So I took the dive and replaced my XREAS. I work in IT so wrenching isn't something I do all the time. It took me about 6 hours for all 4 sides. It would not have been possible without the great source of information on this site.
The rears were more of a pain in the ass than the fronts only because there's not much room to access the upper bolt. I also didn't realize that I had to drop the stabilizer bar, so I struggled with trying to get the rear in for a little. I also had to do the front driver side a second time because I missed one of the washers that was stuck on the old shock. Live and learn I guess.
With all that said, I'm definitely happy with the upgrade. I wouldn't say my XREAS was bad, but even so, there is a noticeable increase in stability over rough road.
Even though my XREAS was leaking (shocks looked wet), I think it was still operating normally. When I unbolted the 12mm fastener there was quite a bit of fluid loss, so there was still pressure. I think over time it probably would have just gotten worse until it completely failed.
When doing the fronts I leveraged against the lower ball joint to pull the lower control arm down enough to get the shock in place. The ball joints felt very smooth and consistent when moving them around, but I did notice a little bit of grease that leaked out onto my cheater bar after I got the shock in place. I'm not sure how I feel about that, putting weight on it, and having a little grease show up. Thoughts?
I also didn't fully remove XREAS. I believe where the shocks connect are check valves, so removing just the shocks it shouldn't be leaking all over the place randomly right? I think when I get another day off I'll finish the job and completely remove the tubes and control absorbers. For the rears I just snipped the rubber tubing to keep it from tangling.
One thing I noticed on my first test drive, which is probably completely normal, is a clunk from the front driver and passenger side. This is probably just the suspension settling? No other noises have happened since those two clunks.
I had an alignment done 3 weeks ago after putting new times on and everything checked out good. But I took it in this morning after doing the work and caster and toe were out of spec, so they went ahead and got it aligned for me. Small cost to maintain some brand new tires.
Is there anything I need to do after a few days of driving? Do I need to go back and re-torque anything?
Thanks in advance,
Mike
The rears were more of a pain in the ass than the fronts only because there's not much room to access the upper bolt. I also didn't realize that I had to drop the stabilizer bar, so I struggled with trying to get the rear in for a little. I also had to do the front driver side a second time because I missed one of the washers that was stuck on the old shock. Live and learn I guess.
With all that said, I'm definitely happy with the upgrade. I wouldn't say my XREAS was bad, but even so, there is a noticeable increase in stability over rough road.
Even though my XREAS was leaking (shocks looked wet), I think it was still operating normally. When I unbolted the 12mm fastener there was quite a bit of fluid loss, so there was still pressure. I think over time it probably would have just gotten worse until it completely failed.
When doing the fronts I leveraged against the lower ball joint to pull the lower control arm down enough to get the shock in place. The ball joints felt very smooth and consistent when moving them around, but I did notice a little bit of grease that leaked out onto my cheater bar after I got the shock in place. I'm not sure how I feel about that, putting weight on it, and having a little grease show up. Thoughts?
I also didn't fully remove XREAS. I believe where the shocks connect are check valves, so removing just the shocks it shouldn't be leaking all over the place randomly right? I think when I get another day off I'll finish the job and completely remove the tubes and control absorbers. For the rears I just snipped the rubber tubing to keep it from tangling.
One thing I noticed on my first test drive, which is probably completely normal, is a clunk from the front driver and passenger side. This is probably just the suspension settling? No other noises have happened since those two clunks.
I had an alignment done 3 weeks ago after putting new times on and everything checked out good. But I took it in this morning after doing the work and caster and toe were out of spec, so they went ahead and got it aligned for me. Small cost to maintain some brand new tires.
Is there anything I need to do after a few days of driving? Do I need to go back and re-torque anything?
Thanks in advance,
Mike
