The invention discloses relates to a magnetorheological shock absorber with an external coil. The magnetorheological shock absorber comprises a hydraulic cylinder body, a floating piston, a piston, a piston rod, a sealing cover, a coil, an external cylinder barrel, dustproof rings, an external end cover, a bottom limit element, a nut and a sleeve, wherein the floating piston plays a role of separating a compensation gas chamber from a hydraulic cavity; the piston is connected with the piston rod, and a bottom end is fixed to the bottom limit element through the nut; the bottom limit element is fixedly connected with the external cylinder barrel; the sleeve externally sleeves the hydraulic cylinder body; a bipolar coil is arranged in the sleeve; the dustproof rings are installed at the two ends of the sleeve; the piston is located at the central position of the bipolar coil; and during working of the shock absorber, the hydraulic cylinder body carries out reciprocating motion relative to the external cylinder barrel and the piston, and the magnitude of a magnetic field passing through a damping channel between the piston and the hydraulic cylinder body can be controlled through controlling a current of the external coil, so that the characteristic of a magnetorheological liquid is changed, and a purpose of controlling a damping force is achieved. The structure is convenient to install and simple in structure, production and maintenance costs are lowered, and a long service life is achieved.