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Easy fix for sagging rear suspension

XJBC98

NAXJA Forum User
Location
British Columbia
Is it possible to fix sagging rear suspension by adding a extra leaf spring?
I know that putting new shocks on it alone wouldn't fix the problem.
Pritty sure this is a common issue.

Thxs.
 
I'm using Monroe Loadleveler shocks, the kind with small coil springs around the tubes. They got me back to stock height in the rear and added a whole bunch of stiffness to the rearend suspension. Good enough, cheap enough for my DD i figure.
 
The easiest solution that will restore some arch to your leafs is to replace your stock shocks with Monroe sensatrac load adjusting shocks.
They have a coil spring wrapped around them. When I put these on my XJ, the rear sat up around 3/4 of an inch higher. Ride is a little springy at first, but mellows out after awhile. Adding a donor XJ long leaf with the ends cut off, will get you around an inch, but is more work than replacing shocks.
 
What do these magic Monroe shocks run for you guys who have replaced them?

I'm using Monroe Loadleveler shocks, the kind with small coil springs around the tubes. They got me back to stock height in the rear and added a whole bunch of stiffness to the rearend suspension. Good enough, cheap enough for my DD i figure.
 
What you want to do is search for "Bastard Pack." it's been covered several times and involves adding a leaf from a junkyard setup to aid our sagging springs. It's something I've been meaning to do for my 98 for quite some time now.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1034248&highlight=bastard+pack

This is what I'm getting ready to do, grab pair of main leafs from a salvage yard XJ and cut off the eyes, then add them to the pack.

If your springs are sagging--flat or even inverted--there is no shock that is going to really help. Shocks are there to control the return rate of the springs. If you don't mind bouncing wildly down the road you can run without the shocks, but you sure as heck won't get very far trying to run without a spring.

The only thing you are going to really do adding new shocks to bad springs is shorten the life of the shocks considerably.
 
got a pair for bout $100. certainly not a perfect or permanent fix but probably easier than adding leafs. unless you gotta mess with the origional upper shock bolts that is!
 
get some of the med duty replacement leaf springs from quadratec and some of the standard monroe sensatrac shocks from anywhere and it will improve the ride greatly.
 
This is what I'm getting ready to do, grab pair of main leafs from a salvage yard XJ and cut off the eyes, then add them to the pack.

If your springs are sagging--flat or even inverted--there is no shock that is going to really help. Shocks are there to control the return rate of the springs. If you don't mind bouncing wildly down the road you can run without the shocks, but you sure as heck won't get very far trying to run without a spring.

The only thing you are going to really do adding new shocks to bad springs is shorten the life of the shocks considerably.

I agree, replace the springs.

I also had a shock bracket fall off once, I drove around with only 1 shock in the rear, still drove just fine, only a little bouncier in the rear.
 
$100 shipped from RockAuto, although I went ahead and replaced the springs. Crown UpCountry replacements from Morris, maybe $200, including bushings and shipping (they were markedly cheaper than QT, and have the forum discount, which made it cheaper still. But, I think their prices are very close now).
 
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