Bad Nivomats?

1222 Views 30 Replies 7 Participants Last post by FabricGATOR, 2 mo ago

scottloco

Discussion Starter · 3 mo ago

Hi all! I have a 2005 T&C Limited (180k miles). Recently, it has become very bouncy when driving. I briefly looked at the rear shocks and noticed they appear to be the Nivomats (very large diameter). I don't see any fluid leaking. As many of you know, these jokers are PRICEY to replace. Do I have any other options? I have heard of conversion kits, but I can't find anything for this year T&C. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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scottloco

Discussion Starter · #5 · 3 mo ago

Mopar-Mofun said:
See the details here. This is 1/2 the price of NEW Nivomats and offer a great ride.

I went thru 4 different shock pairs that were heavy duty and top brands. Nothing lasted for even 1 year. Once the Monroe coil-over-shocks were installed, the ride felt like the Nivomats. It's nearly 1 year and the ride is still amazing like the day they were installed.

Monroe 58620 Coil Over Shock for Rear Suspension Upgrade

This provides an amazing ride. Like a dream as others have said. Used Nivomats are no longer found in my area, and forget about buying new Nivomats for a 16 year old van. What are your options then? Monroe 58620 Coil Over Shock Just finished installing them today. I have the old Gabriel...

www.chryslerminivan.net

Thanks for this reply. I did look at those but the fitment note specifically said "not for Nivomat" or something to that effect. I wasn't sure if it was because of a safety issue or what.

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scottloco

Discussion Starter · #6 · 3 mo ago

FabricGATOR said:
I have a 2002 with 131,131 miles (easy to remember, I took a picture : )
I was experiencing bouncy bounce and hard "thud" bottoming over the slightest of road imperfections.

I was not going to 'redesign the wheels' BUT I did find Monroe 40201 licensed NIVOMAT ~~shocks~~ 'Load Leveling Suspension System' components on Amazon for about half the price, the next time I checked to write a post about them here, the price had jumped up double within a few weeks. I installed them and I am self leveling again

NOW, esteemed member LongVoyager made a post about being able to get the SACHS oem Nivomats from Rock Auto for about the same price I paid Amazon before the price hike a few months ago.

I enquired with Monroe whether my 40201 ~~shocks~~ had the five year or the lifetime warranty that Monroe advertises and they replied that NO, that neither warranty was applicable. The only warranty they honor is fresh out of the box upon visual inspection, they will replace as needed. WTF???

I DO NOT recommend Monroe 40201 for this reason any more.

Unless you are going to redesign the suspension by substitution, I'd check out RockAuto,com
AND search ToyotaNation for the current Rock Auto discount code, that is where I usually find it posted.

I also saw the Sachs shocks on rockauto.com for $242 each. That is a bit more than I want to spend for a 2005 vehicle with 180k miles on it though.

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scottloco

Discussion Starter · #7 · 3 mo ago

marvinstockman said:
If you put a couple of good sized adults in the hatch area, will the van level after driving off?

That is a good question and one that I can't answer. I can tell you that the van even bounces when hauling my 4x8 utility trailer. I don't know if the van is unlevel, but it bounces like crazy over every little bump in the road.

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scottloco

Discussion Starter · #10 · 3 mo ago

FabricGATOR said:
Well, unfortunately, that is where you are at.
Myself I chose the $550 option and replaced with factory spec where Mopar-MoFun did the research, tried four different combinations, and found this modification that he feels is as good if not better... and likely less expensive.

Because of the Nivomat load adjusting characteristics, the rear leaf spring ( that usually carries the weight ) is specified weaker so that when the vehicle hits road bumps and swells that the Nivomats pump up and level the load.

Adding Nivomats to a standard suspension doesn't work as designed.
Using (most) conventional shock absorbers on a Nivomat designed suspension (probably) won't work well [unless you have someone who experimented around with different configurations and found some exotic combination that works]

My only question is whether or not Mopar-MoFun started with Nivomat shocks before trying the different combinations. The model that Mopar-MoFun recommended specifically says it is not for T&C with Nivomat, so I would be concerned about a safety issue.

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scottloco

Discussion Starter · #13 · 3 mo ago

marvinstockman said:
From Dr. Google:

What is the ground clearance of a Chrysler Town and Country van?

5.6 "

Is that universal to all model years and trim packages?

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scottloco

Discussion Starter · #20 · 3 mo ago

Mopar-Mofun said:
I would agree with your statement for OE stock setup.

Those like myself, with the Dayton Add-A-Leaf kit and the Monroe Coli-Over-Shocks now have an impress handling and control of the van. I've owned generation 1, 2 and now 4. gen 2 had that Ford minivan boxy feeling and was awful for handling because of it. I skipped past gen 3 and the gen 2 van lasted a long time. Just didn't trust it in high winds on the interstate and around tight corners.

Did you originally have Nivomats before you switched to the coil overs? Can you give me more detail on what I would need to do please?

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scottloco

Discussion Starter · #22 · 3 mo ago

I got some Monroe 40201 at a great price on eBay. Will update you all after I put them in. I'm also doing the leaf spring hangers and shackle bushings, so tomorrow will be a rear end kind of day

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scottloco

Discussion Starter · #25 · 2 mo ago

dossdboss said:
I’m going to guess that the shocks are fine but the bushings are probably shot. You can buy some on eBay from a seller in Latvia. (You used to be able to at least). I have actually cut the bushings out of old ones and have a few lying around just in case my current ones go to ****. I have a post on here showing how I did it as well.

Nope, the shocks were VERY much shot at 180,000 miles on the clock. I could barely compress the new ones by hand (as is said about Nivomats) but the old ones I could compress with my index finger lol

Here are the old Nivomats that I took out today.

See less See more

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scottloco

Discussion Starter · #26 · 2 mo ago

Mopar-Mofun said:
Nope, my van had the useless shocks.
Also, the vans without Nivomats, people change up to them. So, I would assume vans with Nivomats should be able to switch away fro them.

Looking at an eBay listing for a USED set, they look very much similar to the normal shocks on the non-Nivomat vans.

01-07 Chrysler Town Country Dodge Caravan 2 Rear Nivomat Shock Absorbers Sachs | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 01-07 Chrysler Town Country Dodge Caravan 2 Rear Nivomat Shock Absorbers Sachs at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

View attachment 70948

View attachment 70949

The top of the Nivomat is cylinder is flat vs a dust bell cover. Otherwise it would be difficult to tell the difference.

Those actually look much smaller than my stock Nivomats...hard to tell from the picture, but I don't think those are real

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scottloco

Discussion Starter · #29 · 2 mo ago

FabricGATOR said:
What did you find 40201 on ebay? New? How Much?

I found (2) brand new still in the box for $324. Others on eBay were selling (1) brand new for over $400 so I figured this was the best deal I was going to get on brand new replacements. These same shocks were $233.79 each on rockauto.

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scottloco

Discussion Starter · #30 · 2 mo ago

Just to update....after replacing the shocks, leaf spring bushings, and shackle hangers....the van rides like a dream. I took it for a test drive on a particularly bumpy road and it's no longer bouncing at all. Thank you to everyone who chimed in on this thread to help me out! I love this community!

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