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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

Re: Rear spring broken
Posted: 13 Mar 2018, 19:05
by itchyfeet
That's another hour of my life I won't get back...
P1090775 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
P1090777b by
Paul_Barr, on Flickr
P1090783b by
Paul_Barr, on Flickr
P1090784b by
Paul_Barr, on Flickr
P1090786b by
Paul_Barr, on Flickr