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Re: Rear spring broken

Posted: 12 Mar 2018, 20:23
by itchyfeet
Oldiebut goodie wrote:Those yellow paint daubs are yellow/yellow/green rather than plain yellow - I wonder what that signifies.

If you read the wiki it suggests that it's all a bit of a mystery, perhaps a petrol diesel thing.

Re: Rear spring broken

Posted: 12 Mar 2018, 21:05
by muttleypup
Appreciate you may prefer to fit new but there is a pair of 2 x yellow/1 x green on ebay at the moment, trawled past them the other day looking for other bits https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-T25-T3-TR ... Sw4EhaXn0U" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Rear spring broken

Posted: 12 Mar 2018, 21:18
by itchyfeet
muttleypup wrote:Appreciate you may prefer to fit new but there is a pair of 2 x yellow/1 x green on ebay at the moment, trawled past them the other day looking for other bits

Thanks for the link, years ago I would have but now I'm getting older my time and my aches and pains is as important as the money, I just want to do it once, old springs may well snap and then I have to do it again.

I think it's the pot holes, in my 33 years of motoring the only springs I have broken have been in the last 2 years!

I'm also going to do the shocks while it's jacked up so I don't have to crawl under and do them later, they are original by the looks.

Re: Rear spring broken

Posted: 12 Mar 2018, 21:47
by muttleypup
Fair point and makes sense to do 'everything' whilst you're there, rear is a pretty simple job, fronts are a different story!!

Potholes appear to be a modern phenomenon, i dont recall them being an issue until recent years. Pretty sure that's what did mine, i heard a loud crack but couldnt see anything wrong until i noticed truck didnt quite sit right a few days later.

Re: Rear spring broken

Posted: 12 Mar 2018, 21:52
by itchyfeet
I did the fronts before on my tin top and don't remember a problem

Re: Rear spring broken

Posted: 12 Mar 2018, 22:21
by slowcoach
Getting those front springs in and out was the worst job I've ever done :-( think my spring compressors were way too weedy, going by how much they flexed. Scary stuff. Make them good ones itchy feet !

Re: Rear spring broken

Posted: 12 Mar 2018, 22:29
by muttleypup
Fronts just a bit more work than rears, plus if I ever do it again i'll invest in better spring compressors

Re: Rear spring broken

Posted: 13 Mar 2018, 07:41
by itchyfeet
I'm not doing the front springs as they are not broken just the rears.
I suspect the design of suspension and more weight at rear makes the rears more prone to breaking.

I thought you were talking about front shocks being hard to swap my mistake.

Re: Rear spring broken

Posted: 13 Mar 2018, 08:00
by lodgey62
Original second hand units could be better than new Chinese items

Re: Rear spring broken

Posted: 13 Mar 2018, 09:25
by itchyfeet
lodgey62 wrote:Original second hand units could be better than new Chinese items

you may be right but thats why I purchased from Brickwerks who sell these


http://www.suplex.de/en/coil-springs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://www.brickwerks.co.uk/spring-t3-rear-yellow.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Rear spring broken

Posted: 13 Mar 2018, 14:41
by NicBeeee
I pleased to see that you have got it all sorted but you would get a better idea of others ride height if you measured from centre of wheel to top of arch, doesn't matter about tyre/wheel sizes or air pressure.

Sent from my F3111 using Tapatalk

Re: Rear spring broken

Posted: 13 Mar 2018, 14:49
by itchyfeet
NicBeeee wrote:I pleased to see that you have got it all sorted but you would get a better idea of others ride height if you measured from centre of wheel to top of arch, doesn't matter about tyre/wheel sizes or air pressure.

Sent from my F3111 using Tapatalk

yes good point

Re: Rear spring broken

Posted: 13 Mar 2018, 18:18
by 937carrera
Yep, that's actually how Saab specify their ride height measurements :ok

Re: Rear spring broken

Posted: 13 Mar 2018, 19:05
by itchyfeet
That's another hour of my life I won't get back...

ImageP1090775 by Paul_Barr, on Flickr

Re: Rear spring broken

Posted: 14 Mar 2018, 19:07
by itchyfeet
Made some new washers for under the springs, Brickwerks have re made them in steel reinforced rubber but were out of stock when I ordered so I made some from fabric reinforced 3mm rubber sheet, I think the originals were molded polyurethane so you could cut some from sheet of that too.

old shocks had no resistance in compression but had resistance in extension, I assume that means they are knackered and possibly the reason for the broken spring by placing extra shock stress on it.

I wonder how many people are driving around on knackered shocks? it drove fine and passed MOTs



ImageP1090777b by Paul_Barr, on Flickr

ImageP1090783b by Paul_Barr, on Flickr

ImageP1090784b by Paul_Barr, on Flickr

ImageP1090786b by Paul_Barr, on Flickr