How To Replace Rear Shocks 2001-10 GMC Sierra 2500 HD

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In this video we're going to show you how to replace the rear shocks on this 2002 GMC 2500. The only tools you'll need for this job are two 21mm wrenches either a large wrench or two sockets with a ratchet and a breaker bar.
You don't even have to raise the vehicle. You definitely don't have to take off the rear wheels. You don't even have to raise the vehicle you just need to secure it with blocks and you can actually just crawl underneath and replace the shocks without even lifting up the vehicle. Although lifting up the vehicle does make it a little easier.

You can see I got the truck on the lift. I also got the rear end supportive. You basically want to jack your truck up. The best place to jack your truck up is here and then you can put a safety jack stand under here on each side or you can actually put safety stands right underneath the axle tubes right here, that's probably the best place then put all the weight on the axle.

I have it supported here for two reasons, for safety and also pushing up on the axle a little bit contracts the shocks some which takes some of the pressure off of them. Basically when you have all the weight off of the axle or the axle hanging down, the shocks are actually what's holding it up. You don't want to have the axle hanging down and then just crank the shocks because then your rear end is going to fall down further.

Start by spraying penetrating oil on the bolts, this side and the other side. We're going to replace both shocks at once. Always replace shocks in pairs. Working on this little bolt first, you got to want either a breaker bar, 21mm socket. You can also use a ratchet with a pipe on it. That gives you some extra leverage. I'll use the breaker bar here and get this on the right way. It seems to come apart pretty easily. Swap the pipe around. I'll speed it up here. I take the nut off but I don't remove the bolt from the shock yet. Hope for the same results. Bolt's turning.

Here again I'll just speed it up as I'm working those wrenches and removing the nut from the end of the bolt.
Going back down here. At this step if you got the rear end, if you actually are working on the ground you can do this without even jack and jack stands. At this point be very careful, as you pull this bolt out the shock may want to go down.

Mine are in pretty rough shape. We're not even doing much still the bolt has come right out.

Just for reference, here's my old shock. If you press it down. It pretty much stays down. On the new shock, you can see it has band on it. If you press it down it actually slowly comes up.

I pull my old shock up. You can see I can just press right down and it just takes a whole lot more force on the new shock.

With the new shock, put it up there in place. You put the bolt through and the spot on the nut. Now swing this into place, and on.

From here on out I'm just going to use fast forward. Use your breaker bar and your ratchet to tighten them up. Basically tighten them up as tight as you can with that ratchet. That's good. These bolts should be probably torqued to about 70 to 75 foot-pounds. Once you have them all tighten up, obviously replace the other side. Your car would be riding smoother down the road.

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