Rear road springs

[Annielou]

Hi all
My ZT has just failed it’s MOT on a broken rear spring. I am tempted to have a go at changing it myself.
What do you think, easy or hard job?
Thanks.

[grs6680]

Originally Posted by Annielou

Hi all
My ZT has just failed it’s MOT on a broken rear spring. I am tempted to have a go at changing it myself.
What do you think, easy or hard job?
Thanks.

there is a couple of youtube video`s which could help you.

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by Annielou

What do you think, easy or hard job?

Hard. Suspension work always is. But that's not to say that you shouldn't have a go.

Simon

[madeupname]

Worst part always seems to be the shocker bolt which can seize on solid. If you have a powerful impact drill it should make it easier. As the spring is broken there should be no tension to worry about.

[marinabrian]

Originally Posted by SD1too

Hard. Suspension work always is. But that's not to say that you shouldn't have a go.

Simon

Simon, sometimes you can talk an easy job into a hard one, and this is one of those times

For the OP's benefit, this is the very easy way to replace a rear road spring.....

First off remove the M14 bolt securing the lower shock absorber to rear trailing arm, this has an 18mm AF head on the bolt, it will be tight so a good breaker bar is often required to loosen, so I tend to do this with the car still on it's wheels

Jack up both sides of the car, and place axle stands with a piece of stout atop wood to protect the sills from damage and point loading.

Unclip the flexible brake hoses from their central support bracket on the trailing arms to prevent stress being placed on the hoses.

Now comes the clever part, simply slacken slightly the subframe mounting bolts, which are M12 with 15mm AF hexagon, on the opposite side to the spring you're changing, and remove the ones on the side you're changing the spring on, this will allow the whole suspension assembly to move downwards enough to allow the spring to be removed and replaced without fuss.

The spring is rotated anticlockwise by 90 degrees to disengage the lower spring isolating rubber from the upper rear suspension arm, and once you have the old spring out from under the car, you swap the isolating rubbers from the old spring to the new and refit the spring to the upper arm, ensuring the cutouts in the lower isolator line up with the drainage holes in the upper rear arm.

Once you done that, refit the subframe bolts to that side and remove the opposite side.

Once the new springs are fitted, torque up the subframe bolts and damper lower mounting bolts to the specified torque, clip the flexible brake hoses back into their brackets and job done

Beats messing about with drop links and rusted fasteners any day of the week..... it took me 20 minutes to do both rear springs

Hope this helps

Brian

[Annielou]

Thanks guys. I’m going to give it a go.....
Brian I’m presuming that I would need to place a jack under the trailing arm to allow it all to drop smoothly and jack the sub frame back in place?

[Amsca2]

I couldn't get the bottom bolt off so just removed the top 2. Definitely my new way of doing it. Less grief. I'll try the bottom ones again in better weather and do the shockers next.

[HarryM1BYT]

Originally Posted by Annielou

Thanks guys. I’m going to give it a go.....
Brian I’m presuming that I would need to place a jack under the trailing arm to allow it all to drop smoothly and jack the sub frame back in place?

I have now done the job twice and I didn't need to do all that (MarinaBrian).

All I had to do was undo the bottom end of the damper (as per the videos). The broken spring obviously comes out easily. Unlike suggested in videos, the new spring was a little too long to fit without being compressed. I clamped it in a vice to compress it, then lashed it up in the compressed state. It needs to be lashed in three places around the perimeter.

Wind the spring end cushions on, put it on the car, then snip lashings and pull the remnants out. Finally, jack the arm back up enough to fit the damper bolt.

The hardest part, was undoing the damper bolt, best to put some penetrating oil on the thread end of the bolt, a couple or so days before you start. Put a jack under the damper to steady it, then you can give the spanner some wellie with a hammer to shock it loose.

[marinabrian]

Originally Posted by Annielou

Thanks guys. I’m going to give it a go.....
Brian I’m presuming that I would need to place a jack under the trailing arm to allow it all to drop smoothly and jack the sub frame back in place?

No you won't need to do that, however you may need to jack it back up slightly to get the removed subframe bolts started again

Brian

[marinabrian]

Originally Posted by HarryM1BYT

I have now done the job twice and I didn't need to do all that (MarinaBrian).

All I had to do was undo the bottom end of the damper (as per the videos). The broken spring obviously comes out easily. Unlike suggested in videos, the new spring was a little too long to fit without being compressed. I clamped it in a vice to compress it, then lashed it up in the compressed state. It needs to be lashed in three places around the perimeter.

Wind the spring end cushions on, put it on the car, then snip lashings and pull the remnants out. Finally, jack the arm back up enough to fit the damper bolt.

The hardest part, was undoing the damper bolt, best to put some penetrating oil on the thread end of the bolt, a couple or so days before you start. Put a jack under the damper to steady it, then you can give the spanner some wellie with a hammer to shock it loose.

Yes Harry, however I'm describing a considerably less risky method of doing the job, and by the time you had compressed the springs and lashed the coils together, I'd fitted both sides

Brian