2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee shock replacement

[woohog1]

Howdy all I need some adivce on changing the shocks on my wifes 2001 jeep grand cherokee. I have some mechanincal experience so technical jargon is ok. Basically what I would like to know is am I going to have to get a tool to compress the rear spring, or is there another way to do it. I am somewhat familiar w/ GMC and Fords, but have very little experience w/ jeeps. Thanks in advance for the help.

[DaveOrion]

Are we talking conventional shocks or struts??? To replace conventional shocks you just unbolt em and replace em, the hardest part is usually getting the old bolts loose. Struts are a bit harder......

[Charlatan]

I had the struts replaced on my 1988 Jeep Cherokee. At the time I was told it was a common thing to go on Jeeps. Of course it was a 12-year-old vehicle at the time.

And yes, shocks are easy. Struts are not.

[woohog1]

Yes, it is just shocks. The moron at autozone said that I would need to compress the spring, but couldnt tell me anything else about how to do it.

[KirStang]

Isn't there a spring compressor tool? Basically a clamp w/ a screw running down it's side, and you turn the screw to compress the spring. That's all i know. =P

[DaveOrion]

You need the spring compessor to rebuild struts, I dont recommend this for the typical do it yourselfer. You can remove the whole strut asemply then take it to a qualified shop for the rebuilding process. I've bought a Haynes manual for every car I've had for the last 20 years. It covers everything about your car and will tell you when something requires specialized tools or equipment and should be taken to pro. They're about $20 new and available at most autoparts stores, or you can check eBay or Yahoo and get em a little cheaper. Money well spent.

Heres a link to a quick 'how to' on shocks....http://www.popularmechanics.com/auto...o/1272396.html

[woohog1]

Yea I figured I would need a spring compressor for the struts, but will I need one for the shocks as well? I was under the impression that I could just unbolt it and reattach the new one.

[cyrnel]

No, you don't need a compressor. It uses conventional coil springs and shocks on live axles. Take a look under the wheel wells.

[Deltona Couple]

It is a pretty simple job really. If you have a jack, lift the rear of the vehicle until you can place jack stands under the SUBFRAME of the Jeep. Then using the jack, place just enough lift on the axle housing to just BEGIN to lift the axle (maybe 1/2 inch or so) no higher. Unbolt the shocks, remove them, place in the new shocks. Then lower the axle back down, safely remove the jack stands from the subframe, and voila! shocks are done. Just remember, and I can NEVER stress this enough. ALWAYS work safe, don't get underneath a vehicle that is held up by only a jack. ALWAYS use jack stands. If you don't have any, many parts stores like AutoZone, and Discount auto will rent them for only a few dollars for the time you will need them. Good luck and tell us how things turned out!

[woohog1]

Deltona Couple- Thanks, yea im gonna be working safe. Just real quick what is a sub frame, is that the actual frame of the vehicle or what. This should be an easy job and im not stressed about it, just wanted to make sure that I do it right. Not having any experience w/ jeeps didnt know what that would entail.

[cyrnel]

They aren't that difficult to remove with the Jeep sitting on the ground. The fronts are a pain just because the shock towers are buried under other junk, especially the driver side, which makes a wobble extension helpful.