Jeep Cherokee XJ Rear Shock Replacement

In this video I will show you how to replace the rear shock absorbers on a Jeep Cherokee XJ. This process may be similar on other Jeep models such as the Grand Cherokee and Wrangler. I will show you how to replace the shocks from start to finish. If you have any other questions that the video doesn't cover make sure to comment below and I would be happy to answer.
Thanks for watching, Please Comment, Share, Rate and Subscribe!
Buy Rear Shocks for the Jeep XJ here: www.amazon.com...
Buy Rear shock Flag Nuts Here: www.amazon.com...
Music used in this video:
Stomping Grounds by Silent Partner
Pickup Truck by Silent Partner

[@ibberman]

So this is how stupid I am. I thought the vehicle would drop down if you removed the shocks. Great video, thank you. Subscribed.

[@ibberman]

Since I'm so ignorant let me ask a question. The rear of my XJ is very low and I would like to raise it. 20-30 years ago I saw a guy at the gas station pumping air into a valve for the rear shocks and raised the rear. Is that what I need to do, or will the new standard shocks possibly raise it back up? It's a 93 w/original shocks, they are definitely all worn out.

[@bigbry4654]

He had air bags

[@banjojoeanddanielle]

All four of my top bolts snapped. I don't have access to air tools so I pounded them out with a punch and hammer. I must have been hungry cause I ate a lot of dirt and rust! Thanks for all your great videos!

[@RoosterMclaren]

Excellent how to. I especially appreciate the little tricks you’ve learned through experience. I’m no longer afraid of snapping off a bolt.

[@RoosterMclaren]

I did have to cut off a few inches from my tailpipe but that’s what they make sawsalls for.

[@richardfrankenberg4268]

Thank you for showing the torching. Often DIY channels do not show half of what they do.

[@kainineeli]

Honestly big thanks on your “over 300,000” suggestions. I’m about to do my 98 (again) and it’s got 347,000 💪

[@OutJeeping]

You passed me up, I'm at 345k now

[@lavapix]

I once did all 4 in the NAPA parking lot. Didn't take long seeing all the bolts came out no issues. Might get that lucky again. I spray PB Blaster on critical bolts once a year. Makes life easier when it does come time for repairs.

[@stevedeckerdog7181]

Tip, if you put new bolts in like this, use a washer on top to make the pressure even cause the hole is rusted and weaker. To even out pressure on top.

[@jeremyallen3448]

Pb blaster. Waited 2 days 😆 came right out no problems. Thanks for the video

[@kylemccann2500]

Thank you for the video, I'm a little nervous but I'm gunna give it hell.

[@floatz76]

You saved my life on this one!! All but one bolt broke and I was losing it big time.. until I watched your video! Thanks for posting.

[@fitzm6868]

I just dremeled in trunk on top/behind upper shock bolts. I made three cuts and flapped it back like a hinge. Bent flap back down and duct taped seam. Easy peasy.

[@brandoncopeland6604]

Thank you for making this. If I hadn't watched this first I would have been devastated when the top bolts broke off. 3 of 4 broke. Had to get a larger compressor for an air hammer but worked out in the end

[@jalowey]

I replaced mine with Monroe load adjusting shocks and they work great. Thanks for the upload, keep up the great work bro!

[@scottdoubleyou563]

Just a suggestion that worked for me. Go to a junkyard, and get the brackets for the rear swaybar from the leafspring plates. They make perfect bar pin eliminators for the rear shocks.

[@floydrturbo1]

Excellent video and detailed explanation. Thanks for getting to the point and not having any music intro crap or background music. Wish All instructional videos where this well done and to the point.

[@maweott]

Yep! Those upper bolts break off. All 4 of mine did. Thank you for the wrench technique. That worked perfectly. Also, thank you for the instructional video. It was a great help.

[@OutJeeping]

Glad it helped!

[@MajorWeakness]

I've got a ton of XJ repair videos that might help some folks, great video!

[@nathaneberline1067]

Glad I found this video being you already figured out my worse case scenario with a fix to the situation 🙃

[@Oooo-l3h]

i just did this today on 1998 cherokee sport and it was perfect video and i put stock parts from autozone for now and it works

[@scottminer7702]

I did the rear shocks on my XJ and the process followed yours pretty much exactly. I think there is a possibility that if you shot penetrating oil in where you have to put the nuts when the bolts break, you might get less breakage. All four of mine broke. My bros air chisel worked well to get them out same as you. Thanks for the plan to follow.

[@hangfirejp1197]

Cool, just twisted off my bolts and was trying to figure out how to drill them out. This sounds a lot better. Thanks!!!

[@OutJeeping]

Glad I could help!

[@ericunderwood1186]

Great video, in the process of replacing my rear shocks on my 1999 Cherokee Sport. Thanks for posting.👍

[@wesg3084]

Great tip on what to do if you snap the welded nut.

[@pra3t0rian]

Rough county sells a nice bracket with the nuts welded to it for the upper shock mount.

[@MajorWeakness]

You can get flag nuts for less than 20.00 on Ebay

[@AJFRAN3]

Amazon also sells some too 20 bucks

[@mikeb.4037]

Your video was very informative and made this job easy. Its My daughter's , 1999 Cherokee classic.

[@Cantinatollo1]

Young man, thank you sooo much for sharing! Thanks for the tips and tricks to get rear shocks installed.

[@robs1852]

The lower stud can also snap off, and that ruins your day too

[@victortrense5640]

You're the man appreciate that you did not skip anything or cut stuff up about too replace my xjs shocks

[@matttucker2048]

this is the second video to save my life(JEEP) lol also thanks for those parts you sold me a while ago!!!!!!!

[@OutJeeping]

Glad I could help!

[@kueb27]

Hi I’m new to working on my 1998 Jeep GC 4.0L and I came to this video because I’m replacing my back right shock and to my surprise the holes seem pretty big and there’s nothing inside for my bolts to grab. I bought flanged nuts and bolts but this is the only video I’ve seen that explained the bolts I’m still having troubles though. Thank you for your time

[@OutJeeping]

A Grand Cherokee would have a different rear shock setup than a Cherokee, I believe they just have one bolt on either end of the shock.

[@shawnvergilia1609]

I use mechanics wire threaded around a bolt to feed the bolt through. Worked the same just another idea.

[@stevedeckerdog7181]

Doing my 2001 xj with Bilsteins have a 2" lift. Great video, now ready to go.

[@officialWWM]

This guy knows stuff!

[@alecsithong]

great video! thanks looks extremely easy and ready to replace mine

[@wayfararout6258]

Haha I can't wait to show my friend how to do this on my jeep

[@michelantoniomorin2201]

Always learning something from your videos Austin i own two Jeeps thanks

[@MrJoey1570]

I installed Monroe spring assist shocks they popped the rear back up an inch!

[@Jdres123]

Play a lottery ticket because you have better odds of winning the lottery vs those top bolts coming out fine lol.

[@givty2814]

Had to you the paddles on mine. It worked out well.

[@Motoman714.]

Glad to see your still making videos!

[@manuelcoronado324]

Thanks I will the same way as you did it!!!

[@carnut351cleveland9]

Hello, thank you for the video, would you recommend replacing the leaf spring packs at the same time as shocks? Or only do them if there is a serious rust issue? Thank you for your time.

[@rexhavens4931]

Big help bro both mine broke passenger side 99 Cherokee .

[@jasonalward4720]

Is your sway bar snapped on the passenger side? It’s hard to tell. But I see the steal strapping bolted to the sway bar bolt and just loosely wrapped around sway bar. But it looks snapped right near banding strap?

[@circlehook2556]

Great video, thanks.

[@GGekko44]

That’s another interesting video, always appreciated. Thanks a lot.

[@shanesmith4970]

great tutorial.

[@drgil65]

Great video Austin, Thanks

[@MajorWeakness]

I noticed your rear axle snubber was missing, would make a good video

[@OutJeeping]

Yup it's in the works

[@ber2coldx788]

I hope it’s the same on the 2 door

[@OutJeeping]

Will be the exact same process

[@ryryk6977]

On my old xj the rust was bad on the top mount the nut just fell out lol

[@nellybell7374]

Would you suggest Monroe spring assist if you're pulling a boat quite often loaded with camping equipment, and how is the ride quality from these?

[@OutJeeping]

I've seen them before and have heard good things from them. I believe they are adjustable so you can set your ride quality. It say get them if you got a lot of payload in the jeep. As far as these shocks in the video, they ride ok. I would say a little stiffer than OEM, but not as stiff as the rough country nitrogen charged shocks.

[@victortrense5640]

Thank you very much

[@kowalski363]

Great video

[@pyralux01]

Can you use a torch to heat up the top bolts or will you start a fire above them...how about a heat gun then or same results.......

[@OutJeeping]

I've used a torch before and have had good luck getting them out. Just got to be careful with the fuel tank right there and to make sure you are heating up the welded nuts on the back side and not have it on the floor pan. Then you shouldn't have any fires. Heat gun would not get it hot enough.

[@noskydaddy21]

Nice video buddy. How long will the ACDelco's last approx?

[@MPaulPrice187]

I bought my Jeep 2001 with a lift kit on it and it was missing the driver's side rear shock?

[@OutJeeping]

Uff-da

[@gormauslander]

You mentioned the AC Delco ride an inch short. How do you tell beforehand? I have mine lifted 1.5" and I'm not sure I want anything shorter than stock

[@OutJeeping]

I compared them to the original shocks that were on there. I would not recommend the AC Delco shocks if you have anything taller than stock suspension.

[@gormauslander]

@@OutJeeping Bummer. Guess I'm shelling out for the bigger ones.

[@philrobson2528]

what is the ratchet your using ? looks nice

[@OutJeeping]

Husky 3/8" ratchet.

[@4tcfilm]

Excellent video. What's part # for the pin with thread?

[@OutJeeping]

www.roughcountry.com/jeep-xj-rear-bar-pin-flag-nut-1082.html

[@angerm088]

Would a BFH and a decent size punch tool work with the upper bolts? Or should I get a longer punch tool I don't have access to any power tools(air hammer)

[@kainineeli]

Wild question: stock XJ’s don’t have coil springs right????? Mine I think the previous owner started a coil spring conversion but didn’t finish it? 😂 I’m just mad confused and debating taking off the spring????

[@OutJeeping]

@@kainineeli They came stock with coil springs in the front and leaf springs in the rear.

[@kainineeli]

@@OutJeeping that’s what I thought! I was so effing lost 😂 i’m welding on a new bump stop so I can take out the ONE leaf spring this dude installed

[@OutJeeping]

@kainineeli Uff that sounds like a mess

[@kainineeli]

@@OutJeeping it sure is a mess 😂

[@thomaspierce9374]

Jeep xj AW4 trans shifting issue video

[@Airbuss07]

You bumpstops were broken off also. I would of loved to see you replace them also. Next video?..

[@OutJeeping]

Already ahead of you on that, I'll be doing a video of replacing them as well as a rear sway bar delete since that is broke as well.

[@alexbrant3562]

@@OutJeeping I second that, I need to replace my bump stops as well and would love to see how you do it!

[@OutJeeping]

@@alexbrant3562 Will be filming the video in about an hour lol.

[@kennysmith9987]

So I don’t need to jack it up to change shocks?

[@OutJeeping]

If you're able to find under the jeep comfortably you don't need to. Otherwise you can jack it up to get more room.

[@wayfararout6258]

Is it the same process for a 2wd sport 2000

[@OutJeeping]

Correct

[@danhambrick6331]

Nice job Austin.Did you replace the front shocks too?

[@OutJeeping]

I did, just didn't cover it in this video because I have another video on it.

[@Rehkew]

Nice video. Going to do this soon. What was the size of the bolts?

[@OutJeeping]

They upper bolts are 5/16"-18 and 1.5" long

[@skipwilliam5639]

your in my will

[@ahmed3482]

I can replace a rear shocks with out to lift a car?

[@OutJeeping]

You can as long as you have enough room to work under there.

[@bezalelex31]

Same happens when replacing the snubbers (rear axle bump stops) tried using bolt extractor but it also broke in place so double whammy 😝 Will they punch out as well with air hammer?

[@OutJeeping]

They should, it may be a little more tough to punch out sense the nut is welded to the inside of the frame.

[@bezalelex31]

@@OutJeeping got a BFH?🤔

[@Heather87899]

I just wanting to say for the first few statements he said... that's what she said...

[@JacksCaptin]

Thanks for the great video, this helps alot.

[@ghrohrs2020]

Don't you need to have the suspension realigned after doing this? Seems important to have everything checked professionally after suspension work. Nice job regardless.

[@OutJeeping]

For simple shocks it's not necessary. Other suspension components such as tie rod ends, control arm replacement, ball joints etc. should get an alignment check after.

[@mtndewman1022]

Thanks so much for this video, I literally just snapped my driver's side bolts last weekend and didn't even want to try the passenger side! Is there a reason why you use anti-seize as opposed to threadlocker? Also, my jeep is from wisconsin as well and I have similar, if not worse, rust around the upper shock mount area. Is there any danger of that region caving in or something? I'm wondering if I should spray some rust converter on it or something. Thanks again!

[@OutJeeping]

I tend to use anti seize on suspension components that see salt and water corrosion more often than other places. Overtime I try to make sure it stays tight which majority of time it does but every once in a while I go under the vehicle and double checking to see if everything is tight. As far as your rust problem, I would try to clean it up the best you can and paint it and then undercoat it. My other Jeep had some bad rust in that area as well, you just don't want it to get too Rusty to a point where the shocks could rip out on the body side.

[@mtndewman1022]

@@OutJeeping Gotcha, thanks! Also, if you just use a regular bolt/nut combo and not the rough country solution, how do you plan on getting the nut off if you need to replace them in the future? Is there something to keep the bolt head from spinning?

[@DustySteel]

@@mtndewman1022 my guess would be that he’d put the wrench back in there and try to get it on top of the bolt head. Sometimes an impact will zip if off without having a wrench on the other end.

[@redthedragon88]

I got a question. I bought 2 rear rough country nitro 9000 shocks for my 2001 xj but the internet says they won't fit but they seem to be identical to the old ones that are on it. Any thoughts?

[@OutJeeping]

What is the part number on the shocks? I would measure them out fully extended and compressed and compare them to your old ones.

[@ky0611]

Does the passenger side shock stay more compressed when you install it? I've notice it doesn't seem as long at the driver side

[@OutJeeping]

From what I could tell I haven't noticed. It could be slightly more compressed on the passenger side since it is on the front of the rear axle, and the pinion is pointed a little up. Nothing to worry about though.

[@ky0611]

@@OutJeeping Thanks for answering my questions it's helped me alot

[@azteciron5928]

So can I do this without putting my xj on jack stands ?

[@OutJeeping]

You can if you got enough room, it worked for me.

[@hugoregimbald4208]

10/10

[@jimflaherty2678]

Jeep needs Fluid Film.

[@billendy7425]

So, if I had 12 fingers they would all be thumbs. Nonetheless, after watching this video I decided to try to change out the rear shocks on my 97 Jeep Cherokee Sport. It seem when I had air shocks installed 8 years ago they broke off the bolt head and simply replaced using bolts the way you did in this video. Upon trying to loosen the actual nuts, they came off part way making it just loose enough so that now all the bold does is spin when I try to loosen the nut. Cannot get a wrench on top of the bolt head behind the plate. So I am stuck. Anyone have any ideas, short of taking it to a shop, on how to get these nuts to unscrew off the bolt????

[@OutJeeping]

Either keep trying to get a wrench in there otherwise try to cut them out by cutting off the bolt head if you have room.

[@billendy7425]

@@OutJeeping Decided to take it to a pro, worth the $ less aggravation for me.

[@flaparoundfpv8632]

"Nothing crazy tight" - proceeds to put two arms on it

[@OutJeeping]

Just getting better leverage, doesn't mean it's as tight as I can make it.

[@mc-lw9pd]

Ac Delco shocks really why not Mopar?

[@OutJeeping]

Mopar shocks are not available for these jeeps anymore.

[@jeffazarva6549]

A.c. delco is graberial .guardians are the softer. Then proguard. Then ultras.I had proguard I'm my cherokee.found them to be to stiff on roads shocks would bounce on. Bumps.I wanted shocks to compress on small bumps.have stock michelin tires.not extra load.running fuel full tire pressure at 30psi.would like to be softer.but it a jeep.spring are made for off road so they dictate the ride.25 each.not into 350.00 .

[@williamdomey7584]

Great video as usual. Do you have any recommendations on shocks for a XJ with a 4.5” lift?

[@dirtysouthtv2209]

Bilstein

[@OutJeeping]

Yup I would go with bilstein 5100 series

[@mikemc4340]

How are KYB?

[@OutJeeping]

Haven't tried them out but I hear good things about them from others.

[@maurohernan031]

Blessings, John 3:16. Jesus loves you.

[@mayers19851ify]

What fenders do you have?

[@OutJeeping]

On which Jeep?

[@mayers19851ify]

OutJeeping the silver one in your “profile” pic.

[@OutJeeping]

@@mayers19851ify Napier Precision flat flares.

[@richiemchenry2862]

Noice

[@donalddday7741]

so everyone else ive seen here say do not use power tools