2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Lower shock bolt, up front on 4x4....

[CCiatteo]

I figured I'd do the shocks today, but ran into a huge problem. The lower shock bolt is spinning, the half-azz flagnut from the factory failed. I can't seem to get a socket on the back side to keep it from spinning. Any ideas or do I just drive the truck into the nearest river? I'd love to get my hands on the engineers that come up with this stuff... . I'd choke them out nice and slow with my bare hands.



#@$%!



Chris

 

[dknoch]

I tried to put a slightly larger bolt through the track bar once and ran into the same problem. I took a cheep box wrench and ground the sides down and got it to fit into a tighter space. I don't know if something like that would work for this or not. Maybe something could be wedged in there to stop the bolt from spinning, it wouldn't necessarily have to grab the whole nut. Good Luck!

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

If you have good dexterity with your fingers you could fish an end wrench inside the spring coil and drop it in on the pesky bolt head from above.

 

[kglenn]

Might try a good prybar and try to hold enough pressure against the nut to get it off, or as mentioned above, grind down a cheap wrench enough to get in there. Good luck.

 

[RHestand]

I don't have any good ideas for you, but I can tell you about my experience about a month ago on my 98. The tabs on my flag nuts held, and I still had a terrible time getting the bolts out. Totally rusted and siezed. Even with heating red hot(big rosebud) and PB Blaster, they still screeched every turn, all the way out. The heat also melted the rubber from the shock eye, all over everything, and the bolt heads were rounded, which didn't help matters any.

Also the bolts had worn a recess of about . 030-. 035 where they contacted the shock eye. That was the source of one of my front-end rattles. I would suggest you order new HD bolts and flag nuts.

I spent about 5-6 hrs. doing this, and for a good part of that time, I didn't know if they going to come out or not. They are also self-locking nuts, which only adds to the problem. You will have to hold the nut tight, without rounding the corners, or it will only get worse.

Good Luck, Ray

 

[tgordon]

I am thinking I might just cut mine off and replace the nuts and bolts if they aren't to expensive.

 

[rkressg]

Any Luck???
Did you get them off?

 

[CCiatteo]

I am thinking I might just cut mine off and replace the nuts and bolts if they aren't to expensive.

Any Luck???

Did you get them off?

I didn't make another attempt yet. I did stop in the local dealer and order new flag nuts and bolts for both sides, total $20. So this weekend is when I'll tear into it again, part should be in on Wednesday morning.



Chris

 

[CCiatteo]

Passenger side done.....

Any Luck???
Did you get them off?

3 hours to do one shock I was able to get an open end wrench down in side the spring and onto the nut, but as soon as you applied torque to the bolt it would slip. Then I tried going in from the side, which there is enough room to do, but again as soon as torque was applied to the bolt, the wrench would slip.

So I too a long extension with a deep well impact and drove in onto the flag nut from between the link bars. It was cocked, but it was on there good. I hit bolt with the gun and nothing, but at least the nut on back didn't slip/turn. So I got out the breaker bar, the 2 foot cheater bar on the front and finally got it out. That was only half the battle though. Next I had to pry, pull, drive the shock out of the lower mount. I guess the rubber and rust kinda seized together and that was royal pain in the back side. There's just no access to the lower mount at all. Horrible horrible design.

The flag nut is a complete joke, the nut isn't even tack welded to the flag, it just sort of staked. All they do is slide the flag over the nut then with a press (I am guessing) crush the very corners of the flats down onto the flag, so there are six little stakes holding the nut to the flag. When I finally got mine off, the flag was split and all the corners were rounded.

So that's the passenger side. The driver side looks even worse because the access to get the shock out the top is obstructed by all the brakelines/master cylinder/hydro-boost etc..... That's tomorrows deal if weather is decent.

Any tricks to getting the driver side shock out the top?

Thanks
Chris
(done venting for now)

 

[DieselDoghouse]

Heres how I've done it each time - I'm on my third shocks at 250K - I jack the truck up, up, up (my daughters words) so there is NO compression on the shock - the spider on top and the shock still have to come up and out (you could remove the coil and shock sideways?? - never tried it) but at least you're dealing with slack parts that won't get away and try to punch through something. spray the rubber foot of the new shock with dry lube and drop it in and bolt it. Then I remount the shock spider - if the axle's too low I floor jack it up to start the top nut. Once the spider is bolted to the fender you can put the truck back on the ground and torque everything. It usually takes me 30 - 40 minutes a side.

 

[DieselDoghouse]

Remember - jack the TRUCK not the AXLE!!

 

[RHestand]

On my 98 drivers side shock, it came out the top after removing the spider and shoving it towards the engine, without too much of a problem. I think I just left it in there until I had to put it back.
My problem on that side was removing the long-winded nut off the rusted shock shaft, protruding about 2-1/2". With a regular wrench and all the obstacles in the way, I could only manage about a quarter turn at a time. I bought a 19MM combination ratchet wrench, then used vice-grips to hold the top of the shaft. That made short work of it, in and out.
It was definitely a knuckle banging project.
Ray

 

[Joe Mc]

CCiatteo - knowing what you're going through right now - may I suggest something that will aide in making the job easier next time. Have the flanges welded to the nuts and when re-assembling use a ton of anti-seize "everywhere", bolt shanks, shock sleeves, threads on bolts and on the flat surface of where the nut and bolt squeeze the shock mounting tabs. I feel your pain when I put my shocks in the lower fronts were definitely the worst. However, when I went to install the leveling spacers they were much easier to remove = the "over-use" of anti-seize upon new shock installation (20k prior) really helped.

 

[CCiatteo]

Heres how I've done it each time - I'm on my third shocks at 250K - I jack the truck up, up, up (my daughters words) so there is NO compression on the shock - the spider on top and the shock still have to come up and out (you could remove the coil and shock sideways?? - never tried it) but at least you're dealing with slack parts that won't get away and try to punch through something. spray the rubber foot of the new shock with dry lube and drop it in and bolt it. Then I remount the shock spider - if the axle's too low I floor jack it up to start the top nut. Once the spider is bolted to the fender you can put the truck back on the ground and torque everything. It usually takes me 30 - 40 minutes a side.

Well the driver's side didn't offer any resistance at all. Maybe the driver side was scared after seeing how the passenger side was abused in trying to get it apart and just gave in. Total time to do the driver side was 45 minutes.

On my 98 drivers side shock, it came out the top after removing the spider and shoving it towards the engine, without too much of a problem. I think I just left it in there until I had to put it back.
My problem on that side was removing the long-winded nut off the rusted shock shaft, protruding about 2-1/2". With a regular wrench and all the obstacles in the way, I could only manage about a quarter turn at a time. I bought a 19MM combination ratchet wrench, then used vice-grips to hold the top of the shaft. That made short work of it, in and out.
It was definitely a knuckle banging project.
Ray

This is what I did, left the upper mount/cradle/spider in the engine bay but out of the way. Without the cradle attached, the shock comes out the top without too much trouble. On the passenger side I left the cradle attached to the shock until the entire unit was out of the truck, then swapped the cradle to the new shock and everything went back together no problem.

CCiatteo - knowing what you're going through right now - may I suggest something that will aide in making the job easier next time. Have the flanges welded to the nuts and when re-assembling use a ton of anti-seize "everywhere", bolt shanks, shock sleeves, threads on bolts and on the flat surface of where the nut and bolt squeeze the shock mounting tabs. I feel your pain when I put my shocks in the lower fronts were definitely the worst. However, when I went to install the leveling spacers they were much easier to remove = the "over-use" of anti-seize upon new shock installation (20k prior) really helped.

I did exactly what you mentioned. After seeing the new bolts and flange nuts and they are "staked" I had a friend put a couple small tacks on each nut just to help the situation and was very liberal with the antisieze upon re-install. The guy at the dealership was shocked that the flag nut failed and said "that never happens"..... I just looked showed him my broken flag nut and how the flag had split. He didn't have much to say after that.

The rear shocks were pretty uneventful and straightforward, although if I had known flag nuts were used back there also I would have put new ones on as well.

The truck had some flavor of Monroe shocks and the Bilsteins (blue/yellow) are worlds better, now we will have to see how they hold up over time and when I am towing.

Only thing that concerns me now is the front driver side seems to be weeping gear gear oil? I just completed brakes/hubs/rotors/brakelines/new hardline and tried my best to not disturb the axles and inner seals. The passenger side is dry and looks good, but the drivers side is wet. So I am going to keep an eye on the fluid level and the situation. If it doesn't stop weeping in the next couple days then I'll be tearing the front axle completely apart to do inner seals at some point in the near future. Not really looking forward to that, but don't have much choice.

Thanks for all the advice and the tips.

 

[Joe Mc]

Mine had the "yellows" (Monroe) on it when I got it too. Switched to the blue/yellows (Bilsteins) about 4 or 5 years back = 60k miles or so still "worlds better". Should last you a while.

My r/f axle was leaking on a trip (of course) too I added oil one day and it just stopped leaking. That was about 3 or 4 years ago (yep fingers are still crossed) so I hope you get lucky and yours stops as well.

 

[KRStone]

Rear drum backing plate

Cant seem to find much info on R&R of the brake backing plates. Do the axles have to come out? Ive never replaced mine and they're fairly gouged up where the shoes ride.



Is replacement necessary?



Also, should I get a kit with new springs from Napa? Or stick with the old ones. Not sure if "new" and "made in China" would be better than the old ones.



This is on my 96 4x4 with 4 wheel abs.