to work comfortably underneath, with the weight of the vehicle firmly secured on axle stands. Its generally more stable to place the axle stands under the chassis rails rather than the axle, but either way should work. Do one side at a time, best to undo the top nut first as if the lower one is done first the whole damper will be inclined to move making an already difficult top nut even worse to tackle.

If your wheels are lifted clear of the ground, and the axle hanging free, its lower position is determined by the dampers (and anti-roll bar to a degree), hence the possible strain on the brake line if both sides are let go. You may need to use a jack to lift the side of the axle slightly when refitting the damper.
I found it easier to refit the top end first as it allowed me to temporarily angle the unit away from its normal orientation to improve (marginally) the access my fingers could gain in fitting the initial threads on the top nut.

[lightningad]

i see what you mean - support chassis on stands and use a jack to provide adjustable support to the axle....good idea.

Morr...do you mean use the strap wrench to stop the body of the shock rotating with the nut?


thanks for the suggestions chaps.

[Morr]

.....do you mean use the strap wrench to stop the body of the shock rotating with the nut?....

Spot on

[lightningad]

if i seem to ask too many questions its just because when i did the front, it took me three hours of struggling to get the bottom bolt fitted. I have since read a manual that explained how to fit them and it seems so easy when you know how!! I'm just trying to make sure i know how first this time.