2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission lower shock bolt

[jwgary]

I have been hearing a popping when I go over bumps for a little while. It's not that noticable unless I have the windows down and expecially when there is something to reflect the sound back. Well, I finally got to looking for what the source of the noise might be. It turns out to be the lower mounting bolts for the shocks on the front end. The lower end of both shocks was loose so I decided to pull the bolt to see if there was any wear on the shock (RS9000). Boy was I suprised to see that the threads on the bolt had been worn down about half way by the shock beating on it for about 138,000 miles. If you ask me, it's a poor design. They are asking a standard bolt to take a shear load. That's a no-no in the mechanical design that I do and not a good practice in any arena. What should be in place is a shoulder bolt so that there is more meat to spread out the load and no sharp grooves for stress concentration.



Has anyone else had this problem? It looks like the steel bushing inside the end of the shock has marks from the threads rubbing, but is ok. The urethane seems fine too.

 

[nps]

My 01. 5 bolts are shoulder bolts. None of the mount rides on the threads. The nut is also flagged to keep it from spinning without a wrench on it.



Sounds like you are the victim of a bolt replacement gone bad.

 

[pwerwagn]

My 98 also has shouldered bolts and a tab to keep the nut from spinning.

I have to tighten mine with an impact periodically to keep it from making noise. about every 30,000 miles or so. I wonder if your bolts were replaced when the ranchos were installed???

--Jeff

 

[jwgary]

No bolt replacement here. I did the shock swap myself. What's a good source for new bolts besides the dealer? I haven't looked, but I am fairly sure you can't just pick that up at your local Lowe's or Home Depot. Maybe I will see if I have a friend at Fastenal.

 

[HEMI®Dart]

jwgary,



I think a loose lower shock bolt is a common problem.



From Fritz's web page:



"Chirp or clunk from front end when driving over bumps:



bad lower ball joint, track bar, and/or intermediate steering shaft

loose lower shock bolt"



My buddy went to Tractor Supply the other day. Says they have a BIG selection of Grade 8 bolts. He loves the place.

 

[rluft]

Mine does the same thing. I removed the bolt and wrapped a piece of electrical tape on the bolt to tighten things up. That has lasted quite awhile but is rattleing again. I don't know why Rancho puts the steel sleeve in the bushing, seems they could have the poly be real tight on the bolt and would solve the problem.

 

[MDale]

I had the same noise and the same worn bolts, I got new ones from the dealer I think there only $4 each. So far so good with the new ones. Replaced shocks and bolts 10,000mi ago.

 

[budctdca]

what about using some blue or green threadlock on the stock bolts, it would help keep them tight, but one should be able to break them loose fairly easily with an impact gun...

 

[DCMille290]

I am going through the same issue right now. I found that the loose fitting sleeve and bolt combination was making making noise, so I replaced the RS9000 red bushings with new Urathane bushings but I cannot seem to keep the bolt/sleeve combo tight enough to eliminate slop on the bottom shock mount. Does anyone know what the torque is supposed to be on the bolts?



Thanks,

DC Miller

 

[emmettcrocker]

according to the 1999 service manual the torque is 100 ft. lb.

 

[emmettcrocker]

where did you get the urathane bushings

 

[emmettcrocker]

you are absolutely right the shank on the bolt is about 3/4 in. long, leaving about 1 inch of thread in bearing leaving the shock sleeve to bolt fit very sloppy. what is needed is a bolt with the shank portion long enough to span the sleeve. What I did as a temp fix till I can find the proper bolt is I cleaned the bolts up and reinstalled them wet with pro seal mil-L-8802 (aircraft fuel tank sealant) I think that will stop the noise but not the fast wear problem. only a properly fitting bolt will fix that.

 

[DCMille290]

Emmettcrocker, I found the box the Polyurethane bushings came in:

Company: Energy Suspension, 1131 Via Callejon, San Clemente, CA 92673, no tel listed.

3/4" LG Hourglass shock eye

9. 8109G



That came right off of the tag, but I seem to remember that I bought them from Suspension Connection in CA. They fit my RS9000 Ranchos since the Red ones were getting oval in shape.



Good luck,

DC Miller

 

[jrobinson2]

The shank of the bolt doesn't matter, the steel sleeve is held entirely by the clamping force of the nut slightly collapsing the shock mount, the real problem is the steel sleeve in the rancho shocks is slightly narrower than the OEM sleeve and it takes a LOT of torque to deform the lower shock mounts enough to get a good clamp on the sleeves This is made worse after they run loose for a while and create wear rings on the shock mount faces causing even more clearance. When I was running Rancho's I re-tightened mine a few times without much success, what solved the problem was anti-seize on the threads and under the bolt head, this lets the bolt turn easier and allows quite a bit more clamp with the same torque.



Jared

 

[jwgary]

Another bad design

Having the shock held in place by pure friction is about the only situation that could be worse than a standard bolt loaded in pure shear. A joint should NEVER rely on friction from clamped member for holding it in place. I think Rancho sees that and allows for some fore-aft play. The repair manual says that you should torque the bolts to 100 ft# while that grade of bolt has a standard torque rating of something like 140 ft#. What would be nice is if I could find a longer bolt that the shoulder came out far enough, but not so far as to keep the nut from going all the way down. I could then cut off the rest of the length that I don't need. I have the thickness of the flag on the nut for the shank/thread transition (about 1/8"). I guess I can use washers/shims to step the bolt head where I need it and maybe some shims on either side of the shock bushing to tighten up the slop. I'll try to check out TSC and see what I can come up with. Thanks for all your replies.