Town & Country Shock Absorbers

[fcobob78]

Hello,

I have T&C Mini Van 2005 and I think I may need to replace the rear shock absorbers.

Topic

[rice400]

when parked on a level surface does the rear end of the van sag or does it ride level? If it sags it could be some bad coil springs

[fcobob78]

Hello,
Thanks I will check that out when I get home. However, the rear shocks don’t have the spring systems like the front. I’m pretty newbie into Auto repair stuff, so please correct me if I did say anything it didn’t make sense.

[Matt]

The shocks aren’t the load carrying part of the suspension, they just dampen bumps in the road. Do you or have you overloaded the rear of the vehicle by chance? Sounds more like weak springs, as rice suggested.

[fcobob78]

Yes I did when I was moving and also in the winter time used some sand bags for traction. How can I check for a weak spring?

[rice400]

just park on level ground with out a heavy load in the van and see if sags excessively in the back. Bad springs would cause it to sag, bad shocks would cause it to bounce up and down excessively

[EricTheCarGuy]

You might start with a ‘bounce’ test, when parked try bouncing the rear of the van a few times, then when you stop it should take less than 3 ‘bounces’ to recover, in fact it should level out after the first pretty much, if it doesn’t then you probably have worn rear dampers. You could also do a visual inspection of them looking for any oil leaking on the exterior, if you see evidence of oil that has leaked out of a damper it is bad and requires replacement. Not a bad idea to check the rest of the suspension while your at it looking for other loose or broken parts.

[fcobob78]

Hi Eric,
Thanks for the tip. I looked and one shock absorber has a really bad leak. It has lots of dried oil around and it seems it has leaked bad. Now I wonder why at cold temperatures is worst. Perhaps the remaining oil that is left if any, is constantly freezing through the leak.

I’m not very familiar with suspension, but the stabilizer links and bushings look ok to me. Is there any additional parts I should watch for?

I’m definitely replacing the shocks. I’m glad this type don’t have the coil spring, as I’m afraid to compress the spring myself.

[fcobob78]

Also, I forgot to ask. For this vans, where are the safe points for jacking up the vehicle?. The only place I can see is the rear axle

[PartsDude]

if you find your coil springs to be weak or worn. the cost of a pair of coils depending on your wheelbase are $72 or $107 a pair. now if the vehicle has “nivomat” suspension take a seat cause the shocks cost $321 a pair. or if standard suspension there $44 each.. prices are off O’Reilly’s website.. hehe theres a idea for a video Eric, how to decifer the type of suspension you’re mini van or luxury car has….g’luck and as always tell my customers after they buy parts.. Have Fun!!

[EricTheCarGuy]

The only way to really check springs is to check the ride height, that spec should be found in a service manual or an alignment shop might know. Keep in mind that coil springs will not cause the vehicle to ‘bounce’ like you describe but the dampers will.

[fcobob78]

Thanks for the replies. I just did the rear shocks this weekend. Definitely were bad. When I pulled the old ones, they won’t recover back when you push them down.

I need to take a look at the front ones, I think those may be bad too. Any suggestion on how to trouble shoot the front coil springs?. Other then sagging. I don’t see any apparent signs of sagging.

[Author]

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