Shock replacement on Journey, anyone DIY?

smlranger · 02-15-2007, 06:01 AM

I just got my new Koni's, FSD for front, adjustables for the rear. Looking at the fronts, seems like replacment is within my shade tree mechanic abilities. Not sure about those rears.

Anyone of you DIYr's replaced your own shocks on Journey on a FL XC? How many knuckles did you bust and should I just take it to my trusty RV mechanic?

smlranger · 02-15-2007, 06:01 AM

I just got my new Koni's, FSD for front, adjustables for the rear. Looking at the fronts, seems like replacment is within my shade tree mechanic abilities. Not sure about those rears.

Anyone of you DIYr's replaced your own shocks on Journey on a FL XC? How many knuckles did you bust and should I just take it to my trusty RV mechanic?

ichn2go · 02-15-2007, 11:38 AM

Gary, knowing that you trust your mechanic and his skills, Let him do it..save yourself for driving...Good Miles

bill jones · 02-15-2007, 01:21 PM

Gary, I watched the folks at 3Ts remove mine when they did the handling packages. I noticed they had to cut two nuts off the front shock mounts. Maybe it's a good thing to take to a mechanic.

Garbageman · 02-15-2007, 03:53 PM

I haven't done it yet but my new Konis should be here tomarrow and I will get right to work on it. I'll let you know tomarrow afternoon.

Paul

Dgold2 · 02-15-2007, 04:31 PM

Yep, I did my shock install in the driveway. That was about 30 days before I bought a 3/4"impact capable of removing the lugs from the wheels. I will tell you one thing, if you can get your rear tires off, it makes it 10 times easier.

You can do it, but it is a job. I know that I spent at least 4 hours on the install with the wheels on. Now I can remove the wheels, change shocks, and re-insatll the wheels in 2.5 hours. You would not believe how much easier it is to change with the wheels off. I will never change another set with the wheels on, I can tell you that much.

Good luck my friend. You will find that they are a worls of difference.

smlranger · 02-16-2007, 04:03 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dgold2:
Yep, I did my shock install in the driveway. That was about 30 days before I bought a 3/4"impact capable of removing the lugs from the wheels. I will tell you one thing, if you can get your rear tires off, it makes it 10 times easier.

You can do it, but it is a job. I know that I spent at least 4 hours on the install with the wheels on. Now I can remove the wheels, change shocks, and re-insatll the wheels in 2.5 hours. You would not believe how much easier it is to change with the wheels off. I will never change another set with the wheels on, I can tell you that much.

Good luck my friend. You will find that they are a worls of difference. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Good to know that the difference will be noticable since these shocks were not cheap!!

I'm not planning to wrestle with those wheels. I may do the fronts and let my mechanic do the rears.

wagonmaster2 · 02-16-2007, 05:14 PM

Smlranger- The fronts are not that difficult to do yourself. I installed the standard Konis on mine BUT the only problem is that the idiots who initially installed the original shocks put the top bolt thru the shock from the back side so when you try to remove it you can only go about 1" before hitting the leveler bracket. I borrowed a recipricating saw with a hacksaw blade and cut the head off the bolt so it could be pulled out toward the front end. Then went to a supply house that carries high grade bolts and replaced the ones I had cut. Everything else is a snap. The rear ones are something else. They are not really that hard but it works lots better with two people, one working at the top of the shock and another underneigth at the bottom of the shock. My auto mechanic and his helper put them on in less than an hour and only charged me $35 labor. Best deal in town and didn't have to remove the wheels.
Wagonmaster2
2004 Meridian

smlranger · 02-16-2007, 05:20 PM

Wagonmaster:

Good info, thanks. I noticed on my fronts, the bolt is put through the bracket head-out on the left shock but backwards (as you described) on the right side. I've got a good recip saw so thats' no big deal. I also noticed neither the FSD or the adjustable Koni's are hard to compress or extend by hand so figured it would not be too bad. When I installed Bilsteins on my old gasser, compressing the shock to align it with bolts/holes was a real bear.

smlranger · 02-17-2007, 05:05 PM

Wagonmaster and Dgold2:

What setting did you guys use on the rear shocks? Justin at Koni tells me to install them as they come out of the box since that is 'usually the best setting for most applications.' He did tell me they come from the factory on the #1 setting, which is the least firm.

wagonmaster2 · 02-17-2007, 07:15 PM

Smlranger- I used the middle setting, front and back as I was trying to eliminate the sway and rock and roll going in and out of driveways. But it did seem a little firm in the front so I slid under the coach, pulled out the lower bolt, collapsed the shock and set it back to the factory setting, pulled the lower end back down and re-installed the lower bolt. Very easy, probably 10-15 minutes each shock. Now the rears would probably be another story if they needed it but the middle setting seems to work on them. I had read an earlier post that said he started with the factory setting and couldn't tell he had even installed new shocks so went to a heavier setting, was the reason I started with the middle. 10-4 on the installation of gas shocks where you have to actually compress them. Did that on my 1997 Fleetwood and really had fun. Good luck on your installation and nice to know you only have to cut off one bolt head, its not really hard but just a little cramped quarters trying to watch where you are cutting and making sure you don't slip and cut something you don't want to. Back to the rears, by raising the rear by the jacks and supporting the frame there is enough space over the top of the rear duals to reach the top shock bracket but it still works best to have someone underneigth while someone reaches over the top of the tire to manage the top of the shock. I wasn't sure I wanted to have my arm between the tire and the fender and told my mechanic so, but he said with the frame supported he wouldn't be in that position very long. It lots better and easier than taking off the rear duals (and he didn't have any thing that would torgue them back at 450 lbs ft.
Hope all this helps.
Wagonmaster2
2004 Meridian 36G

Garbageman · 02-18-2007, 05:07 AM

I just installed the front Konis on the UA and it wasn't too bad. Due to the strut arms and other suspension pieces I couldn't use my impact wrench. There just wasn't a straight shot to any mounting point. A box end wrench and breaker bar. I set the shocks at the middle setting, 3 180 turns. The rears will be next.

Paul

Dgold2 · 02-18-2007, 07:05 AM

smlranger,

I used the middles setting on the rear which is just perfect. I went down one additional setting from the factory when I did my install. I thought it was a little too firm, so I re-adjusted to the factory setting.

You guessed it, as soon as it warms up, back to the second setting, as it does control more of the rocking back and forth better than the factory setting.

I believe you have consensus on the rear, so you'll have to take a stab at the fronts. Once installed, the fronts are really easy to change as has been described.

smlranger · 02-19-2007, 02:05 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I believe you have consensus on the rear, so you'll have to take a stab at the fronts. Once installed, the fronts are really easy to change as has been described </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

No adjustment for the fronts...according to Justin at Koni, all they now sell for the front of the XC are the FSD auto adjusting shock. According to the literature, I have 5 positions for the rears...so I'm debating about using the second vs. third position.