so how do i know if iv blown a shock...

[spincast375]

i was muddin with some friends and i hit this one rut pretty hard and theysaid they may have heard sumthin pop. now i didnt notice anythin til recently the blazer seems to be tilting to the right front. that shock has about an inch of paint thats been chipped off where the top and bottom meet. when i go over speedbumps at school i ride the left tires between the bumps but i hear the right front kind of crunch if i go over them too fast...
might also be noted that there seems to be alot of oil leakage close to the right front shock(mainly on the leaf spring below it) although i think this is an unrelated issue.

so does she sound blown?
if so, what do i need to know when i replace it.
should i do two at a time?

thanks
jake

 

[Pookster]

probably something other than the shock- the truck shouldnt be any differently situated because of its shock.

 

[4xcrazy]

bet you broke a leaf

 

[3 on the tree]

Unbolt the bottom of the suspect shock, and push up on it, if it compresses easily, it is toast. For a comparo, unbolt both front shocks and cross check.

 

[Greg72]

Shocks don't support the weight of the truck. A sagging corner indicates a broken leaf or something similar.

A blown shock will typically have fluid weeping out of it....

 

[Inu-Hanyou1776]

Yeah you broke something else. The others are right in saying that if you only blew a shock, the ride should have only softened up a whole lot on that corner because the blown shock would be letting the suspension move freely now. If it's listing there like you say it is, you had to have broken a leaf spring.

 

[3 on the tree]

OK guys, a shock is not designed to support the vehicles weight. HOWEVER,good gas shocks are compressed when installed, and when you cut the restraint,that compression force contributes to the lifting action of the springs. I personally have seen new shocks raise a vehicle, not as dramatically as air shocks, but noticeable.The post asked how to tell a shock was bad and I answered.

 

[89GMCSuburban]

True to that, gas shocks do push outwards.

 

[surpip]

heck yes they do, my bilstiens were a PITA to install because of that

 

[spincast375]

after careful inspection i can find no indication as to whether i have a broken leaf spring... broken leaf, seems like it should be pretty obvious. but idn.

i'll probabl;y take the shock off and test it but whats a broken leaf look like
lol i know thats prolly a dumb question but there it is

tks again
jake

 

[Greg72]

after careful inspection i can find no indication as to whether i have a broken leaf spring... broken leaf, seems like it should be pretty obvious. but idn.

i'll probabl;y take the shock off and test it but whats a broken leaf look like
lol i know thats prolly a dumb question but there it is

tks again
jake

Look for a vertical crack in any of the leaves....it's not always that easy, since the leafs are usually covered in crud.

You may have to pull the spring out....remove the center spring pin and see what leaf falls out in two pieces instead of one!!!