Hello everyone. My parents 2000 durango has a bit over 170k miles on it and it has been a great vehicle. The original enigne and trans work flawlessly. Its never had any problems and never been to the dealer exept for the ball joint recall which it had over 100k on when done. Recently my dad has been wanting to buy a new truck or suv because of a few minor issues with the truck but i have talked him into keeping it and just fixing the few issues it has. This weekend im going to pull the dash and tackle the hearer core which should be a fun day.

But for my real question here is that the front suspension seems to have a minor issue. It feels tight and handles well. The wheel bearings and tie rods show no play in them at all. But the only issue we have is that when on the highway at highish speeds (over 60 mph) when you hit a larger bump in the road the truck wanders somewhat.

Since everything looks to be in great condition on the front end I'm thinking it may be that the original front shocks are probably worn beyond their intended usage. Do you guys think that im thinking along the right lines for this issue? The only parts that look to be in not great condition are the upper control arm bushings. they have minor cracks in the rubber probably from the heat from the engine.

Thanks everyone.

 

Well I will say this. the stock c arm bushings are soft when it comes to performance, so that is one thing that can cause wondering. Other are an alignment,and the shocks. our "D"s are served Justis when they are aligned the right way. I think your headed in the right direction by saying it may be the shocks because they do keep the tires sticking to the road more.
If the control arms aren't squeaking they they still have some time left... I think

 

At 170k miles, your shocks are GONE!!!

I just replaced mine with only 104k miles and they were gone.

I replaced them with Bilstein HDs for about $260 shipped and it took me about 2 hours to install them.

The difference is night and day. Such a smooth ride now.

 

lol my stock shocks were gone at like 68k man 170k on the stock shocks DAMN that thing must bounce forever when you hit a bump ya id start by replacing ALL 4 shocks w/ brand new ones of you choice (i use the monroe reflex but it all depends on your usage of the truck) and then if that doesnt fix it id go from there


and i have heard that the evap core is in w/ the heater core and that you should just change them both at the same time to save yourself some hassle of having to pull the dash twice but double check that

 

Well when u hit a bump like they style that causes the wandering, you can really feel the truck bounce up and down. Although when standing still it usually stops rebounding in 2 tries when i bounce it.

DRO318 the truck has a minor squeak in the front right when bounced. It is not noticeable when driving only when i bounce it. Would you think this as the control arm bushings or maybe just the sway bar bushings which i read a usually faulty and mine are the originals. I think my first repair will be the shocks all around.

Shrpshtr325, how is the ride with the reflex shocks? I would like to retain a factory type of ride in the truck. Also we do some heavy towing 4-6 times per year pulling our boat which weighs around 7000lbs. Right now as it is, when we hit a bump with the boat behind us, the truck likes to go up and down quite a bit. I have had good experiences with the Monroe brand so I would consider the reflex or the sensa tracs.

 

A few more bits I should add before I forget. The front tires seem to be wearing slightly irregulary, just a little more wear on the outside edges. I would assume that new shocks and getting it aligned would sort that issue out?

About the heater/evap core, is there any way to tell the condition of the evap core? If it is corrosion free should it be good? The a/c works nicely and the only leak its ever had in all its many miles is that one of the pressure sensors that is built in the lines leaked which was an easy fix.

 

More than about half a bounce after you push the corner of your D down means shocks are long gone. 2 bounces and you have NO shocks are have just the springs doing any of the suspension work.

 

Thanks so far for the help everyone. I would like to hear more about the Monroe/Napa Reflex shocks. From my searching on the forum a few people liked them. My main question is how they react for towing heavy loads. I have used monroe's sens-a-trac on my 69 gto and my dads 72 cutlass and we both enjoy the ride they give but i can understand how they might be too mushy for a truck. I have not used the reflex before but given my good experiences with monroe, I might give them a try. Anything has to be better than what is on there currently.

 

the monroe reflexes are pretty good slightyl stiffer than the stock ride IMO but i didnt really get drive the truck w/ good stock shocks on it

the sens-a-tracs arent very good at all i had them in my old truck and they were gone in like 5000 miles i would suggest the reflexes not too expensive and have worked GREAT on both my truck and my dads i dont tow with mine but we use my dads to move full loads of firewood (like probably more than it should take) and it doesnt bounce very much at all they handle the load well if you have any more questions let us know well try to answer them as best we can

 

Thanks for the reply. I'll have to run the shock selection through my dad since it is his truck and his money but I'm sure he would be fine with the reflexes knowing that they are recommended and not too expensive. He does take into consideration that it has over 170k and is not worth much to sell even though it should last at least another 5+ years.