Rear Suspension

249,500 miles and all I knew for sure about the rear shocks is that at one point they’d been replaced with KYB Gas-a-Just shocks. Well, that and they needed to be replaced. With the prices of OEM shocks being what they are, I opted to simply replace them with another set of KYBs.

The springs on the other hand, I had some insight. I knew they’d been replaced in 2002 due to a recall. Some basic math told me that was at about 76,000 miles. So after 19 years and 173,000 miles I figured they ought to be replaced as well. With no off-roading in my future and the prices of OEM springs also being sky high, I opted for a pair of AC/DELCOs.

RockAuto delivery from New York, apparently via the scenic route.

The shocks had already been here a week so with a surprisingly early delivery from FedEX, I decided to get to work. At 3pm with the temperature at 90 and rising I figured I could knock it out in a couple hours. What could go wrong?

I had a hell of a time getting the driver’s side shock unbolted in that cramped space but having the spare tire removed almost gave me enough room to work comfortably under there. The real heroes were the flex head ratchets and wrenches I’d bought the week before, just in case. The passenger side was no easier.

During the test drive things felt immediately better and I was feeling quite proud of myself. At least until I started to hear a metal clunking noise in the back whenever I hit some bumps in the road. I thought for sure I’d forgotten to tighten or torque something properly. After a couple stops, crawling under the truck expecting to see something falling off, I finally opened the hatch and found the box I’d placed there earlier that contained the front coils. Feelings of relief and retardation swept over me in equal amounts.

No wonder it sounded like a suspension problem.

Next up: Front suspension.