I have a 97 Ford Explorer V6 SOHC 4X4. I recently replaced all four shocks on the vehicle and noticed that they was a 'small' shock connecting the driveshaft (maybe 12) in front of the rear diff. to the frame on the passenger side. The part seems to be 'compressed' - does anyone know what this 'shock' is called? Thanks!

 

I beleive this is a fix to the "after shake" issues Ford had with Explorers. Look it up...you'll see a lot of complaints about this, especially on the 94s and earlier. Ford had two fixes: one was to modify the engine mounts and the other was to install a damper (or small shock) from the rear end to the frame...on the passenger side. This is similar to the little dampers found on 5.0 Mustangs. The reason for the two fixes was due to two probable causes for the after shake and neither one is related. I have 145K on my 94 and my aftershake problem was cured with new tires. Go figure!