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Frozen Shocks?

R

RustyRocker

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Clearfiled, PA
Ok.....i drove my Jeep this past Friday, all was well........it sat all weekend without being driven, and it was cold here, got down to zero, and highs in the single digits......anyways, i start it up on Sunday, and now every time i hit even the smallest bump, theres a really loud BANG coming from the back of the Jeep.....its riding really rough too......its kinda stiff all the time, but this is weird.....it feels as tho i have no shocks at all i the back......and today its warmer, in the 30s, and its still doing it......i have a RE 2" BB.......could it be possible that the shocks were frozen on sunday, and when i drove it, it just blew out both back shocks? All i know is.....this SUCKS! lol.....at least i have my Dads Jeep to drive until i figure out whats up with the Heep......any ideas?
 
I guess anything's possible, but shocks are usually charged with nitrogen or oil and I don't think they'll freeze that easily. I'd look for other causes of rough ride like broken spring bushings, shock bushings, broken spring, etc.
 
It happens to me every year. I have to replace the shocks because I blow the seals out of them. The weird thing is it's only the back ones never the front. Mind you the temp on average around here come winter -30C. We just had a little spell of -42 or with the wind -57C.
 
Im going to check later today for broken springs and all of that......its just weird that the Jeep was fine friday, sat for two dyas or so, and now its doing this, u know? its not like i was wheeling in the cold this weekend, the Jeep just sat there, and now.......damn.....i hate to buy shocks again, the BB is only one year old.......oh well, besides that, it works fine for me, every day, cold or no cold, so i cant complain.....TOO much that is, lol...thanks for the replys!
 
I show nitrogen freezes at -345.75*F, so I'd doubt it was the root cause, but the typical synthetic oil freezes at -65*F= possible. Both of these numbers are at zero pressure and would still seem unlikely in PA, but I'll still believe anything until proven otherwise:roll:
 
I don't think the oil would have to freeze solid for the shock to fail, just get so thick that it couldn't flow through the metered orifice quickly enough.
 
Im thinking if i have to replace the rear shocks....im going with Rough Country......keep the REs on the front......if i have to keep buying new ones, may as well be fairly cheap, right? As for the oil, that was what i was kinda thinking....not totally froze, but thick, and it blew them out, i guess......the wind chill was -25 all weeken, and it was sitting right in a good stiff wind......musta been too much.......thanks for the ideas guys!
 
Daedalus454 said:
I don't think the oil would have to freeze solid for the shock to fail, just get so thick that it couldn't flow through the metered orifice quickly enough.
Click to expand...
a valid point-that could definitely cause premature failure. Now I'm curious, how cold would be TOO cold?

this would still mean you've got some "old school" cheapo's though, as even the standard factory shock was primarily dampened through nitrogen charge.
 
Last edited:
just get nitrogen... they don't freeze until -345... so you probably wont have to worry about them getting too thick.
 
After the deep freeze we had here in Indiana, my hatch struts quit supporting the hatch.

Kinda like shocks, you could say.....

Another guy on another forum mentioned that the rubber seals/gaskets could have been dry, and then the cold makes them brittle and then they leak.
 
My hatch struts don't support the hatch below 20F or so. Sometimes if it isn't TOO cold (10+ degrees F) I can hold the hatch up for a minute or so and the struts seem to "catch up" and hold it open, but I usually just let it sit on my shoulders while I grab whatever and duck out from under it while it slams shut.

It still surprises me now and then, and I turn around to get the grab handle to my forehead...
 
My hatch does that too when its cold out, i think they all do, unless you have replaced them in the past. Tyr this next time.....when mine does that, i kinda move the hatch up and down a few times, like a few inches up, a few down....do that a few times, and it should make them work better....not sure if it heats up the oil, or just thins it out, but it worked on both the Jeeps ive owned.......you look kinda stupid in a parking lot, working the hatch up and down, but it beats getting beaned in the fore head by the hatch, lol......:doh:
 
Yeah, that helps, but I just don't feel the need unless I want the hatch open for some extended period. Yeah, I've replaced them. For the same reason. They started doing it again within a couple years. I think it's just something I've gotta live with living in Da Yoop.
 
Well.....its the damn rea shocks alright.....drivers side is SHOT, not doing anything, except rattling.....passenger side isnt much better....musta been the cold that did them in, i guess.....it sucks tho.....RE shocks, slightly over one year old.....and now this? Im buying Rough Country shocks in the moring to replace the back ones......im not paying out the ass for REs again, if im going to be changing them this often.......i know RC shocks will ride rough, as im told at least, but as long as they hold up, i can deal with the ride....i used to drive a 1989 Dodge Power Ram 250......that was a rough ride.....
 
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