Feb 7, 2004

Vehicle: 1989 Mitsubishi Montero/Pajero, others similar

Is your old girl's rear a little too soft after all those years of riding? If she's a Gen I Montero/Raider with coil sprung suspension, I have just the remedy for you!

Tools and Parts

(2) 24mm wrenches. At least one should be an open end wrench
(1) 17mm wrench. Either socket or open/close-end wrench
Liquid Wrench or an equivalent penetrating oil
Two new rear shocks for a Gen I Montero. I highly recommend the KYB Gas-a-Just shock absorbers for both the front and rear. They are the best combination of price and ride available... also, the stock shocks are KYB brand.
KYB Rear - KG5491 - $29.95 each
KYB Front - KG5603A - $27.95 each (for completeness... this article doesn't cover front installation)

Preparing the Truck:

Park the truck on a flat surface.
Place chocks on the front wheels to keep truck from rolling (see pic)
Place a sturdy jack under the rear differential and jack up the rear of truck.
Place jackstands under both sides of the rear axle. (see pic) Now you're ready to begin removing the old shocks!

The arsenal of tools	Chock the wheels for safety!	Lift at the diff, then use jackstands

Removing worn out shock absorbers:

Prepare the upper and lower shock mount bolts for removal by squirting some Liquid Wrench or another penetrating oil on the nuts to loosen them.

You will need two 24mm wrenches to remove the lower bolt that holds the shock to the truck frame and a 17mm wrench to remove the upper mounting bolt. Two wrenches are necessary on the lower mount to keep the bolt from turning with the nut, preventing the shock mount from loosening. You will need to use an open end wrench on the side that is closest to the frame. If you use a closed end wrench, you won't be able to get the wrench off of the bolt while unscrewing!(see pic)

Loosen and remove the nut and bolt from the lower shock mount. Make sure to pay special attention to the order of the nut, washer and bolt. Use a 17mm socket or open/close-end wrench to remove the upper shock mount bolt. (see two pics) The shock absorber should now come out of the truck easily.

Repeat steps to remove second shock absorber from other side.

View with the wheel off	Upper shock mount (outside)	Upper shock mount (inside)	Lower shock mount

Mounting the new Shock Absorber:

Clean all mounting surfaces. I wiped them clean with paper towels. (the grease/dirt should be loose from the penetrating oil)

Inspect nuts, washers and bolts before mounting the new shock. If they are damaged or worn, replace with original Mitsubishi parts.

Attach top of shock absorber to upper mount using either the same mounting nuts/bolts or Mitsu replacements. Do not torque or fully tighten nut. Your shock absorber should have come with a nylon band around it compressing it for installation. Depending on your suspension, you may need to compress the shock more to line the eyelet up with the lower mounting bracket to get the mounting bolt through. I did this using a screwdriver as a fulcrum to compress the shock upward to fit the mounting bolt through the bracket. Once the bolt is in, place the washer and screw the nut on, but do not torque or tighten. You will tighten and torque the upper and lower mounting bolts after lowering the truck.

Repeat for second shock on other side.

Place jack under rear differential and raise truck to lift axle off of jackstands. Remove the jackstands, lower the truck and remove the jack. Push down on the bumper hard a few times to settle shock bushings into position on both sides. At this point, with chocks still under front wheels, I torqued and tightened the upper and lower mounting bolts on both sides without lifting the truck. The shock mounting nuts should be torqued to a value in the range of 18-25Nm (13-18 ft.lbs.)

Now you're ready to test-drive! Depending on the condition of your old shocks, you may see a huge difference in driveability.