rear shocks - what's the risk of bolt breakage now?

I've searched and read through all the posts about changing the rear shocks - I'm realizing this site is an awesome resource for the XJ owner... Had great luck with the forums in helping to figure out I had an issue with front U-joints - they are all fixed up now!

So, I read that the b@$tards (ie, upper shock bolts) will break off if you look at them wrong.

I've been spraying mine with PB Blaster every night for about a week or more - spraying both from the bottom and from the top, through that triangular hole in the body cross member back there. Some days, they get sprayed in the morning before work, and in the evening too.

How likely is it that they will snap off? I'm anticipating the worst, even after all the PB, though the stuff is pretty amazing. The XJ has got 177k on it, all in NY and mostly highway - easy mileage - it's not the rustiest XJ I've seen, but it's seen it's share of corrosion. Any tricks, other than the PB, to getting the bolts out without breakage?

I will probably spray them a few more days, then give it the old college try - I'll be sure to post back here what happens, maybe this thread will help someone out down the road. If they break off, it's probably not worth days of spraying them with PB - may as well just break them all off and get on with it. But hey, if it works, maybe it is a worth while thing to use a whole can of PB on......well, maybe not a WHOLE can......

HAHAHA, pretty dam likely. Mines an 01 with 40K that came from nevada and never saw snow till 2 years ago. All but one of mine snapped.

I replaced my shocks a couple of months ago...didn't break on bolt. Didn't think about it at the time, but should have replace them with some grade 8 bolts.

But I did what you did...soak them with PB Blaster...then hit each one squarely on the bolt head a few times with a hammer...to help loosen up any rust.

When it came time to remove the bolt...I used a long extension and univeral joint...it was had to get the socket to fit 'square' over the bolt head without one...the shock gets in the way and the bolts are at a slight angle relative to the body. I tried to used a box-end wrench, but it was difficult to get any leaverage.

So, just slowly turned counter-clock wise and each one came out with no problem.

Of course I live in central Cali...all we get is sun and rain.

ithica NY... 100% at least one... PB a couple times a day for two days while hitting it on the bolt heads with a hammer each time. then pray for the best...

Yeah I dunno I must have got really lucky. I live in the northeast and my 91 has a rotted hole in the drivers floor and both rockers. I sprayed all four bolts down starting about a week before I was doing my lift and then when the time came all four came out without a problem. Weird? yeah according to many. Impossible? definately not.

its all about patience and prep. if you spray em and let em soak, youll be less likely to break... but up here its kina hard to not break one. good for you!

Heat. Hit it with a torch (propane or MAPP) for a minute. or so. It'll expand the metal, ever so slightly, and help break the rust loose.

Try to turn the boltl
tighter a little then start to back it off

I only broke one myself, but I leanerd a few things about it.

1) use PB and heat. Then tap it a few times to loosen the rust and let the PB into the threads a bit.
2) don't use an EZ-Out or extractor. They break! Just get a drill bit and skip right to the drilling stage. You'll break the ezout and that sucks to drill through.

If one does break, centre punch the broken bolt, then drill it out to whatever size it takes to get a 3/8" tap in there and retap it to 3/8.

I broke em all

120K miles on mine and managed not to break any! Got lucky I guess.

have you removed them? thats what we are talking about, removing the bolts when replacing shocks

onebluemcm said:

I will probably spray them a few more days, then give it the old college try - I'll be sure to post back here what happens, maybe this thread will help someone out down the road. If they break off, it's probably not worth days of spraying them with PB - may as well just break them all off and get on with it. But hey, if it works, maybe it is a worth while thing to use a whole can of PB on......well, maybe not a WHOLE can......

Click to expand...

yea, but it sucks having to tap and dye up there, when you could just spend a couple days PBing it and get a couple, if not all out.

I soaked mine and then turned a little out, then in, then out, you get the idea. Didn't break one.

If I was home I'd give you a hand, but I'm out of the country on business. Good luck!

When I put my lift on, I sprayed some AeroKroil on them a couple days before, then right before we took them off we used some WD40. My XJ is an 87, and we didn't break one bolt or snap off one nut. Of course we used a regular ratchet, and a breaker bar on the bolts with nuts welded inside the frame.

I always do it as Sparkman does. On my very rusty 87 with shocks so old they were rusted out and the bolt heads were hard to find in the bed of rust, all the bolts came out. On my stepson's relatively rusty 93 with original shocks they came right out. On my 95, at a time when it showed almost no rust, I broke 3. On my stepson's 96 I broke all 4. Go figure. ETA I just realized that with that trend, if I ever have to do my 99, which has almost no rust at all, I'll probably break a few extras that aren't even there!

My 97 from Texas w/o any rust I sprayed for 2 weeks prior, and then was really gentle keeping the angles of the socket perfect broke all four without even thinking about coming out. It was easy to knock the old nuts off, and hold new nuts up with a wrench and put new bolts in. Good Luck

I broke mine so I WELDED the Rocky Road BPE's in place so I never have to worry about it again. I can change the shocks at will now. If you break em off, you can drive it to a welder with no shocks to get mounts welded on if necessary. Just don't hit the railroad tracks at 60mph...:shhh:

If they ...I mean when they break...just drill them out to a size that will work and put a nut and bolt in their place. You can go about it a couple of ways...Its possible to get a nut or bolt in between the floor pan and the crossmember that holds the upper rear shock bolts. Its a real PITA but it can be done. You can try to put a bolt down thru the hole you just drilled or slide a nut over the weld nut thats already in there and thread a bolt in to it from below. OR....
You can cut two little access panels in your floor pan, remember.. the shock mounts are not directly across from each other, look underneath and you'll see where to cut. I would cut round holes, less chance of them tearing. Now you can replace those bolts, you can cover the holes over in whatever manner works for you.
I think there is a thread in here on how someone else did it, check it out and you can modify it to suit your needs.

i got a 96, i sprayed them for a week.. and all 4 snapped..