Front shock locked up

[BMV912E]

For some reason the front left shock on my 912 E is locked up. Is there a way to unlock it or should I just buy a new one? The other one seems fine, but should I replace the pair? Is a front shock replacement a simple task?

Thanks in advance for any guidance!
Brian

Update: jacked up the front of the car let it fully extend then lowered it. Seems better, it. It does move now when you push down on the corner of the car.

[csapp05]

What caused you to think you had a bad shock? (Wheel stuck in the air, noise, etc). These are stiff suspension cars that have torsion bars, they do not behave like normal spring suspensions.
Generally a stuck shock is a bent shock, and it would need to be replaced or rebuilt (Koni rebuilds). Replace in pairs so you have a benchmark on the repair. Unfortunately the front shocks are more involved to repair vs the rears. You should also inspect the control arm, bushings, torsion bars etc, they can cause the same issues.

[BMV912E]

CSApp05
Push down on passenger side front bumper,I get vertical travel. Push down on the driver side, I get noise (squeaks) and no real travel.

I thought it was better but after driving it a bit, it is no better. Drives hard, you feel every bump.

But any thoughts are greatly appreciated!

[csapp05]

Measure from the center cap of the wheel to the fenders edge above the tire. (Looking for height differences, has the car been lowered too much, etc). Get the front end up in the air, remove both wheels and compare suspension parts, look for anything not straight, again see if one side is different to the other. This gives you an opportunity to see what will need to be removed to get the shocks out.
Up top is easy, the shock mounts via a large nut. The bottom is where the fun starts, ideally you want to remove the brakes (minimum the calipers), tie rod ends, then the pinch bolt comes out freeing the shock from the control arm, depending on tools you should be able to lever the control arm down and remove the shock assembly. Some gotchas, the sway bar makes moving the control arm hard, if your shock is stuck you’ll have a hard time compressing it to clear the fender.

See: https://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/101_Projects_Porsche_911/63-Shocks/63-Shocks.htm

Take some pictures and let us know what you find!

Originally Posted by BMV912E

CSApp05
Push down on passenger side front bumper,I get vertical travel. Push down on the driver side, I get noise (squeaks) and no real travel.

I thought it was better but after driving it a bit, it is no better. Drives hard, you feel every bump.

But any thoughts are greatly appreciated!