Rear Shocks

[djg james]

Probably not the best spot to post this, but I do use this truck to scrounge for firewood. If anyone wants to move it feel free.

I've got a 2008 Dodge 2WD 1500 truck that I think needs rear shocks. There's a clunking noise in back when I go over bumps. I inspected the weld repair to my frame once and they are holding. I'll inspect everything again, but I believe it may be the rear shocks. This truck is usual used on paved roads and never any off roading other than occasionally driving over a field. I've been looking for shocks that's at least equivalent to the factory ones, but maybe a little beefier because I do load it up with firewood and pull a full 5x8 trailer full of wood at the same time.

The prices are all over the place; from $20 to well above $150 each. I've had coil shocks before on an older F150 and they seemed to work well. I'm currently looking at these, but am not limited to them: MONROE 58640.

Any ideas and any way to make sure my shocks are bad?

 

[GeeVee]

Probably not the best spot to post this, but I do use this truck to scrounge for firewood. If anyone wants to move it feel free.

I've got a 2008 Dodge 2WD 1500 truck that I think needs rear shocks. There's a clunking noise in back when I go over bumps. I inspected the weld repair to my frame once and they are holding. I'll inspect everything again, but I believe it may be the rear shocks. This truck is usual used on paved roads and never any off roading other than occasionally driving over a field. I've been looking for shocks that's at least equivalent to the factory ones, but maybe a little beefier because I do load it up with firewood and pull a full 5x8 trailer full of wood at the same time.

The prices are all over the place; from $20 to well above $150 each. I've had coil shocks before on an older F150 and they seemed to work well. I'm currently looking at these, but am not limited to them: MONROE 58640.o make sure my shocks are

Any ideas and any way to make sure my shocks are bad?

What is the set-up? DO you have shocks, and seperate coil springs, or coil overs, or shocks and leaf springs? My Yukon wasn't sagging terrible, but after replacing the shocks (worn slap silly) I still was dragging the trailer jack, replaced the seperate coils, and the unloaded ride height went back to normal 3 full inches..... higher.

Sure shocks are one thing, but leaf springs and coils springs do go bad, and they are what sets ride height, not shock absorbers.

I tote my dump trailer and skid steer alot, and if not, my 16' trailer and 2 JD Gators, or a 16" open trailer with my farm tractor.

There are better mechanics than me on here, but start with a picture of the rear set up. or describe as I asked?

(I did the front shocks a month later, all with OEM equipment and its like new again. Almost 20 years old with 150 k-, low mileage really. )

 

[GeeVee]

Probably not the best spot to post this, but I do use this truck to scrounge for firewood. If anyone wants to move it feel free.

I've got a 2008 Dodge 2WD 1500 truck that I think needs rear shocks. There's a clunking noise in back when I go over bumps. I inspected the weld repair to my frame once and they are holding. I'll inspect everything again, but I believe it may be the rear shocks. This truck is usual used on paved roads and never any off roading other than occasionally driving over a field. I've been looking for shocks that's at least equivalent to the factory ones, but maybe a little beefier because I do load it up with firewood and pull a full 5x8 trailer full of wood at the same time.

The prices are all over the place; from $20 to well above $150 each. I've had coil shocks before on an older F150 and they seemed to work well. I'm currently looking at these, but am not limited to them: MONROE 58640.o make sure my shocks are

Any ideas and any way to make sure my shocks are bad?

I suspect shocks too, making noise. Still going to be recommending OEM, no matter what set-up you have. New OEM is going to be an improvemnt to what you've slowly been losing perfomance with. 14 years is not a short time to be having to replace suspension parts.

 

[djg james]

This is a standard 2WD 1500 truck with just leaf springs and OEM shocks. I did inspect the leaf springs and all the clamps are there, so it's not the springs slapping. When it warms up Wednesday, I'll take another look at everything. Thanks

 

[GeeVee]

Ok good, leaf springs. AFAIK, they dont really make noise if they are "all there". But, they can and do lose tension and relax, and aren't hard to replace, along with the shock absorbers, its easy enough to do.

Hope fully some guys can come on and help you more. Maybe look for a RAM Messageboard. WHen I went looking for my answers, the Yukon Tahoe MB was chock full of discussions on worn out coil springs, going deep into "upgrades" if you wanted to. My issues weren't "they are defective" just 150 k of pulling a loaded trailer 80k miles of the time. My friend who is Bow Tie every day, just did his 1/2 ton, replacing the colis and shocks with 3/4 specs, and it bolted right up. (upsizing leaf springs can''t be too hard, just stop short of lift kits and having to lengthen brake lines and stuff, no need for that if your truck has been working proper in the past)

GL

 

[ericm979]

Noise can come from worn or missing rubber bushings.

While OEM is usually the best, shocks are one place where I often prefer quality aftermarket parts. OEMs often cheap out on shocks and tires.

 

[GenXer]

They recommend changing shocks on a truck about evert 50k kms

 

[FlyingDutchman]

Monroe Gas Magnum shocks are cheap and decent. Check for loose bed bolts, hitch hardware and u-joints, fuel tank straps etc.


I am getting a set of Koni Heavy Track shocks after spending around 500 bucks and waited 8 months for them... Better be good...

 

[Sportfury70]

Clunks are almost always bad bushings or loose bolts (or wallowed bolt holes). You have a total of 8 connection points to check back there. Front on the springs (2), rear spring shackles (4- tip and bottom) and top and bottom of the shocks.


play can be hard to detect, using a pry bar between the frame and spring should work for both ends. Any play whatsoever could cause a clunk. Bottom of the shocks don’t nessesarily have rubber bushings, but the tops will. If the tops are dry rotted and cracked, that could cause it.

Add two more if you have a rear sway bar, which could also cause a clunk of the endlinks are bad.

I’m a big fan of bilstien 4600 yellow shocks for stock trucks. Should be $70-$80 or so per shock. Can’t really go wrong with any name brand though, I’ve had luck with Monroe, Gabriel, KYB, and bilstien. Whichever is on sale I’d say your safe.

Avoid ranchos, thier quality has gone downhill and they corrode fast and fail unpredictably.

 

[Sportfury70]

Thinking more, it could also be a bad body mount, or even your tail gate lol. If everything looks tight and new shocks don’t fix it, you could look there too.

 

[cookies]

your nose can be anything from a worn eye bushing in your leaf spring to a sway bar end link, does the rear continue to bounce? if you bounce it hard 3 times using your body the let go it should bounce 1 time and stop, replace fronts and rears at the same time. Bilstein are great, kyb is good, monroe is ok, oem is between bilstine and kyb...check for a loose spare tire.

 

[davidprivett]

on my 1 ton I went to air shocks , if you pull a heavy trailer it is real easy to adjust truck and trailer height so it is sitting level and they are not much more than a standard good quailty shock. And not much more as installation time goes.

 

[Cody]

Hard to diagnose over the internet. My favorite thing to hear as a mechanic was that something was making a clunking sound. KYB Monomax or Bilstein will provide the best ride control, both will probably last a decade.

 

[djg james]

Hard to diagnose over the internet. My favorite thing to hear as a mechanic was that something was making a clunking sound.....

Yes, I realize it's difficult to diagnose the problem over the internet. But everyone has given me some good points to look at. I'm hoping it's a KISS problem. These are the original shocks and I have 135k miles (mostly highway) on it. So hopefully it's just the shocks.

I had a mechanic fairly well, and he would just laugh at poeple come in and say "just fix it" after he tried to explain to them it was probably nothing. So he'd change everything. Real nice guy. He'd inspect the problem and tell you what was wrong. Then he'd suggest ways on how I could fix it myself. I never took him up on that; I wouldn't do that to anyone. Free advice. I'd always pay him to fix it. His prices were fair and I could truss him. I miss him as he retired.

To those that think a mechanic is just a "grease monkey", you're wrong.

 

[GenXer]

If it was built in the 70's or 80's I can mostly fix it...

 

[djg james]

If it was built in the 70's or 80's I can mostly fix it...

Well, you're welcome to come down to Illinois and fix it for me . St Louis is just across the river, so you could visit the Arch.

 

[GenXer]

Well, you're welcome to come down to Illinois and fix it for me . St Louis is just across the river, so you could visit the Arch.

I don't have a passport to cross the border

 

[ericm979]

Every time I have put Bilsteins on a car, truck or van it's been a huge improvement.

 

[North by Northwest]

As has been advised Monroe Gas Magnum for the rear , although I purchased a pair of Monroe Sensitrac and they have performed well on my D-2500 plow truck . Under $ 120 a pair either way .

 

[djg james]

Are these what you are talking about:
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinf...LDFGmMno9ptKhOkmad71S3BuHAIH39SvDCks05ItyXg==

I was thinking about these:
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=515170&cc=1441427&pt=7556&jsn=324
Only a little more and maybe they'd handle loads better? Thoughts?