{"id":173,"date":"2007-07-03T16:38:12","date_gmt":"2007-07-04T02:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.studionewmedia.com\/blog\/2007\/07\/03\/gasdruck-stossdampfer\/"},"modified":"2007-07-03T16:38:12","modified_gmt":"2007-07-04T02:38:12","slug":"gasdruck-stossdampfer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/studionewmedia.com\/blog\/index.php\/2007\/07\/03\/gasdruck-stossdampfer\/","title":{"rendered":"Gasdruck stossdampfer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"kyb_1211a.jpg\"<\/a>The\u00c2\u00a017-year-old shocks in the FJ80 were long overdue for replacement, but something got it in my head to replace them this past Saturday – maybe it was\u00c2\u00a0the swervy, edge-of-the-envelope, Caddy-like ride.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Went by Car Quest and got the appropriate KYB (Kayaba) units on Friday.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0At one time I was considering\u00c2\u00a0upgrading to something like Edelbrock IAS’s, but since the FJ80 may be retired soon, I\u00c2\u00a0just went with\u00c2\u00a0the direct OEM replacement.<\/p>\n

Install procedure seemed\u00c2\u00a0pretty straightforward in the FSM – jack up axle, support frame on jackstands, remove wheels, unbolt shocks, lower axle and remove shocks.\u00c2\u00a0 The reality was a little more involved.\u00c2\u00a0 The FSM describes holding the flats on the end of the shock shaft with a wrench while loosening the nut that holds the shock in place.\u00c2\u00a0 The flats are 6mm, but an adjustable wrench works best for leverage.\u00c2\u00a0 An 8″\u00c2\u00a0would be good since it is about the same length as the 17mm open-end for the nut.\u00c2\u00a0 The nuts are tight from the factory, so penetrating oil is helpful.\u00c2\u00a0 The left shock tower is right below the LHD master cylinder, so you can’t cheat and use a pneumatic impact wrench.\u00c2\u00a0 Between the brake lines, the emissions vacuum lines and the manifolds, there is about 45-degrees of turning space for the wrench, so patience is required.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0The right side is more open, but the ignition coil, igniter, and A\/C hoses limit the wrench swing.<\/p>\n

\"kyb_1212a.jpg\"<\/a>After removing the upper and lower nuts, use some twine and tie the shock compressed.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00c2\u00a0looped twine over the shock\u00c2\u00a0ends\u00c2\u00a0inboard of the cushions and tied them together\u00c2\u00a0in the middle.\u00c2\u00a0 This way, when\u00c2\u00a0the axle is lowered, the shocks will not extend with the gas pressure\u00c2\u00a0and you can get them out easily.\u00c2\u00a0 Similarly, tie the new shocks compressed before removing the shipping straps.<\/p>\n

\"kyb_1210a.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The rear shocks came out a little easier.\u00c2\u00a0 The bottoms of the shocks are\u00c2\u00a0eyeletted, being retained onto hollow studs on the axle by bolts.\u00c2\u00a0 The\u00c2\u00a0upper shaft ends\u00c2\u00a0are mounted through a plate held onto the underside of the frame by bolts.\u00c2\u00a0 Use a 17mm socket to remove the bottom bolts, after which the eyelets can be yanked off the studs. Use a 14mm socket on a long-ass extension to remove the bolts that retain the upper plates – there is little working space up near the bolts because of the frame, the suspension links, and anti-roll bar, so you’ll need a 18″ extension.\u00c2\u00a0 Penetrating oil won’t help much on the stud bolts, since the oil probably won’t make it\u00c2\u00a0past the shock eyelet bushing to reach the bolt threads.\u00c2\u00a0 The top bolts can be oiled through the slit between the top of the frame and the bottom edge of the body fender bucket – use a\u00c2\u00a0straw on the oil nozzle.\u00c2\u00a0 The top bolts were super-tight from the factory, and the\u00c2\u00a0extension bar was wrapping up like a quarter turn before the bolts popped free!\u00c2\u00a0 The left rear shock had no pressure left – I didn’t check if it was stuck-down, but it didn’t extend when the eyelet was freed from the stud.\u00c2\u00a0 Probably explains the massive clockwise body-roll\u00c2\u00a0during left turns (no left rebound damping).<\/p>\n

After removing old shocks, remove plates and reinstall onto the new shocks – be aware that there is a left and right plate, and there is a top and bottom to the plates.\u00c2\u00a0 After installing the\u00c2\u00a0shock eyelet to the axle studs, undo the twine and allow the shock to extend teh plate into place.\u00c2\u00a0 With a little twisting, the bolt holes will line up and the plate bolts can be reinstalled.\u00c2\u00a0 I probably should have used some anti-seize during reassembly, but didn’t want to go digging around trying to find it.<\/p>\n

Rides like new!<\/p>\n

Around $300, 2-3 hours,\u00c2\u00a0medium difficulty\u00c2\u00a0(little more difficult than rotating tires).<\/p>\n

Tools required:<\/p>\n