shocks what shocks
Shocks, What Shocks?
Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 10,118
Likes: 650
From: NH
It sure looks like something was rubbing on the shock, particularly on the second photo. If it was just heat, why would the boot only melt in one spot? And why does the shock reveal missing paint in a pretty clean scrape, particularly on photo 2 again? I know these "Ranchos" are junk, but it seems impossible with all the testing Ford did that this would be a typical result.
Prolocutor
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 13,618
Likes: 1,245
From: Western MA
Tyler, the boot got soft due to the heat and collapsed a bit and rubbed on the hot shock itself. You can see the marks in the paint on the shock. Just a theory of course as I didn't watch it as it happened but it seems to make sense to me?
Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 10,118
Likes: 650
From: NH
It could be. It just seems strange. I saw plenty of videos of these trucks being tested off-road during development, and even some of the media events had off-road courses. I cannot imagine no one at Ford would have noticed these failures...unless natpark's shocks were somehow defective.
I've got 7,000 miles on my truck, non-FX4 with black Ford shocks, no sign of leakage or stress. When I got my truck this past fall, I was completing a job which involved driving up rough fire roads. I've also driven muddy, rutted dirt roads this late February when the big warmup hit, and even our normal highways are filled with potholes and frost heaves.
Hmm. Shame on Ford for those FX4 shocks.
I've got 7,000 miles on my truck, non-FX4 with black Ford shocks, no sign of leakage or stress. When I got my truck this past fall, I was completing a job which involved driving up rough fire roads. I've also driven muddy, rutted dirt roads this late February when the big warmup hit, and even our normal highways are filled with potholes and frost heaves.
Hmm. Shame on Ford for those FX4 shocks.
Prolocutor
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 13,618
Likes: 1,245
From: Western MA
Failures happen on these more frequently than you'd think. I asked MediumDan about it back when he was posting last fall. He gave me kind of a canned corporate reply about how Ford wasn't aware of any excessive failures with the Rancho branded shocks. Blah... I think what makes this failure so dramatic is that the OP didn't notice for so long allowing them to cook. Makes for quite the photo op though...
Cargo Master
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 2,289
Likes: 2,036
From: Central MO
If these trucks ride so well with these *****ty shocks, just think what they'd do with some good ones!
You don't hear about the failures with the normal shocks, so why doesn't Ford just paint them white and put a red boot on 'em, stamp 'Rancho' on the side and use them? Seems it'd be better than these crappy things.
You don't hear about the failures with the normal shocks, so why doesn't Ford just paint them white and put a red boot on 'em, stamp 'Rancho' on the side and use them? Seems it'd be better than these crappy things.
Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 10,118
Likes: 650
From: NH
I think someone said they actually are the same thing, or maybe the previous-gen was. I'm not sure. On my 5th Super Duty, all of them non-FX4, never had a failure on any of them. Maybe just lucky.
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Prolocutor
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 13,618
Likes: 1,245
From: Western MA
They are made by Tenneco for Ford just like the standard shocks but are valved differently. Tenneco also makes Monroe shocks as well as the real Rancho shocks. But, each line is produced to the specs required by each brand. For some reason, Ford's requirements for the Rancho shocks are less than stellar. Rancho is a really good brand and I agree with the earlier post that they are doing themselves a disservice by allowing Ford to license their name and put it on these sub par shocks.
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 122
Likes: 8
So, just a bit more info. We where in a rather remote place and even if I did notice that the shocks had failed there would have been nothing I could have done about it. As far as how the truck rides, I would say it's just a bit more bouncy now as a result of no damping. The boots melted on inside and I rotated then so I could take the picture as you really could not see the melted boot as it's on the frame and spring side. I could hardly notice the oil as we had an even layer of dust on everything as well. I believe the boots melted as a result of being over heated with the blown shocks run dry and then moreheat was trapped on the inside edge so that is where the melt happened. My plan is to get whatever I can from the dealer and then replace them once more options are out there. Trust me I was not running this truck too hard. This is my first new car ever, I am in my mid forties and I take very good care of my stuff. No desert racing or running it like a Raptor.
Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 1,056
Likes: 2
The heat source was the shock itself. It's actually common, I've seen bilstein 5100's do it and they are twice as good as those fake ranchos.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 19,689
Likes: 12,816
From: Wyoming
The Nissan Titan guys are seeing similar issues with the Rancho shocks on their trucks. I removed the Rancho shocks from my '07 within a year and replaced them with SAW piggyback shocks. That improved the ride quite a bit. I then tried a set of much less expensive Bilstein shocks and the ride was about the same as the SAW shocks.
If I was Rancho I would stop providing such garbage as OEM and instead sell Ford a shock that is better quality. How many folks are going to put Rancho back in when the OEM shocks are (prematurely) toast? That doesn't sound like a good business model to me.
I'll probably experiment with the shocks on my F-350 to see if I can improve the ride enough that my passengers don't complain (too much). When I told my wife that my fishing buddies thought the ride was rough she (bless her heart) said, "Well, it is a pickup truck."
If I was Rancho I would stop providing such garbage as OEM and instead sell Ford a shock that is better quality. How many folks are going to put Rancho back in when the OEM shocks are (prematurely) toast? That doesn't sound like a good business model to me.
I'll probably experiment with the shocks on my F-350 to see if I can improve the ride enough that my passengers don't complain (too much). When I told my wife that my fishing buddies thought the ride was rough she (bless her heart) said, "Well, it is a pickup truck."
Prolocutor
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 13,618
Likes: 1,245
From: Western MA
Jim, it's not a "real" Rancho shock. It's a Ford shock made my Tenneco painted Rancho colors. Ford has the shocks made and installs them. They just pay a royalty to Rancho to use their name and colors.