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how to work out why car seems to not 'sit' properly... 1985 8V 900i

For ages I've been suspecting that my 1985 900i has a suspension problem in that either both rear springs have shrunk from having too much load placed on the rear of the car by previous owners (perhaps using trailers), or something else.

Anyway, it 'seems' like the problem might be the right/rear of the car, but I've jacked up the back of the car today and taken off both rear wheels yet so far I can't see anything physically wrong.

How it came to light is that when driving (even slowly) on rough ground the rear wheels rub on the wheel arches, and if I drive at speed on the road, the car seems to handle badly and it 'bounces' a little on corners.

I've already had the front of the car under close scrutiny due to problems with other things (mainly when I changed the right/front swivel member and wheel hub), but it could well be a problem with something at the front.

Are there any tried and tested ways to explore rear suspension, etc. to work out if there is a problem even if it's just that the springs are tired?

Craig.

Reply to
Craig's Saab C900 Site
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Springs lose their set over time, but you say the car 'bounces' a little on corners so this would point more to the dampers having gone to lunch. Springs and dampers form a resonant circuit of sorts and their rates must match.

You can roughly test the dampers by violently jouncing the car up and down at each corner and noting how quickly the motion stops. A really bad damper will be obvious this way.

If you park the car on level ground is one corner of the car lower (measure it with a tape).

Reply to
ShazWozza

Have the rear bump-stops vanished. I had a 900 in the UK that had lost these, and it used to bottom when coming back from France full of wine... the car, that is! They fail their MoT there if there is only one, but pass if both have come off!

Reply to
Richard Sutherland-Smith

Thanks for the tip - I'll see if this test gives anything tangible result-wise.

Don't really have anything level around here. We don't have a garage or any flat concrete slab.

But if I get to such a spot I'll do some measuring.

I'm leading towards suspecting both rear springs since the car has a towbar and it's quite an old towbar (going on how much rust it's bottom surface has). So a previous owner may have hauled trailers around with the car, and/or loaded up the boot space with far too much weight. 8-)

Craig.

Reply to
Craig's Saab C900 Site

8-) No both of the rear bump-stops are in place. That was one of the first things I looked at when I jacked up the back of the car the other day and sat it on stands so I could take off both back wheels with the rear of the car supported at the jacking points.

Craig.

Reply to
Craig's Saab C900 Site

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