Coil spring replacement

You'll need some coil compressors |I think

If you try to remove any part that releases the spring when you undo it you'll probably kill yourself (I don't jest). The spring will have to be compressed with a suitable tool first. Even if you undid things without a compressor and survived, how would you get it back?

Rob graham

On Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:24:38 +0100, munki mumbled:

You *MUST* use spring compressors, and use them *properly* If a spring gets loose, comes out and hits you, which it will, because you'll be next to it, it will hurt you a lot, or possibly even kill you. I'm not joking either, they are bloody dangerous.

hth

Mike P

Wedge it back up with a little brute force my good man and bolt up.

Dream on. Actually you can do the back of a Mondeo that way, but very few things.

Give us a clue, what's the car?

Aparantly from mk4 golf user forums the mk4 golf rears are easy to do like this but the fornts are an utter nightmare.

I'm going to take heed of all the warnings which sound alarming and get some spring comprossors as I don;t fancy getting pinged to death.

Plonk I am ... Its a mk4 golf (rear spring)

Easy then, pretty much as you say. If you're not lowering it a lot then you'll find you want the spring compressors, if you're never going to want them again you can hire them from most tool hire places. Change them as a pair or it'll sit lopsided when you've finished & sods law ays the other one will break anyway.

Depends on the design. Ie, if there's enough travel in the suspension once the damper is undone. I'd get the manual and see what it says - the last thing you want is a spring under compression being out of control.

On the SD1 rear you simply disconnect the damper and lower the axle with a jack - no compressor needed. But I'm not sure an independent design would have that sort of travel.

Whatever you do do not attempt this without coil spring compressors. The springs must be replaced as a pair or else your suspension will be unbalanced. You can buy a pair of heavy duty spring compressors from Screwfix for =A314 - I lent my pair to a mechanic friend nd he was very impressed with them.

At this price do not take the risk.

If you do attempt the repair, if you remove the shock and spring together then make surewhen you separate them with the compressor that the spring & shock lay accross you. I.E so that if the compressor does come loose, the spring shoots to the side and not into your guts!!

Goo look - I've a set of rear shocks & springs to replace on a Rover

Aye, same with the P6 (except that it's the link arm, not the axle). By coincidence, I removed a pair yesterday with the rear suspension I'm stripping off a spares car. Dead easy it was too - diff and everything removed in time for tea.

This one does!

Removing the shock & spring together from the rear of a MKiv golf would involve cutting gear, they're not coilovers.

Mostly I'd agree, but the rear springs on my Transporter will just drop out if I release the damper bolt then jack the vehicle up, and replacement is the simple opposite! On my wife's Previa we have found the easiest way is to drop the rear subframe - there's not enough room to get the compressors in where you want them. And we've now done this job three times (two cars, broke the first and kept the new springs!)

Well in that respect a DeDion is the same as a beam axle. I was more thinking of some form of wishbone suspension that may not allow the spring to come out without removing the wishbone.

A bit like the Golf? (It's trailing arm to be fair)

Yes, I was being a bit facetious, the P6 is always something of a special case.