Rusting shocks

My front shocks are covered with rust now and I was wondering if I should go a head and replace them. The shock body was origanlly white and now its just rust. The rears are starting to get there too. These shocks are about 5yrs old. Should I go a head and replace them now or is this typical. They front are Rough Country and the rears are Rancho.

Do they still work... If it bugs the shit out of you yeah replace them. If not pull tire and spray paint em. Atleast that is what I would do.

If they're still good and no leaks pull them out clean and lightly sand them, then spray with some rust converter and throw them back in.

Thats what I was planning on, I really dont have the money for new shocks right now. Besides leaking, what are good ways to tell when they are going bad?

Don't be so sure about no visual leaks. I was running RC's front and rear, got new tires (gy mtr's) and noticed them starting to cup right around 5000 miles. But it wasn't just on the edges is was all the way across and only on the front. The only thing I could come up with is the shocks. So I got some slightly used ones on here for $30 and when I pulled the RC's off they super easy to move on the jounce and rebound. Also you could shake 'em and hear the oil moving around in there. Also had just aligned it myself so I knew that was good.
BTW: mine were moderately rusted.

109ace said:

Thats what I was planning on, I really dont have the money for new shocks right now. Besides leaking, what are good ways to tell when they are going bad?

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A "jounce and rebound" test is the best way to tell. Basically you go to each corner of the vehicle and start bouncing (for lack of a better word) the suspension until you have a good motion going, then stop and count how many times the vehicle "bounces" after you stop. Ultimately it should stop within one to three. And if one corner takes longer to settle than the other thatt shock is more worn. It's simple to understand basically you springs are there to absorb the imperfections in the road (or trail) and the shocks are there to control the suspension's movement so you don't keep bouncing around.

Yah I had both front shocks crap out on me and would cause loud knocking sounds when going over RR crossings. Pulled them out to replace under warranty and never realized how bouncy it was with no shocks on the front driving down the road. Made me wonder what it'd be like on the trail to pull all 4 since it seemed to move smoother but bounce for a while afterwards.