i have an 88 pickup and was trying to help some buddys out and pull them out of the mud. well longs story short old clutch couldnt take it and the passenger side shock in the back is staying compressed. it still has a little travel but it is throwing off the driving of the truck. i dont know if my truck is lifted so if i could find that out i could find out what type of shock i need to get unless there is a way to fix the one that is on the truck. its a rancho 5000. thanks for all your help.
-reno

 

For starters... how old are ya? Where ya from? and wheres some pics of your rig?
oh, and welcome to YT!

 

well im a 17 yearold hailing from middletown ca. i have an 88 pick up on 31's i have the shock issue and i dont know what size shock to get so i was trying to get the ride height to tell if i needed somthing other than stock and thanks for the welcome

my roomates and i got bored so this is what happened to a $100 car
-reno

 

Sounds more like you bent the leaf spring and that's why your shock is compressed and the truck is driving funny.

To find the right length shock, just pull the old one off and measure it. Or, take it to the parts store with you and compare it to what they give you. If the new one is too short, get one made for an inch or two of lift and see if it fits.

 

im also told that it could be that the shock is just worn out and that one of the seals may have just let go. im ganna try to get a new one from the company cuz it failed under load so well have to see if they buy the story

 

If the shock is indeed bad, Rancho shocks have a lifetime warrantee. Take it and the receipt back to where you bought it and they can match up the p/n off the shock, should be in the form "RS5xxx".

Stock ride height is around 13.5" - 14" up front (rim to fender):
- http://www.off-road.com/toyota/tech/torsion/index.htm

 

its an rs5144 i was not the owner who put the shocks on so i dont have the reciept do you think i can still use the warenty or should i just spend the 70 and get two new shocks?
-reno

 

You can try it w/o the receipt, if you know someone at a place that carries Rancho shocks, that would help. Might also try and see if they will warrantee one if you buy another new one. A 5144 is a stock length shock:

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/Rancho.shtml#RS5144

 

thanks for your help im ganna try and call them this week and see what i can do directly with the company. for a stock ride with 31s its fun in the mud untill that damn limited slip screws me over. i have bf goodrich t/a ko's i like them bunches over all the truck is alot of fun for a daily driver but i like to corner too so the new shocks will be loads of fun
-reno

 

How do you feel the limited slip diff screws you over in mud? It should be way better than just spinning one tire...

 

Did you add a limited slip to the rear axle? None of the trucks had limited slip from the factory:
- http://www.off-road.com/toyota/tech/other/4_axles.html

 

If the shock is bad then it will not effect ride height. Shocks only dampen the bumps, the springs are what give you the height and load carring abilities.

Go buy a new stiff Ranco 5000, get the ones that are rated for the amount of lift, 0"-3". Call it good. But if the truck is sitting saggy in that one corner then check your spring pack. Most likely you have a broken leaf in there somewhere.

My '90 has a leaf broken and it sits a bit lower on the passenger side rear

 

my bad its an open diff and the onetires no fun but with a piece of 2x4 i can get out. so i should check my leafs for the problem? sorry i dont really have any identification for the truck i bought it with a pink slip and thats all so im learning as i go.