First Off-Road Jeep

T

terdogjk

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Joined
Jun 25, 2022
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64
Location
Elko NV
A couple of months ago, the wife and I decided to sell our beloved 97 TJ and step up to a JK 4 door. More room for us and our dogs.
We found a very clean 2012 (85k) for a decent price in Salt Lake City (3.5 hrs east of us). It had some nice upgrades, including aftermarket front bumper with winch, aftermarket 18" Al wheels with 35" Toyo MT's and an obvious lift.

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For several reasons, we never really did any offroad until yesterday. We went out exploring the many 2 track roads in the hills of Elko NV. Had the 3 dogs with us, some water and a full tank of gas and an afternoon to kill.
It was basically a shakedown ride. We were doing dirts roads, nothing extreme. Once or twice the trails presented us the opportunity to get an articulation test in.

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I was going to back over the bank for a pic, when my wife noticed something hanging down under the Jeep.
Turns out that the right rear shock had pulled out of its top mount! The tab was all bent and twisted. The mounting bolts were still in place.
What the Farkle???
We still had to get back home, Searching around the Jeep, I had tools. But nothing that would allow me to to straighten the tab. Time to strap it up.

Am I right in thinking that I got too much articulation to the shocks?

Looks like its time to shop for some new shocks.

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It looks like you have a fairly small (likely 2-3") lift. A lot of people don't change the shocks with smaller lifts, especially if they're not planning to flex it up a lot. This can indeed cause the shocks to overextend, and could well be your problem.

Before you buy new shocks, I would spend some time figuring out how much lift you have. There is a good guide in the How To section of this forum. The brand doesn't really matter at this point, but it may in the future if you need to order specific replacement parts. It also is a good idea to know if this lift was done by changing the springs, or just putting in some spacers.
 
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Thanks.
I intend to measure it. I already measured comp and rebound lengths. I was told that it was a 2" lift, but I'm sure that it's more. I had ordered some Ranchos with 0-2 lift and they were much smaller.
Theres 7" of space between my 35s and the stock fender.
There are no spacers on the springs.
 
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terdogjk said:
A couple of months ago, the wife and I decided to sell our beloved 97 TJ and step up to a JK 4 door. More room for us and our dogs.
We found a very clean 2012 (85k) for a decent price in Salt Lake City (3.5 hrs east of us). It had some nice upgrades, including aftermarket front bumper with winch, aftermarket 18" Al wheels with 35" Toyo MT's and an obvious lift.

View attachment 122846

View attachment 122847
Click to expand...
Nice looking Jeep . Your maiden voyage off road looks spectacular .
Obviously shock issue blows .
7” between 35” and fender ?
Maybe it’s a 3 or 4” lift? Def want to get proper size shocks so no issues going forward
Good luck
 
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Thanks for the replies guys.

Yesterday I measured using the info in the How To post. I also confirmed that the springs DON'T have spacers. And, like many things in life, the existing spring shock combo is completely unknown. Somewhere in the recent past our girl ROXY got her underside coated. The shocks and springs were included in said coating.
Looks like I have 3" lift.
While checking I discovered that the front shock lower mount bushing is MIA.
So I did some research and ordered up some Rough Country shocks 0"-3" lift all around. I thought about goin with the 3.5" +... any thoughts?
 
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terdogjk said:
Thanks for the replies guys.

Yesterday I measured using the info in the How To post. I also confirmed that the springs DON'T have spacers. And, like many things in life, the existing spring shock combo is completely unknown. Somewhere in the recent past our girl ROXY got her underside coated. The shocks and springs were included in said coating.
Looks like I have 3" lift.
While checking I discovered that the front shock lower mount bushing is MIA.
So I did some research and ordered up some Rough Country shocks 0"-3" lift all around. I thought about goin with the 3.5" +... any thoughts?
Click to expand...


That all depends on what your doing Offroading, it's the articulation that determines the shock travel.
 
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JeepJeezy said:
You must of been wheeling alil hard. I see you lost your driverside front marker light too. Are the bolts still in the Jeep for the shock?
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Good eye. But, that was the wife doin her part to keep the local deer population in check. I saw the doe later. It was a full size adult. She KO'd that momma at 65 mph. It made it as far as the shoulder doing the helicopter. My wife swears that she hit it just barely off center on the bumper. It barely touched the fender and that was the worst of it. Not a mark on the bumper.
ROXY 1, deer 0.

When I 1st discovered that the shock was tryin to jump ship, I checked the mount bolts. Still there.
After seeing our new mod, I tied it up and headed for the barn. She got parked in my shop .
Today I'll remove the dead shock. We shall see if the 2 mount bolts survived the return trip and are still there
 
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Another mode of failure for that mount is simply loose hardware. It might have not have been over extension but just rattled loose on your travels. Might want to look into some shocks with a lift range of 2-4" just to cover your potential of 3"+. Also, if you care for a smooth ride on those fire roads might want to spend some money on better shocks.

Side note. If your bushings are that worn on the shocks, they are likley worn on all the suspension. Take some time under the jeep, find any worn out items and tighten everything down.

BTW, love the pics. Those days when you can just drive, explore and get a little lost, that's what having a Jeep is all about.

Cheers
 
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I have measured the compressed and extended length of the current shock Obviously the extension isn't enough. But I'm also worried about the compressed length. So far, I haven't been able to find a shock with similar dimensions.
 
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I had noticed awhile back that there was a clanking noise from the rear. Thats when I found that both the rear shock bushings were completely gone, leaving only the sleeve. i put in replacement bushings and Torqued the mount bolts to 40 ft lb.
Looking at the mount tab and seeing the 2 bolts still in place suggests that the bolts are tight.
 
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terdogjk said:
Agreed.
But how do I figure that number when in the shop? I need to get a number for proper shock size.
Click to expand...

Probably the best way would be to jack the front axle up on one side until the opposite tire just comes off the ground with no shocks. Then measure the distance between the shock mounts on the side that is closest to the ground and that will give you the maximum articulation. Then measure the side that your jacking up and that will give you the compressed measurement.

Then do the same for the rear.

Also is your front driveshaft a stock one or a aftermarket one. If it's a stock one your not going to be doing do rock crawling until you replace it.
 
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