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question on shock absorbers - 95 ford windstar 3.8L

8839 Views 10 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  mark v, 
N
Hi, all:

i am about to replace rear shocks on my 95 windstar and I have a question on it.

The manual says that
the rear shock-absorber-to-chassis is held by M12x1.75 bolt and a J-nut.
I could see the bolt but could not see this J-nut and it felt that it is inside the chassis.
Question...
if I remove the M12 bolt, will the nut remain in place or will it fall off. My hunch is that this nut is actually held by something on the other side so that it maintains its orientation with the respect to the clearance hole once the bolt is removed.

if anyone has replaced the rear shocks, how did you guys get to that j-nut?

Thank you,
newbie321
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Cuda_jim
Welcome!

"J" nuts (tinnerman) stay in place when the bolt is removed. They can be replaced if broken....but liberal use of penetrating oil should avoid that hassle.


Let s know how it went....snap a few pictures and post them up for a nice "How To".
:)

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N
update on rear shock replacement

Hi, guys:

I am presenting the photos for the rear shock replacement.
Summary:
Overall the process went smooth. It must be noted that those bolts were very rusty and most of the time went onto prepping the bolt and nut to be operated on. I had to scrub as much rust as possible and soak the bolts in the penetrating oil.
The breaker bar helped me to start the nuts. without it I would not be able to remove those. It is all about TORQUE!!!
Ideally I would recommend that you do not re-use the bolts, especially the bottom one. BUT the bottom bolt is kind of a specialty bolt and I search everywhere in my city to find none. When I will find the new bolts I will replace the bolts.

The bottom nut is 18mm. The top bolt is 15mm. I found that it was the best to start the motion with the breaker bar, then use the combination wrench to remove the nut. The ratchet did not work too well for me. But then again, I do not have a good ratchet wrench....:(

let me know if any question.
My total expenses were $42.00 + 2 hours of my time. At the dealership, they charge around $200.

newbie321

The old shocks were totally empty. I compressed one without any effort.

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What brand shock did you use ?
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Cuda_jim
:thumbsup: newbie321, Good job on the write up, looks like it went pretty smooth.
BTW: The old bolts looks OK but any bolt of the same diameter and length will work. The tab is used to speed the assembly process.....it stops the bolt from spinning while the nut is tightened.
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mark v
Thanks for the pictures. I will also be doing this job soon along with Monroe Quick-Struts.
http://www.fordforumsonline.com/for...just-bought-windstar-suspension-rockauto.html
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N
I used a Monroe Shock Absorber from the Oreilly Auto store website.
It is great if you have a branch in your city. You can order on the web and then just pick it up yourself later on.
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printman31
newbie321 said:
I used a Monroe Shock Absorber from the Oreilly Auto store website.
It is great if you have a branch in your city. You can order on the web and then just pick it up yourself later on.
Click to expand...
Just for a mental note. You can do the same thing with Autozone. But excuse my upcoming plug. I'm finding that the prices are cheaper @ Rockauto. That's not factoring in the discount from this forum either. Yes you have to wait for shipping. But that's ok if you're able to plan a repair rather than having a breakdown & need the part like yesterday.
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mark v
Yep RockAuto can be cheaper, especially with the forum discount!
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N
mark v said:
Yep RockAuto can be cheaper, especially with the forum discount!
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Oh, I totally agree!! RockAuto is the way to go!! And I only wish I can become a customer of RockAuto. Unfortunately, I live in Hawaii and last time I called to RockAuto the S&H price was either too astronomical or not available. In any case, I gave up hoping that I will ever be a RockAuto customer. So if they could give me the mainland shipping rates that would be awesome and I would always buy from them. ;)

yes, so if you live on the mainland, RockAuto should be your best friend. :)

newbie321
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mark v
Yeah I guess that S&H would royally blow the discount!
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