spring has sprung!
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 201
Likes: 0
From: Schaumburg, IL
spring has sprung!
Hey guys. I noticed my '97 e150 had developed a jaunty lean to the driver's side. i checked the leaf springs, no problem. checked the front coil spring on the driver's side... oh oh. it looks like it cracked at the bottom where it mounted, and slipped down over the mount, so now it's resting on the frame. a few questions...
how serious is this? aside from the fact that i'm a bit lower on the driver's side, is anything terrible likely to happen?
how hard is it to replace? can i do it in my driveway with common tools, or does this require serious equipment?
is this one of those things that "you have to replace them in pairs", or do i just need to replace the broken one?
seems kind of unusual to break a coil spring. i mean, it's not like i take my conversion van off-roading or anything. in fact, i think i heard & felt it pop as i was making a right turn into a gas station. heard kind of a loud boing, & thought, hmm, that sounds strange. is this a common thing to happen? (the van's got aroung 100 thousand miles on it).
hey all, thanks for any & all help & comments.
how serious is this? aside from the fact that i'm a bit lower on the driver's side, is anything terrible likely to happen?
how hard is it to replace? can i do it in my driveway with common tools, or does this require serious equipment?
is this one of those things that "you have to replace them in pairs", or do i just need to replace the broken one?
seems kind of unusual to break a coil spring. i mean, it's not like i take my conversion van off-roading or anything. in fact, i think i heard & felt it pop as i was making a right turn into a gas station. heard kind of a loud boing, & thought, hmm, that sounds strange. is this a common thing to happen? (the van's got aroung 100 thousand miles on it).
hey all, thanks for any & all help & comments.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,823
Likes: 0
From: Houston, Texas
spring has sprung!
Coil springs are easy to replace. Disconnect the front sway bar and jack up the vehicle and set it on stands. Pull the tires and remove the jack and let the axle droop. Get a buddy to help you push down on side of the axle the you need to pull the spring from and pull out the spring. Replace and put everything back together. You might need a spring compressor, but I doubt it.
Hotshot
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 12,679
Likes: 15
From: BC, Canada
spring has sprung!
Be very careful when working around a "loaded" coil spring. They store a LOT of energy.
I've seen pieces of broken spring go through tire sidewalls and that can cause big problems.
Besides what Jeremy said you will also have to unbolt the shock and there is a big nut and washer that holds the spring to the I-Beam. The nut undoes from inside the spring. You dont turn the bolt that goes through the I-Beam.
I've seen pieces of broken spring go through tire sidewalls and that can cause big problems.
Besides what Jeremy said you will also have to unbolt the shock and there is a big nut and washer that holds the spring to the I-Beam. The nut undoes from inside the spring. You dont turn the bolt that goes through the I-Beam.
