Been awhile since I was on the forum but I was doing some work on the truck last week and thought I'd share some info.

Replaced the rear shock on my 2006 Pajero (new model) without a problem. Whole job probably took and hour or so to complete with standard tools.

Decided that the truck was still a bit loose on the road so bought a set for the front. I knew they would be slightly more difficult as the shocks are located within then springs so a coil spring compressor must be used. After 6 hours of swearing I just about gave up on the first side as I struggled to get old strut out and could not get new one installed!

After a beer or two and a little internet searching I found out the best way to remove and install was to remove the upper control arm or wishbone. This allows better access which is otherwise a near impossible task. I was actually surprised as shocks are a replacement component that generally don't require the removal of the outer suspension components.

Thought this may assist someone else and eliminate frustration. Easy as to pull the wishbone by removal of top two bolts that 2nd shock took under an hour to do from start to finish.


Jim

 

I did not have to remove upper control arm when replacing front springs/shocks. What you need to do is to disconnect front stabilizer bar. This way you can jack up one side of the vehicle and that wheel droops down far enough to allow removal of the strut/spring assembly from the vehicle. Once its off the vehicle, you can use spring compressor to disassemble the unit and replace the strut. Make sure to properly align the upper spring insulator - it will help you with installation of strut/spring assembly back on the vehicle.

 

Tried that first but lower arm would not drop far enough to get shock & spring installed. Attempted multiple methods like top hat removed, spring off and shock on its own from underside, etc but no luck until I disconnected upped wishbone.

jim