W210 nsf has dropped

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Frankie

Active Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2010
Messages
390
Location
Guildford,Surrey
Car
E230 Elegance Ford Ka Honda Z50x3 ATC70
I drove the car less than a mile and noticed the steering wheel appeared to be off center, the steering seemed to behave in an odd way also. When I arrived at my friend's house he pointed out that the NSF was about an inch lower than the OSF .
I have looked underneath, I see a broken spring and the suspension perch/cup appears to be solid.
What else could it be?
 
Not usually...unless it's broken in the middle.

Toa degree but the OP has not told us where the break is and there are a significant number of posts on here where members have found their cars to have dropped after parking to have found the cause to be broken spring but it could be incidental so either carefully raise the car to inspect the suspension components or have it safely moved to a garage for inspection. I certainly would not be driving it.
 
Toa degree but the OP has not told us where the break is and there are a significant number of posts on here where members have found their cars to have dropped after parking to have found the cause to be broken spring but it could be incidental so either carefully raise the car to inspect the suspension components or have it safely moved to a garage for inspection. I certainly would not be driving it.
You are correct if this was a 211, but not the 210.
 
Sorry,I've seen my mistake. It should say I don't see a broken spring.
 
It could still be a broken spring even if it's not obvious.
Often it is the bottom coil that fractures and it is difficult to spot.
 
I bow to better knowledge but the spring seems a likely candidate to me. Have you counted the visible coils in the spring on each side of the car to make sure they’re the same?
 
springs set the height, cant imagine it being anything other .
 
What about the steering behaving oddly, I can't imagine that a broken spring would do that.
A second issue?
 
What about the steering behaving oddly, I can't imagine that a broken spring would do that.
A second issue?

If the car is sitting lower on one side the car will naturally drag in that direction, pulling the steering off centre. That is way the suspension settings for toe, caster and camber are so critical.

I suggest you take your car to a garage where they can put it on a hoist or ramp to facilitate an easier inspection
 
The suspension could be a red herring. Is the drive at your friend's house on level ground? I found my car sat slightly lower on one side when I first bought my car and got home to inspect. It was because the drive was slightly unlevel and the car was leaning ever so slightly to one side :oops:

If this is the case, it could be something steering related in your case and nothing to do with the suspension.
 
Well having had this happen to me,I can say that I would have thought the op has pointed to the cause ,he says the n/s front has dropped about a inch and a poster has said what happened to me and that is that the bottom coil had snapped and the spring had settled lower by about a inch lower,I suppose the same result would occur if the top coil snapped as well.
 
It's parked up on a level drive and definitely sitting lower on one side now.Will try and get it booked in during the eeek.
 
When 210 front springs break, it's always at the bottom, last inch.

Needs to be gotten up in the air. To spot that spring perch that's 'peeled' away, to some degree.
Can be fixed, if so.
 
When 210 front springs break, it's always at the bottom, last inch.

Needs to be gotten up in the air. To spot that spring perch that's 'peeled' away, to some degree.
Can be fixed, if so.
In my expereince (both broke on my 210) the affect on ride height was minimal because the last inch or two is "flat".
 
So I managed to get it to PCS, turned out the arm had rusted and bent causing the car to drop,not something I was particularly looking for. They also found that the spring perch on the other side was had rusted.
 

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