Rear Shocks - what brands are like OEM?

[ColdFinger]

I have a 2001 Seq. and bought the Monroe Sensatrac rear shocks. I verified the part number and it is the recommended shock. My main concern is they only include 3 washers ea and one of those is for the lower mount.

That leaves 2 washers for the top mount. I don't see how that will work considering the OEM has 4 top washers, AND, one of the 4 is cupped out to sit down in the large hole in the shock tower.

I tried to use the cupped OEM washer with the new stuff but then there wasn't enough threads left on the rod to get the nut on.

Also - the rod measures 13mm and the OEM is 15mm. The rod is also about 10mm shorter than OEM.

I'm not happy and unless Monroe or the parts store can answer my concerns (I've contacted both and am waiting for replys) I'm going to return the shocks and buy either OEM or maybe Bilstein Mono's.

Anyone else find an aftermarket shock that matches the OEM for shaft dia and washers, etc?

Thanks.

[mcmatt]

I just changed my a few weeks ago on my 2001 and they are working well. I used two washers and two bushings I'll list the assembly in order from top to bottom.

Nut
washer
rubber bushing (turned so the raised part will fit in the frame hole)
frame mount
rubber bushing
washer
shock (the bottom washer is held by the hex section of the rod.

This all fit well.

NOTE: a large Gearwrench or equiv is a very nice tool to help with this job due to access.

Monroe may have just put an extra washer in your box by mistake.

The Monroe part number I used is 37240 ($36 from amazon)

Good Luck

[ColdFinger]

That's the order I thought too but the large hole in the frame mounting point concerns me. One of the OEM washers is recessed to fit down into the larger frame hole and hold everything in place.

The large flat washer in my box is supposed to be placed first on the the lower shock mount before installing the shock. I'm not sure why.

KYB shocks told me they don't include any washers or bushings and their shaft is 12.5mm too, which is smaller than OEM as far as I can tell.

I'm not sure if the OEM shocks purchased from the dealer would have the washers and bushings.

Anyone else?

[bikol-ini]

get bilstein, complete with all the hardware you need

[neffster]

I bought the Bilsten HD's for the fronts and rears and had them installed for next to nothing at around 100K miles. They ride pretty well, but nothing is going to ride as good as a new vehicle.