Dieselman
Banned
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2003
- Messages
- 34,206
- Car
- Peugeot 403 Convertible
Found a broken road spring on the front of the car today and wanted to get it sorted straight away.
Not having an internal spring compressor I asked an indie how much as a labour job, then asked the dealer when collecting the spring, expecting both to say...well it's a 15 minute job, so price accordingly.
When the indie said £60 and the dealer said £117.50, I thought I would do it myself using a pair of external compressors and some strong chain.
Broken spring. Unusually nearer the top, instead the bottom coil.
The method is to disconnect the ARB link, damper and hub carrier, then compress the spring by lifting the suspension arm and chain it tight.
I made the mistake of not doing things in the correct order and using a spring compressor to remove the spring.
The best way is just to use the chain.
Old spring out with chain locking it.
Clean and rustproof the upper and lower spring cups. Note the lever to press the arm down with to gain enough clearance to remove and insert the spring.
Fitting the new spring was easy as I had tensioned it a bit too tightly. One link more in the chain would have been ideal.
Ensure the alignment is correct, with the bottom coil end fitting into the slot.
If doing this again I wouldn't use a compressor at all while the spring is on the car, just to compress the spring to remove the chain from the old spring and fit it to the new one and I would ensure the chain wasn't compressing the spring too tightly. I had trouble removing the chain one side as it was too tight.
Not having an internal spring compressor I asked an indie how much as a labour job, then asked the dealer when collecting the spring, expecting both to say...well it's a 15 minute job, so price accordingly.
When the indie said £60 and the dealer said £117.50, I thought I would do it myself using a pair of external compressors and some strong chain.
Broken spring. Unusually nearer the top, instead the bottom coil.
The method is to disconnect the ARB link, damper and hub carrier, then compress the spring by lifting the suspension arm and chain it tight.
I made the mistake of not doing things in the correct order and using a spring compressor to remove the spring.
The best way is just to use the chain.
Old spring out with chain locking it.
Clean and rustproof the upper and lower spring cups. Note the lever to press the arm down with to gain enough clearance to remove and insert the spring.
Fitting the new spring was easy as I had tensioned it a bit too tightly. One link more in the chain would have been ideal.
Ensure the alignment is correct, with the bottom coil end fitting into the slot.
If doing this again I wouldn't use a compressor at all while the spring is on the car, just to compress the spring to remove the chain from the old spring and fit it to the new one and I would ensure the chain wasn't compressing the spring too tightly. I had trouble removing the chain one side as it was too tight.
Last edited:
- my concern would the potential damage of the spring protective coating?
Has anyone tried this SEALEY TOOL?? would appear to fit the bill and very much cheaper than the Klan Type device? 
