Rancho shock bolts wearing out!

[outlawram]

I have added the coil spring spacers and at the time I put new rancho 9000s on. I was told I did not have to get the longer shocks, that the regular ones will work. But lately I have been hearing a clunking noise up front. And I checked by pushing down on the front of the truck and can see play in the lower shock bolts. Are they wearing because they are cheap bolts or are the shocks bottoming out and wearing the bolts out? I have not looked into it real far I just was wondering if anybody else was having the same problem.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

I reused the stock bolts. Rancho did not supply any bolts, just a nut, washers, and polyurethane bushings. If they are loose, they will wallow out the holes in the mount. If the shock is too short, that is another problem.

 

[jrobinson2]

I found that the lower bolts had to be VERY tight to hold. Several members have mentioned problems with the front lower bolts loosening with the rancho shocks.

Jared

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

The shocks wouldn't be bottoming out - they'd be topping out. Do you off road your truck or do stuff that has the suspension extending out to the limits of it's travel? That's where you'd have problems with the shorter shocks. What has happened to a number of people is that they neglected to installed the steel sleeves in the shock bushings before installing them. Sometimes you need to reuse the stock ones, other times you can use the ones supplied with the shocks (if they are). If your shocks were installed without those sleeves they your bolts will wear out the bushings faster and there will be play in there.

 

[outlawram]

i put the steel sleeves in when installed. no i dont off road. I will check and see how tight they are. Thanks for the help. I ment topping out. sorry.

 

[outlawram]

Well the shocks are tight as hell. Next I will take them off and look at the metel sleeves and bolts. Oh what fun!

 

[TWhiteside]

Please post your findings. I have the same problem on the bottom bolt on the passenger side shock. The nut and bolt is as tight as it will go, but there seems to be play between the bolt and the sleeve. - By the way, I have no lift on the front of my truck.