Blown shock seal on a Rancho RS7000

[Tozan]

I am heading to Arizona for a month this weekend so I took the rig in to rotate and balance tires. I was also replacing the spare with a new tire since they only had 4 tires in stock when I switched to the 35's.

The shock started leaking after they jacked it up to rotate the tires. It is a Rancho RS7000 strut and it decided to blow a seal. I guess it is better for it to blow now instead of on a trail or in the middle of nowhere. I guess it is time for an up grade...

I think I will be replacing it with a set of Fox shocks so I can correct my ride height since the fox shocks are adjustable too. But, finding someone here to do an alignment before Sunday most likely will be impossible and I have no clue who I can trust for a good alignment in the Phoenix area...

 

[The_Burban]

They stopped making that kit I believe you have posted?y Try contacting them? Maybe they still support the product or can sell a replacement shock for time being vs Fox $$$$.

I agree with a Fox kit for your vehicle's use.

Never a good time to happen but there are worse times it could happen!

Good luck finding a shop...

 

[Tozan]

Fox doesn't make a 2.0 for the Rancho lift kit. So I may have to go with another RS 7000 for now and design and machine a new mount later for the Fox 2.0 so it will work. Or bite the bullet and get a Fox 2.5

Either way I am going to deal with it after I get to Arizona. I will be there for a month and the ranch has a 3 car garage. So I may tear it apart and figure this all out then.

 

[The Raven]

I installed RS9000's in February and had a rear blow out in April. Thought the same thing you did - just get Fox 2.0s, but Rancho overnighted me a replacement and I threw it in as soon as I got it, so basically I completed the replacement less than 24 hours after I noticed the problem. Having a shock croak that fast may be a bit alarming, but having the manufacturer respond like that makes me confident enough to give them another chance.

 

[OR VietVet]

"I think I will be replacing it with a set of Fox shocks so I can correct my ride height since the fox shocks are adjustable too. But, finding someone here to do an alignment before Sunday most likely will be impossible and I have no clue who I can trust for a good alignment in the Phoenix area..."


As I have said a few times, I have been away from running shops now for about 10 years and this statement interests me. I did not know that shocks were made that can adjust the ride height. I knew they were adjustable for stiffness for better feel and cornering but did not know they are made to adjust the height. I can see that if the shock has a spring on it that you can adjust and if that is what it is, is that the Fox shock you are talking about.

So now I can assume that the shocks you are talking about are coil over shocks.

 

[Tozan]

I installed RS9000's in February and had a rear blow out in April. Thought the same thing you did - just get Fox 2.0s, but Rancho overnighted me a replacement and I threw it in as soon as I got it, so basically I completed the replacement less than 24 hours after I noticed the problem. Having a shock croak that fast may be a bit alarming, but having the manufacturer respond like that makes me confident enough to give them another chance.

The shop in Reno (Folebeck) is not a shop I will ever do business with they do not stand by their poor workmanship and I would rather pay to replace them then take anything back to them...

"I think I will be replacing it with a set of Fox shocks so I can correct my ride height since the fox shocks are adjustable too. But, finding someone here to do an alignment before Sunday most likely will be impossible and I have no clue who I can trust for a good alignment in the Phoenix area..."


As I have said a few times, I have been away from running shops now for about 10 years and this statement interests me. I did not know that shocks were made that can adjust the ride height. I knew they were adjustable for stiffness for better feel and cornering but did not know they are made to adjust the height. I can see that if the shock has a spring on it that you can adjust and if that is what it is, is that the Fox shock you are talking about.

So now I can assume that the shocks you are talking about are coil over shocks.

Yes the 2.0 are coil over shocks.

 

[Tozan]

I ended up sticking another Rancho 7000 in there for the time being. After pulling the old shock out it measured 1.78 inches longer than the new shock is.....

The most likely reason for this is when Folbeck 4 wd installed the shock they used an impact wrench to tighten the shock nut and damaged the inside of the shock. It was just a matter of time before the shock came apart internally allowing it to over extend and blow the seal when the truck was lifted up.

So I finished swapping out the shock and made sure it was done right this time... I wonder now if and when the other side will self destruct in the future...

 

[jogan]

Sorry for off-topic
I have the same lift as you, did you ever get a chance to replace your UCA

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[Tozan]

Sorry for off-topic
I have the same lift as you, did you ever get a chance to replace your UCA

Sent from my G8142 using Tapatalk

Yes, I went with Moogs upper and lower and replaced all 4 I figured since it is all apart anyway and I would need an alignment then it would be best to replace them all at once. It rides great now and things are back to working the way they should. I wish I had replaced the adjusters and their bolts at the same time too.

 

[jogan]

Awesome thanks bro

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[Tozan]

Update: I picked up a set of King 2.5 remote reservoir coil-overs today........ Not sure how long it will be before I get a chance to install them...

 

[Tozan]

Update: I dropped these off at King to get a longer rod installed to accommodate my 4 inch lift.

 

[Thebesta94]

Just replaced my FTS adjustable 7-9" struts and had my fox 2.0 absorbers rebuilt... highly recommended the fox shocks for that reason. Have a place here in dallas that rebuilds them for $80 a piece and worth it if you can get them to mount.

 

[Thebesta94]

How do the kings ride?

 

[Tozan]

How do the kings ride?

They are "in the mail"... lol I should get them installed next week

 

[Tozan]

This was a great $150.00 investment... I love horse trading for parts...

I installed my King 2.5 DIA. REMOTE RESERVOIR COIL-OVER Performance struts today.... With my 4 inch lift I had to get longer rods the stock shocks are around 18 inches these are 23.6 inches with over 5 inches of stroke.

I set ride height to allow for 3 inches of droop this leaves at least 6 inches for compression until bottoming out. Yes I have over 9 inches of travel now.

How does it feel..... Well amazingly better... It feels just as smooth if not better on the highway and I had to drive across the field with little boulders in it next door and also hit several speed bumps as well... Hit them a lot faster than normal people would too... lol The suspension kind of shrugged it off and felt very smooth. It was much smoother and softer than it was with the Rancho RS7000's and it didn't make any noise... I give these shocks 3 thumbs up...

 

[Tozan]

Follow up:

I took it out this weekend to a popular hot springs along the Carson river. Very rough 2 hour trek in surface composed mostly of 6 to 12 inch rock covered trails with plenty of 18 to 36 inch boulders to squeeze or climb over. A dozen water crossings with 2 to 4 foot deep washouts going in every direction. Plenty of steep climbs and descents along the way too. I watched a ford crawler roll over 3 times down one of them. Fun three day weekend.


The front worked great at crawling speeds the added articulation was good. I had a front tire over 24 inches up and all the tires were still on the ground. They are very good at controlling the bounce in either direction while at crawling speeds too.

On trails I was able to go much faster I often found myself speeding up even in rocky sections because they soak up speed bump size holes like they don't exist. Not a good thing with this trail, the rocks are very sharp and jagged.

They love 70 plus MPH dirt roads and trails. They are very confident inspiring shocks. On paved roads and highways they feel better than ever.

King Shocks are certainly worth the money if you are going to do a lot of harsh surfaces and want something that really makes life more comfortable. They are certainly great for desert roads.

I only have one complaint.. Now I want more travel in the back and a set of King shocks there too. I haven't measured the rear travel yet but, there is only 3 inches before it hits the bump stops installed with the lift kit... Anyone know of a long travel kit for the Tahoe or Silverado?