Replacing a car’s shock absorbers is an attempt to make your car smoother and safer on the road. Therefore, investing money on modifying your vehicle sometimes goes beyond luxury. By time, due to continuous pressure on the suspension, it gets worn out. Pothole and speed bumps get rough and awkward making it necessary to get replaced. You should inspect the performance of shocks regularly to learn if they need to get replaced. If you don’t get when to replace them, read this (Silverado Shock Replacement: What You Must Know) blog first to decide.
If you like to bring this crucial change yet aren’t ready to hire an expert, you can give it a try by going through our guideline on how to replace rear shocks on Chevy Silverado. If you’re an owner of a Chevy Silverado, we recommend you follow this guideline to perfectly replace the rear shock on your Chevy Silverado.
Let’s break down the steps briefly you’ll go through.
- Make sure you like to replace the rear shock
- Get a new shock
- Decide if you like to upgrade
- Lift your vehicle
- Removing the old shock
- Install the new one
Let’s elaborate what is highlighted above. However, before we start, let’s get introduced with the tools you’ll require to get the project done. List the following tools and keep around you.
- New shock absorbers
- Jack stands
- Penetrating oil
- Utility knife
- Socket extension
- Penetrating oil
- Nut splitter
- Utility knife
Step 1: Make Sure You like to Replace the Rear Shock
The first and foremost thing is to find out if you need to replace the rear shock of your vehicle or just like to improvise anyway. Finding that is a piece of cake. If you find the suspension is worn out, outnumbered the bounce rate on road, or fluid leaking, don’t hesitate to replace the shock. While you carry on with the job, keep in mind what you’re going to do.
Step 2: Get A New Rear Shock
You’ve choice to improvise with the available shock you have at your car at the moment or you can take time to replace the parts with a fresh one. Instead of improvising, take this business seriously to get a new shock to replace for the best performance. If you’re not sure what to purchase, ask any automobile expert or read the manual thoroughly.
Step 3: Lift Your Vehicle
Practically, this is the main part of the replacement. You have a new shock at your hand and required tools in your toolbox. Now move on. Before getting started, make sure your vehicle has been parked on a solid level surface. Once you have done so, lift the rear side of the vehicle and use a jack stand to secure it. Read the manufacturer’s manual to apply the appropriate positioning of your vehicle.
Step 4: Remove the Bolts And Nuts
Once you get your car up, loosen the nuts that hold the shock in place but not the bolts. Before removing bolts, investigate the condition of the bolts if they are rusted. If so, use some penetrating oil to ease them first. Allow them to absorb the oil so that they get easy to lose. For stubborn nuts, use a nut splitter. Now, look for the mounting hardware. It is supposed to be mounted by two bolts based on the several types of shock. In this stage, you may require a long socket extension to remove the bolts.
Step 4: Remove and Install
You’ll now remove the wheel and the old shock carefully without damaging anything. Before installing the new shock, insert the lower bolt first. Then, tighten the bolt to secure the shock in place.
Step 5: Cut the Shock Compression Strap
Once you put the shock in the right place, cut the compression strap with a utility knife. By cutting the strap, you let the shock expand slowly. As you’ve done it, secure the top of the shock and mounting hardware by inserting the bolts.
Pro Tips For Replacing Rear Shocks on Chevy Silverado
- Use a torque wrench to tighten the bolts, specially the top and the bottom of the shock.
- You can replace the single shock. However, replacing shocks in pairs will return you the most. The process of installing is the same for both.
- Maintain alignment when it comes to replacing struts. Not mandatory for installing shock absorbers. Yet, give it a try for extended smoothness on the road.
- Give a double check to make sure all the fasteners are strong.
- Go for a test drive. Don’t drive on the highway or busy road during test drive.
How To Replace Front Struts 07-13 Chevy Silverado
Summing Up
If you know how to replace the rear shock on a Chevy Silverado, you can save some hundreds of dollars and get it fit anytime. By learning and following the steps as the guideline suggests, you can get your vehicle fully functional within half an hour. The process is pretty simple. List the tools before and get started anytime with the steps put above.
