Another Shock Replacement Question...

jgfish97

jgfish97

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Ok. So I've did the searches and didn't find what I was looking for. Maybe it is because I'm at work and don't have the time to look at every post that has "Shocks".

But can someone please tell me if there is a place I can look to find the dealer recommended shock and spring replacement time. I have over 50,000 and would like to have a reason to change my shocks and springs, but not just because I want to put on those lowering springs I got from Ken.

Thank you.
 
I checked the Scheduled Maintenance book on the LS and it doesn't say when to specifically change the shocks. It just says inspect. I have always heard that changing the shocks every 50-60K miles is the best rule. I changed mine at 70K miles. If you are going to put new springs in then it might be wise to install shocks at the same time. You have to remove the shock anyway to install the springs anyway.
 
jgfish97 said:
Ok. So I've did the searches and didn't find what I was looking for. Maybe it is because I'm at work and don't have the time to look at every post that has "Shocks".

But can someone please tell me if there is a place I can look to find the dealer recommended shock and spring replacement time. I have over 50,000 and would like to have a reason to change my shocks and springs, but not just because I want to put on those lowering springs I got from Ken.

Thank you.
Click to expand...

The best way to tell is to put weight on the shock, release the weight and judge the rebound, If the car goes up & down & then rebounds again it is a good sign that the damper is shot. It is a matter of feel, but the described test is a basic one that will give you some indication of the damper's condition. Remember that what we call "Shock Absorbers" the rest of the driving world call dampers whose job is to dampen the oscillations of the springs. The degree of compression & rebound damping determines the overall performance of the "Shock". That is why racing shocks tend to be adjustable. (Like the Ledas Ken lists for sale on his web site http://www.lskoncepts.com/)
 
pardon my ignorance in this matter but i was looking on teamford and it only shows shocks for the rear.. is that correct? so when replaceing its just the rear right? i think i might need to replace them my car has being very jumpy lately i feel everything, i took it to the dealer and and they checked the ball joints i believe and he said that they where fine and could not replicate the sounds and feel that i was experienceing
 
joshluvsla said:
pardon my ignorance in this matter but i was looking on teamford and it only shows shocks for the rear.. is that correct? so when replaceing its just the rear right? i think i might need to replace them my car has being very jumpy lately i feel everything, i took it to the dealer and and they checked the ball joints i believe and he said that they where fine and could not replicate the sounds and feel that i was experienceing
Click to expand...
Front & Rear. Check with Grayghost1. He posted all the part numbers for the different shocks available for each year.
 
Thanks for the responses guys. I looked through the owners manual and didn't find a single thing saying when to replace the shocks. I've already bought the lowering springs and sport shocks from LSKoncepts but haven't put them on yet. I just need a document stating the factory recommended replacement of parts. In the scheduled maintenance guide, it gives the approx. miles of when to replace and change parts but nothing about the shocks or springs.
 
jgfish97 said:
Thanks for the responses guys. I looked through the owners manual and didn't find a single thing saying when to replace the shocks. I've already bought the lowering springs and sport shocks from LSKoncepts but haven't put them on yet. I just need a document stating the factory recommended replacement of parts. In the scheduled maintenance guide, it gives the approx. miles of when to replace and change parts but nothing about the shocks or springs.
Click to expand...

I have never seen a factory recommendation on this type of part. It has (in my experience) always been left to the owner to replace springs or shocks when they wear out. It would be difficult to give a "time life" for shocks & springs as the use governs their life as much as the miles put on them. Most cars never have their springs replaced and shocks are replaced on non- performance cars when the car starts bouncing down the road.:)
 
GWL said:
The best way to tell is to put weight on the shock, release the weight and judge the rebound, If the car goes up & down & then rebounds again it is a good sign that the damper is shot. It is a matter of feel, but the described test is a basic one that will give you some indication of the damper's condition. Remember that what we call "Shock Absorbers" the rest of the driving world call dampers whose job is to dampen the oscillations of the springs. The degree of compression & rebound damping determines the overall performance of the "Shock". That is why racing shocks tend to be adjustable. (Like the Ledas Ken lists for sale on his web site http://www.lskoncepts.com/)
Click to expand...


The old "bounce test" doesn't really work with the LS. There is only about an inch of piston travel when new. The rest is controlled by the yellow "bushing" on top of the piston. In my experience, the LSes shocks wear out in the 50K mile range.
 
LS4me said:
The old "bounce test" doesn't really work with the LS. There is only about an inch of piston travel when new. The rest is controlled by the yellow "bushing" on top of the piston. In my experience, the LSes shocks wear out in the 50K mile range.
Click to expand...

Sorry to revive a dead thread... But I feel like my car is more bouncy than it should be on the road. It's a 2002 V8 with base shocks. I took it to the dealer to have them inspect the suspension components, and told them to put it up on the lift to check everything out. When I got it back from them, I noticed palm prints on the rear bumper (where I told them I felt the bouncing coming from). It looks to me like they ignored my suggestion to put it up on the lift and just did the "jounce test". However, LS4me is saying that the jounce test does not work on the LS. Is this true? And can someone explain to me how exactly the springs affect the ride vs. how the shocks affect the ride? Thanks!
 
Bounce test doesnt work on any car...you want to look for rust or oil staines on the shocks/ struts.......
 
Shock/Spring replacement

If there's someone out there who has recently replaced their shocks , I'd be very interested in getting some measurements from the old pieces. Can anyone help?
KS
 
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