Broke upper rear shock bolts!
- Thread starter Erik V
- Start date
ha
haha
hahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Mine all came out suspiciously easy and I live in a very rusty state...ha
haha
hahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
ha
haha
hahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Been there done that with my Cherokee XJ. In the very near future I am going to try loosening these bolts. If successful I will replace with new bolts coated with Never Seize. Will report when I do.
ha
haha
hahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Only one left Willy and I am in no hurry. All three were replaced with grade 10.9 new bolts, plenty of Never Seize and the nutsert threads were chased with a tap. Applied mil. spec. Cosmoline to exposed threads up top exiting nutsert and covered nutsert with Cosmoline. I was able to loosen the problem bolt a little and have been tightening and loosening with shots of Kroil in between. I'll let it sit for a day with more Kroil drizzled from above and repeat sequence. Will definitely chase nutsert threads with tap as I'm sure there is rust in the threads preventing me from getting a good solid turn. Patience, patience, and more patience.
Nope. The son of a bitch bolt head snapped off. Took it real easy and it still got me. Long cobalt 1/4" X 6" drill bit on the way. Will drill from below and use screw extractor. I figure the 1/4" diameter is large enough to just leave a shell of the bolt inside the nutsert. If that fails, I'll either grind the nutsert off and use washer and nut on top or drill larger size hole clean through nutsert and use slightly larger bolt. I already drilled into the old grade 8.8 bolts with a cobalt drill bit and it cuts like a knife through hot butter. It is always the last one that bites you in the ass. The TJ is not my daily driver so it can sit a few days until the drill bits arrive.
Well at least you got three of those bastards and you have a plan for the last one. Good luck! Just out of curiosity which one broke?
Lou
TrailYacht
Member
lol just so everyone knows.. break em. You can just rotate the head of the shock slightly and drill two new holes, new nut and bolt. done. Takes 10min..
Here is the final solution to this f*** story. Of course it is always the last bolt that breaks; never fails. This is how I solved my issue. All of the other bolts came out, chased internal threads with tap and replaced with new grade 10.9 shouldered bolts. Applied Never Seize to the threads & shoulder, tightened them. For the snapped bolt I had two possible ways to go. 1) Drill out bolt with cobalt drill 2) Cut off nutsert flush and reinstall nut instead of using nutsert. I removed the wheel to give me more room and began drilling into the bolt. I had already ground a small guide in the center of the bolt using a Foredom tool with flexible shaft and small round abrasive bit. These are the bits I used:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MXPFVXM/?tag=wranglerorg-20
The bits cut right through the bolt. I tapped the hole to chase the threads which also helped to remove existing shell of broken bolt. Ground off top of bolt tip protruding above nutsert, installed bolt with Never Seize, tightened and then installed thick washer and nut on top of nutsert and tightened. Sprayed everything with Rust Reformer and will apply Cosmoline to exposed surfaces. What a f****** pain in the ass but it is done[/URL].
Last edited:
The only thing that ‘takes 10 minutes’ on a TJ is filling up the tank while taking a piss at the gas station.
I considered that but felt the additional holes would weaken the mounting area.
Just finished changing out my rear shocks this weekend. Lots of useful information and different strategies people have used to swap them on this forum. I did due dillegence in researching this hoping to avoid issues.
First off, chances are the issues are going to come so accept that ahead of time. I spent a few weeks maybe even a month steadily pb blasting and uaing kroil on them. When the time came... I snapped all four top bolts.
Wanted to write my experience as someone getting ready to tackle this job may find every post useful.
Spend the time using kroil, liquid wrench, pb blaster whatever, because if it works what a heaven sent gift!
I have read lots of people dropping the fuel tank or lifting the body off the frame. I dropped the fuel tank but did not want to lift the body I was trying to avoid anymore broken bolts.
I also took off the wheel liners and that gave me a nice line of sight. With a dremel I was able to go up through the hole where the shock sits and cut the welded nuts. Was not as easy as it sounds took some chiseling to lift the nuts a bit when the cutting wheel could not reach any further and also some punches from under to finally get them off. Once off I used an aluminum oxide sander to flatten out so the new nut would sit flush. Definitely doable by anyone as I am in no way a skilled mechanic.
Good luck and hope this helps someone.
First off, chances are the issues are going to come so accept that ahead of time. I spent a few weeks maybe even a month steadily pb blasting and uaing kroil on them. When the time came... I snapped all four top bolts.
Wanted to write my experience as someone getting ready to tackle this job may find every post useful.
Spend the time using kroil, liquid wrench, pb blaster whatever, because if it works what a heaven sent gift!
I have read lots of people dropping the fuel tank or lifting the body off the frame. I dropped the fuel tank but did not want to lift the body I was trying to avoid anymore broken bolts.
I also took off the wheel liners and that gave me a nice line of sight. With a dremel I was able to go up through the hole where the shock sits and cut the welded nuts. Was not as easy as it sounds took some chiseling to lift the nuts a bit when the cutting wheel could not reach any further and also some punches from under to finally get them off. Once off I used an aluminum oxide sander to flatten out so the new nut would sit flush. Definitely doable by anyone as I am in no way a skilled mechanic.
Good luck and hope this helps someone.
Bringing this old topic back to life.
I'm getting ready to change my rear shocks next weekend and I have not seen anywhere what's the exact size of existing bolt. I'm thinking, if I get lucky enough to take them out without breaking them I would replace them with newer bolt.
If I don't get them, well, I need new bolts anyway.
Can I get these grade 8 bolts in Lowes/Home Depot?
Thanks!
I'm getting ready to change my rear shocks next weekend and I have not seen anywhere what's the exact size of existing bolt. I'm thinking, if I get lucky enough to take them out without breaking them I would replace them with newer bolt.
If I don't get them, well, I need new bolts anyway.
Can I get these grade 8 bolts in Lowes/Home Depot?
Thanks!