Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Turk]

Changed my rear shocks on my '00 CD today and I had intended changing the springs as well but I could not remove the old ones. The rear passenger side spring has broken at the bottom which is not unusual on the Omega so I'm told.
I changed the springs on my '94 Elite a few years ago and I don't recall having any difficulty removing the old springs or fitting the replacement. Although the new ones being fitted were 40mm lower so fitting would have been easier.
I'm baffled by this as the Elite job was so straightforward I don't even remember how I did it.
This afternoon I removed the old shocks but the springs were still under too much preassure too remove.

Can anybody advise where I'm going wrong ?

Should I be using spring compressing clamps or do I have to remove something else to allow spring removal ?    

[tunnie]

read the guide?

take it you are lowering the diff?

1. Unclip ABS sensors from diff.
2. Remove brake lines from clips to give slack.
3. Un-do anti-roll bars
4. un-do shocks.

Car is supported on axel stands as high as it can go, with front wheels chocked.

Support the diff with a jack, remove 4 diff bolts.

Lower diff slowly, whole suspension drops, just take out the spring.

May need to take off the wheels to give some extra space.

[Turk]

Blimey, I don't remember doing all that on the Elite !! All I remember is that I did it on the 4 post lift. Couldn't get near it today, both lifts had cars on them.  
I jacked it up with trolley jack under the diff, wheels off, shocks off, springs...not gonna budge. Now I know why  .  

Sure do wish I had a lap top with a mobile connection. Now I have to start all over again tomorow  

Thinking back to the Elite job, using a gear box support under the diff rings a bell. I must have used that and lifted the whole car instead of lowering the diff.  

Cheers Tunnie  
  

[johnboy27]

i have done a pair of rear springs today.
all i did was support the car on stands on the sills, i removed the shocks then removed the three 15mm bracket bolts that holds the front half of the subframe to the floor. then supported the subframe with jack then slackened the 18mm bolt that holds the subframe to the floor. i never touched the diff end on the subframe.
lower the jack enough to get the spring out.
on the first one i compressed the spring with clamps, but the other side i managed by using a pry bar on top of the spring to just compress it slightly.
just be carefull not to stretch the flexi-hoses, might be worthwhile taking the clips off so it can move.
total time for both sides was only about an hour & half

hope this helps

[Turk]

My printers thrown a wobbly so I'm taking photos of the posts with my mobile  
I'll use them as a reference tomorrow. Cheers.

[tunnie]

i have done a pair of rear springs today.
all i did was support the car on stands on the sills, i removed the shocks then removed the three 15mm bracket bolts that holds the front half of the subframe to the floor. then supported the subframe with jack then slackened the 18mm bolt that holds the subframe to the floor. i never touched the diff end on the subframe.
lower the jack enough to get the spring out.
on the first one i compressed the spring with clamps, but the other side i managed by using a pry bar on top of the spring to just compress it slightly.
just be carefull not to stretch the flexi-hoses, might be worthwhile taking the clips off so it can move.
total time for both sides was only about an hour & half

hope this helps

With the diff down you can replace both at the same time, no spring compressors needed, and you can align the springs correctly.

can be done in under an hour.

[TheBoy]

Yup, use the guide by Marks_DTM_Calib in Maintenence Guides section

[Olympia5776]

Yup, use the guide by Marks_DTM_Calib in Maintenence Guides section

I used the guide a month ago to do mine. It took longer to get the car jacked up and secure than it took to change the springs !
Simple job.
Don

[Mike Collins]

Be very carefull not to trap the wiring to the fuel pump when bolting the diff back up.

How do I know??

[BruceT]

When I bought my MIG about 3-4 weeks ago with a siezed handbrake, while the wheels where off the garage noticed both sides at the back, the coil right at the bottom had corroded away and come away. About half inch right at the bottom. Replaced both.

[TheBoy]

When I bought my MIG about 3-4 weeks ago with a siezed handbrake, while the wheels where off the garage noticed both sides at the back, the coil right at the bottom had corroded away and come away. About half inch right at the bottom. Replaced both.

Yeah, common for Omegas to lose a bit off the bottom of spring through corrosion.

[tunnie]

When I bought my MIG about 3-4 weeks ago with a siezed handbrake, while the wheels where off the garage noticed both sides at the back, the coil right at the bottom had corroded away and come away. About half inch right at the bottom. Replaced both.

Yeah, common for Omegas to lose a bit off the bottom of spring through corrosion.

Exactly same thing happend on mine.

[Matchless]

Blimey, I don't remember doing all that on the Elite !! All I remember is that I did it on the 4 post lift. Couldn't get near it today, both lifts had cars on them.  
I jacked it up with trolley jack under the diff, wheels off, shocks off, springs...not gonna budge. Now I know why  .  

Sure do wish I had a lap top with a mobile connection. Now I have to start all over again tomorow  



Thinking back to the Elite job, using a gear box support under the diff rings a bell. I must have used that and lifted the whole car instead of lowering the diff.  

Cheers Tunnie  
  

Thats an excellent way of wrecking the diff rubber mountings which are designed to support the weight of the diff, not half the car's weight.
You have to support the body weight on the jacking points ahead of the rear wheels.

[Turk]

Re: Lifting via the jack under the diff.
That did occur to me when I was checkling the rubbers after lowering the diff on sunday.
Yep, jacking it up etc took longer than changing the springs. Dead easy with the diff lowered.
Thanks for all the input folks. Next job..the front end.