With the price of diesel fuel hovering around $4.00 in California, I thought I better stay home this weekend and work on our diesel-powered 3.0L Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Due to my Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road magazine background I am destined to own four-wheel drive vehicles for the rest of my life. So the diesel Grand Cherokee is perfect for me. One of the things I don't like about it though is how soft the suspension is.
In order to fix that, I’ll be upgrading the shocks with new units from Bilstein. I spent the day installing a pair of Bilstein 7100 series reservoir shocks on the rear of the Jeep. These shocks aren't a direct bolt in- they’re more of a racing shock than a direct replacement unit, but with a little help from Shane Casad over at Bilstein, I got them to install correctly.
The spacers (gold) and bearing adapters (black) that Bilstein sent me were perfect. On the lower shock mount I used both black bearing adapters and one gold spacer. On the upper mount I used both black bearing adapters and one gold spacer plus a flat washer I had to get the upper mount spacing correct. Then I had to trim the body (frame?) a little behind the upper shock mount to clear the reservoir hose. I cut a section about an inch tall and three inches long. I can send you a template, or a photo of an uncut Commander if you would like.
On the drivers-side I mounted the reservoir to the body with clamps from the Edelbrock shocks I took off. I like the routing, and the mounting location. On my diesel I had to disconnect the fuel filler tube to snake the reservoir through, and I’ll assume the gas trucks will require that as well.
On the passengers-side the rear exhaust muffler posed a challenge to my reservoir install. I have snaked it through into the spare tire area and clamped it in place. I don’t love the routing, so I think on my application I will try to ditch the muffler so that I have more room, or I will have some reservoir lines made up for both sides that are about three inches shorter. Is the length critical? I assume that as long as I make both lines the same length I’ll be all set?
As for the ride characteristics, I only have about 20 miles on the new shocks. They feel just as smooth around town as the Edelbrocks did, I let you know what they’re like on the highway expansion joints after tonight. If you’re in Los Angeles, CA I’ll be testing the Jeep out in about an hour on the 405 freeway going northbound near the Getty Center. Keep an eye out for me.
David Kennedy- Editor, Diesel Power