I've noticed a rattle in the last couple of weeks. I had taken a quick look and couldn't see anything and I finally decided to get under to take a closer look. To my great surprise, the rod on my right rear Bilstein is snapped off right at the top of the shock. The rod is wedged between the brace and the cross member.

How the hell could this have happened with my usual Sunday driving??? LOL

Well, I removed the right shock, the rattle is gone. So I probably should keep it under 100mph, just to be cautious.

Now, should I change both shocks or only the defective one? The shocks had about 15K on them.
TB

 

If your truck is lowered in the rear it adds stress to the top of the shock and they can break.

 

Yes, the truck is lowered with shackles and front hangers for a total of 3".

If there is additional stress, what is the solution? There are many LIghtnings with this type of drop and this is the first time I hear about broken shock rods.

TB

 

There have been a few with that problem ... I think
they installed Heim joints on the upper shock mounts
to correct it...

 

I snapped my right QA1 adjustable shock in the same place.

 

I'm just curious if the pun was intentional

 

The first time I said it, it wasn't. That why I thought it was funny.


I do have a 3" drop but I have installed shock extenders to prevent stress on the shocks. Is it possible that the right shock being staggered has more stress on it? Someone told me that newer Lightnings 2002-2003 don't have the staggered shocks anymore. Is that the case?

I know QA-1 are excellent shocks and JDM02SVT still managed to snap one. Can Heim joints be installed on the Bilsteins?

Thanks guys,
TB