I replaced the front shock absorbers on my Ranger today and I have a question about torquing the upper mounting nut. The problem I have is that the threaded rod that is attached to the top of the shock turns when I put a socket on there and try to torque it to the proper spec. You can put a crescent wrench on the top of that threaded rod(it has flat spots) and tighten the nut some with a wrench, but the crescent wrench wants to slip and round off the top of that threaded rod. So my question is, how do you torque that upper nut without the shock spinning below?

I'm sure I'm missing an easy solution!

It's a '98 2.5 ltr., 2 wheel drive with coil springs.

 

Generally using an open end wrench works best before rounding off

The top of the rod. Adjustable wrenches suck at this task, as you found out.

Are the new shocks aftermarket with a rubber boot?

If OEM type, you can probably hold the metal boot to secure the nut.

 

It's an OEM type shock. A Monro Gas-Matic. Maybe I can get a channel lock pliers on the metal boot to see if I can hold it that way. Thanks.

 

You can probably grip it with your hand, wait, are the shocks inside the coils, I canʻt remember.

 

The shocks are inside the coil, so I don't know if I can get at it or not. I won't get back to it for a few days, I'll let you know what I figure out. Thanks for the replies.

 

As has been said, an open end wrench is usually used to hold the rod while torquing the retaining nut to 30-41 ft/lbs.

 

Snap-on Tools

http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Ca...240_0006394289

there is a specific tool to loosen/tighten. i would also ck napa or other car parts stores

 

Good to have if you use it all the time! This would be great for removing old shocks.

You know how frustrating that gets.

I think I will look in to getting one of these, but the 18.00 price tag is kind of heavy.

Thanks for the link.

 

FWIW, I've used (on occasion) a pair of vise grips to hold the shaft and allow me to tighten or loosen the upper mount.

The shaft is hardened and the vise grips are not, so the shaft is not damaged in any way. If you use this method, you should grip the shaft through the coils as high on the shaft as you can, just as a precaution. The seal on the shock won't ever reach this high.

 

I did pick up one of those shock absorber sockets and got the nut tightened properly. They come in different sizes, so make sure you get the right one. The one I got was a tad bit big, but it still worked...barely. It was only about $2.50. Thanks for the help!

 

Good feedback & to hear the special socket rockettsled suggested helped you get your problem solved.