Well, I took the leap Friday and ordered the 5000's for my '05 . My question is on the installation of the front shocks. I have been reading my Haynes manual and the installation seems pretty straight forward.
1. Remove the upper shock absorber fasteners
2. Disconnect the stabilizer bar link.
3. Remove the the lower end of the shock that connects to the lower control
arm.
4. Remove old shock, install new one and reverse the installation process.

Is this the correct procedure? Anything special I should or shouldn't do?
Thanks

 

That's what the service manual says, too. But everybody else mentioned having to compress the spring and remove it on another shock thread.

 

Unless those Rancho's come with springs already on them you are going to have to compress the springs and swap them from the OEM's to the Rancho's before installing the new shocks.

 

Well, you are missing on one step, before or after disconnecting the stabilizer bar link, you must disconnect the upper link arms, that are two big bolts, if you don´t you are facing an impossible task because there is no way to get the shock out from its place, believe me!!!.

About the springs, after you have the shock free from the truck, you have to securely compress the spring with "spring compressors" and just then you can free the center bolt that is still holding the shock with the spring, remove the shock and install the new one in place, put the new nut in place, that bronze color your Ranchos come with and then after tightening that center bolt uncompress the spring, and just then you can go back to the truck and set the new shock in place.

If you don´t have spring compressors better not do it, I had no spring compressors and it has been a hell of difficult and dangerous also.

 

That Haynes manual and the Repair manual have nothing about the upper arms disconnecting, but if you look on previous posts about the matter you will also find that everyone that did this theirselves has to say something about that missing on the instructions printed on those manuals.

 

Thanks guys, real good info. However, now I'm really confused. I called the service dept. where I purchased the truck and they said I didn't have to compress the springs to remove the shocks. That being said, this is the same,"service" dept. that told me my window wouldn't go up and that the motor was bad after 3 hours of waiting. I know, that's why I was there!!!!!

 

The unit is a mcpherson strut and looks like this. The strut has to be removed from the vehical, then the spring compressed to remove the strut/shock. I would be VERY LEARY (sp) of that shop! Maybe they did not understand replacing the shock, just removing it?

LB

 

I don't think my unit looks like the picture you posted. If I can see your picture correctly it is different from my unit. The bottom of my shock unit has kind of a "U" shaped thing that mounts to the lower control arm. Sorry about not being able to explain better. Auto repair is just not my cup of tea.