Re: 84 5KT shocks

[Andrew Duane USG/PE <duane@zk3.dec.com>]

Hairy green toads from Mars made Ti Kan say:

> My 84 5000 turbo still has the original shocks (it's only got 68K miles)
> and lately I am observing a curious phenonmenon...  The front shocks seem
> to be getting *stiffer*!  That's quite strange.  I thought that shocks
> are supposed to get soft as they wear?  The front right shock (passenger
> side) in particular feels stiffer than the left side, and this makes the
> ride a bit weird over rough roads.

It could be that the seals are giving out inside the shock (from
age more than mileage), and bits of debris are clogging the valves?

I'd also say that cold weather makes hydraulic shocks much stiffer,
but I forgot that you don't have cold weather in Sunnyvale :-)

-- 

Andrew L. Duane (JOT-7)			duane@zk3.dec.com
Digital Equipment Corporation		(603)-884-1294
110 Spit Brook Road
M/S ZKO3-3/U14
Nashua, NH    03062-2698

Only my cat shares my opinions, and she's too heavy to care.