 | Home > Maintenance & Modifications > Front Shock Absorber Replacement |
 
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| MartinK Member Since: 02 Mar 2011 Location: Silverdale (Lancashire/Cumbria Border) Posts: 2665   
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Firstly a huge thanks to members of Defender2 for describing this sequence to me. It's a very different process from the Land Rover Workshop Manual, and it's much, much easier!
Rear Shock replacement is so easy it doesn't merit a write-up, but the fronts are quote awkward as the shock sits within the coil spring. Firstly, there is no jacking involved - the LR Workshop Manual does tell you:
But IGNORE THAT! No Jacking Required - and leave the wheels on! Procedure: 1. Take off the Turret Covers in the Inner Wing I did the hardest side first - the Drivers side. It's hardest because the air filter box covers one of the screws which holds the plastic cover above the turret. So directly above each turret, in the engine bay (on the plastic inner-wing), is a domed plastic cover around 6 inches across. It's held in with 2 self-tapping screws. On the passenger side, these screws are easily accessible (with a bit of shuggling of the flexible hoses in that area behind the windscreen washer fluid bottle). On the drivers side, the front screw is beneath the air filter box. Will had mentioned that the easiest way is to drill a small hole in the airbox bottom, to access the screw beneath (apparently, removing the airbox is a pain, and likely to cause damage as the fastnings are brittle). I was lucky...I managed to remove the self tapper from below with a pair of plyers   It fell onto the ground, and no need to drill or remove the airbox
2. Remove the 4 nuts holding the Turret With the turret cover caps removed from the inner wing, you can look down onto the top of the turret. Using a (13mm IIRC) socket on a long extension bar, you can loosen them from the top:  Click image to enlarge ...not the best pic but you get the idea... 3. Remove the bottom Shock Nut (18mm) Once the 4 turret nuts are removed and placed in a safe place, you can then remove the 18mm (yes 18mm) nut on the bottom of the shock absorber. Space is limited, and a 18mm ratchet spanner would be great as I couldn't get even a shallow socket onto the nut. 4. Remove the Turret with the Old Shock With the 4 turret nuts undone, and the 18mm nut removed from the bottom of the shock, you can pull the whole assembly out of the hole in the inner wing: Borrowed picture off the web (mine's not rusty!): Click image to enlarge Now it looks like this: Click image to enlarge 5. Take the Turret off the Old Shock I had a bit of a battle here, having to hold the body of the old (OEM) shock absorber whilst undoing the 18mm nut on the top of the turret. You can actually get a small adjustable wrench to hold the flattened small end at the very top of the old shock. As there's not much to get hold of, I suggest you clean (wire brush) and soak the threads before trying to loosen them. It's a bit of a pain... I took the opportunity to clean everything and get Dinitrol inside and outside the turret... Click image to enlarge 6. Reassemble On reassembly, the torque settings for the 18mm (19mm on new Koni Heavy Track Raid shocks) nuts are 38Nm (according to the LR Manual) for both top and bottom. The LR manual says the turret nuts are 14Nm. I smothered all the fastnings in decent grease on reassembly... Once you've got the new shock absorber into the turret, and torqued-up, you can drop the whole assembly back the way it came out - through the hole in the inner wing. Make sure you've got all the bushes in the correct places, and torque-up the 18mm (19mm on new Kon's) nut on the botton of the shock. Then the 4 turret nuts on each side... To torque-up the lower 18/19mm bolt, you may need to hold the body of the shock to stop it turning...I used pipe grips and a section of old bicycle inner tube to stop the pipe grips scratching the new shocks... Then pop the covers back above the shock turrets in the inner wings. As I couldn't get the screw under the airbox, I managed to get a self-tapper into another existing hole on the cover, to make it sound... Job done. The job took me around 1 and a half hours for the pair - if I did it again (or didn't bother with Dinitrol etc) it would be much quicker. It's a much easier sequence than the LR manual - thanks to the Defender2 members again who helped me with their excellent advice :thumbsup: Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated  Defender "Puma" 2.4 110 County Utility (possibly the last of the 2.4's) |
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1st Nov 2012 6:23pm |
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| Macpaul Member Since: 25 Mar 2013 Location: SW Surrey Posts: 439 
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The job took me around 1 and a half hours for the pair - if I did it again (or didn't bother with Dinitrol etc) it would be much quicker.
Ha! Well, that may be the experience with a newish vehicle. However, mine is a 2003 TD5 with 87,000 on the clock and the original front shocks. I intended to follow the suggestion above and just do it all from the top. Turret covers off no problem – a few air hoses to remove on the nearside, but easy. Then to remove the turret nuts themselves. Oh! Two out of the four had rusted to the studs and sheared off when I undid them. That meant a trip to the dealers to buy two more turret rings and turned the job into a full spring-out operation as the rings (with their studs) fit between the spring and the turret. Back home and the shock bottom-nut finally gave in and I got it off after about half an hour. The range of movement possible with each turn of the spanner is very limited and a chain wrench was essential. That meant I could then lift out the turret and old shock together. Oh! The top thread of the shock and the retaining nut holding it to the turret had also become one in rust. That was when I got out the angle grinder. Kneeling on the drive with the turret clamped between my legs and sparks firing at my nethers, it was the work of only 5 minutes or so to cut between the thread and the nut and then another 5 minutes to separate them with a club hammer and chisel. Hooray! I then did a bit of cleaning and Waxoyling (and removed the washer rust-welded to the top interior of the turret). Wheel off. You will have read here how easy it is to get these springs out. It is not. I wasn’t happy about using too much violence to lever the spring from its seat as the road jack (which is all I have at that height) felt a bit precarious. So, out with the spring compressors, which are not difficult but fiddly and time-consuming. Finally out and more Waxoyl and now for re-assembly. Turrets re-fitted with their new rings/studs. Had to be done first – see para below. The b@&&er here is that the shocks I was changing to (De Carbons) come out of the box extended to their maximum length with some force. That meant squashing them as far as they would go and then rapidly trying to shove them up the spring and seat them top and bottom before they extend again. This is not easy. Really not easy. Add to this the fact that by now everything was slathered in Waxoyl and you get some idea of the fun I was having. All finally re-assembled. Time taken, three hours plus the visit to the dealers. For one side. It didn’t drive badly at all considering, so I booked it in to a local garage to have the other one done. However, two days later, I thought it must be quicker second time round and the principle of not doing it, having started, irritated me. I did the other side in exactly the same time with exactly the same problems. My advice is if you have a 10 year-old vehicle with original shocks, just pay a garage to do to for you. It just ain’t worth it! Cue tirade of abuse…… |
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30th Jun 2013 4:12pm |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20441
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Wouldn't something like these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OFFSET-SCREWDRIV...2ed0cea794 Be suitable? Or is the clearance still not even enough? |
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13th May 2014 10:27pm |
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| williamthedog Member Since: 29 Dec 2012 Location: south wales Posts: 3441 
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No, still not enough clearance.
When i done mine i used the molegrip method- a lot easier, as its just holding 2 bits of plastic together its not tight to get out |
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14th May 2014 5:55am |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20441
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Shall do that then, I'm guessing if it's undone half way and the other is out it should spin and then you'd get access.
Taking it out completely would be a  to get back in I bet. |
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14th May 2014 9:38am |
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| williamthedog Member Since: 29 Dec 2012 Location: south wales Posts: 3441
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Take it right out and just put one in from inside the wheel arch , easy enough
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14th May 2014 11:39am |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20441
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Ah I follow you! Take them out and then when ready fit back with the head under the arch and not in the engine bay side.
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14th May 2014 11:51am |
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| williamthedog Member Since: 29 Dec 2012 Location: south wales Posts: 3441
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You got it
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14th May 2014 11:57am |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20441
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I should have thought of that.
 Spare turret rings are a tad more pricey than I thought though at nearly £15 each.
Having said that, that is Genuine and not blue boxed cheese. |
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14th May 2014 12:29pm |
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| charliebaja Member Since: 05 Aug 2013 Location: Surrey Posts: 211 
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very good write up, will certainly take it in when doing this with mine soon. Many thanks and will let you know when completed.
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14th May 2014 9:35pm |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20441
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I think it's a good idea to have spare turret rings though just in case they shear.
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14th May 2014 9:59pm |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20441
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Shouldn't be too long before I shall be giving this a go myself.
I've now got new spare turret rings just in case but hopefully don't be needing them.. |
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2nd Aug 2014 7:54am |
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| MartinK Member Since: 02 Mar 2011 Location: Silverdale (Lancashire/Cumbria Border) Posts: 2665
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If I ever take the turrets off again, I'll be using galv turrets & rings, and stainless fasteners...
The turrets are a but of a rust trap... and a useful upgrade. Also it saves you struggling to take the old shock out of the turret - a problem macpaul encountered above... Good luck! Defender "Puma" 2.4 110 County Utility (possibly the last of the 2.4's) |
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2nd Aug 2014 10:58am |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20441
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Same for me, only using standard for now to keep costs down, I like the D44 turrets a lot but to spendy right now.
I will be using Dinitrol anyway so not too worried. Just got a full set of new shocks and Polybushes too so probably mid week might have a pop at fitting. The rear shock top bushes were to get out! |
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2nd Aug 2014 12:14pm |
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