What happens if a Coil Spring Breaks

[Carslil Jim]

Mine is an 85 County V8.

Two questions really. I am planning a trip to Cape York in July and my reading advises the most likely breakage is the suspension (on 4WDs generally).

My question is: "Can I keeep going if a do a spring in" (eg 150ks or so until I find a garage). I assume I can continue with a broken shock but things would become very bouncy.

Any other advice would be appreciated.

[roverrescue]

Id take a broken coil spring over a broken air spring!
Have seen a mates GU patrol wagon break a front spring in the boonies of the Kimberely 10 years ago
Coils collapsed into themselves we put a few hose clamps around the coils (probably did nothing useful) and then drove hundreds of kays back to Wyndham

I wouldnt stress too much about the low risk of breaking a coil spring

Tyres dampers and bushes will take much more of a hiding on a cape trip

S

[tomalophicon]

It's possible to utilise 2 car batteries in series to weld for short periods of time using Sheilded metal welding electrodes.
I always thought it'd be cool to break a coil and weld it back together again, then drive victoriously out of the bush with a cool story to tell.

I've heard of cars that have been stranded by broken coils, and stories like the one above where people have been able to continue driving on 3 springs.

[weeds]

coils wil be least of your worries..........they are cheap as chips so maybe fit new ones if your worried

[Judo]

If breaking a coil is the only thing you have left to worry about, you're in for a awesome trip!

[goingbush]

Coils on a Defender rarely break, But I always carry welding electrodes & leads, (as mentioned ) plus appropriate cables to link my 3 batteries together and a welding lens.

DC welding with car batteries gives great results . Its not only broken springs but you can also fix just about anything.

Arc Welding with 3 Car Batteries (Tutorial & Demo) - YouTube

[PhilipA]

I assume I can continue with a broken shock but things would become very bouncy.


A broken shock is worse than a broken spring , if it brakes a shaft as it is the thing that holds the spring in and the spring can then fall out.

The fix is to get a strap and tie the axle to the bump stop or somewher eto stop the spring falling out.

Having said all that , if you are careful there is nothing unusual about Cape York that would lead to broken springs or shocks for that matter.

And do not assume you could pick up a spring at the next town. I don't think there are any modern LR in the wreckers in Doomagee/Seisia and air freight in would take quite a while. I had a new fan mailed to Cooktown which is the nearest "large" centre.
BTW there are no chemists north of Cooktown except Thursday Island.
Regards Philip A

[Tombie]

Id take a broken coil spring over a broken air spring!
Have seen a mates GU patrol wagon break a front spring in the boonies of the Kimberely 10 years ago
Coils collapsed into themselves we put a few hose clamps around the coils (probably did nothing useful) and then drove hundreds of kays back to Wyndham

I wouldnt stress too much about the low risk of breaking a coil spring

Tyres dampers and bushes will take much more of a hiding on a cape trip

S

That would of been your namesake and his brand new Dobinsons ;)

Which one of you was it that got the fish hook through your hand....?

[Tusker]

Take spare tie rod ends & all the bushes, these might pack it in.

The shocks may fail, but unlikely to break apart per se. (unless there's a mismatch with the bump stops). Budget for replacing them when you get back.

And spring breakage is a thing of the past. They used to crack, but the carbon content in the steel has long changed. These days they sag but not crack.

Regards
Max P

[Graeme]

A rear coil broke on my D2 on Madigans but I didn't know about it. However it was only the bottom coil that broke off and that was because it had been wound too tightly which caused it to grab the centering cone which meant that it couldn't lift 1 side or the other as needed during continual extreme articulation. I later discovered the break when investigating a squeak.

[justinc]

I have seen 1 coil broken in all my years of working on these vehicles, and it was an aftermarket item.

I would be more worried about shocks and suspension bushes than springs, especially on a 110/130 as they have very high quality springs from factory. I work on a few 130's and 110's at 400,000+km still on factory original coils.

JC

[isuzurover]

When we did the canning stock route in 2010 there was a Pajero stranded at Well 17 with 2 broken rear (aftermarket) coils. Between breaking the coils and driving slowly to the nearest camping spot (Well 17) - he had managed to put a hole in his long range tank and do some other damage.

A vehicle in our party snapped a front shock turret which caused the coil to pop out. We refitted the coil and used ratchet straps to retain it. The shock on the other side had failed but was still in place - which meant for a very bouncy ride from the front end.

[Graeme]

I have seen 1 coil broken in all my years of working on these vehicles, and it was an aftermarket item.
Mine too!

[B.S.F.]

Didn't someone on this forum break a spring on the Donohue H/W near Boulia,with disastrous effects?

[Blknight.aus]

I've seen broken mounts and collapsed coils and even a snapped hockey stick but Ive NEVER seen an OEM coil spring or quality after marked one broken in a landy, every other component of the suspension yes, but never a coil spring..

Other makes however.

[JDNSW]

I have been driving cars with coil springs for over fifty years, including over 500,000km in my current 110. In that time I have seen exactly one broken coil spring (in a Ford Laser that did only urban driving), but quite a few broken leaf springs. None of the broken springs, coil or leaf, disabled the vehicle.

A broken coil spring is one of the less likely things to hold you up.

And while welding using batteries is quite useful, welding a coil spring is not likely to be much use - the welding heat will soften the adjoining material, and a further failure can be expected almost immediately.

John

[roverrescue]

John I was going to write something similar:
-Even using pre and post heat and lo-hy rods (all which would be less likely in the scrub)
-And then say overlapping the fractured ends 100 to get some coverage and grinding some good vees into the coil
-Id give it 10km of corrugations on a loaded vehicle before fracking again!

Hmmmmm
I go plenty of landy coils banging around maybe I should cut and weld one and chuck it in for a drive just for research purposes

Just for a little bit of tech - if you are going to do some trackside DC welding 316SS rods are a good choice
They dont mind dissimilar metals with sub standard prep as much as GP rods

S

[justinc]

surely no one would be thinking about welding a coil spring????:eek:

JC

[goingbush]

surely no one would be thinking about welding a coil spring????:eek:

JC

Broke one (aftermarket) in the 80's on a Woods Point trip RRC rear spring,
overlapped the broken ends by about 180 degrees. held in place with jubilee clamps, stitch welded, put back , moved the heavy stuff into another car & drove home no problems at all

[roverrescue]

"Coils collapsed into themselves we put a few hose clamps around the coils (probably did nothing useful) and then drove hundreds of kays back to Wyndham"

Did the welding do anything that the jubilee clamps / hose clamps didnt though?

Now that JC has chimed in Im gonna have to do this test of welding a coil spring!!!!

S

[Blknight.aus]

surely no one would be thinking about welding a coil spring????:eek:

JC

welllllll, I wasnt before......

about the craziest thing I've welded was the ring gear on a diesel hyd pump or the head onto an engine...

[goingbush]

Did the welding do anything that the jubilee clamps / hose clamps didnt though?



Don't know, but if you jubilee clamped / welded and stuffed the spring full of tennis balls (poor mans polyair) Im sure it would be fine even with the load still onboard.

[JC Rover]

The best way you can avoid breaking stuff is not to overload your vehicle. On my first cape trip I took way too much stuff. Didn't use a lot of it. I was lucky nothing broke- especially crossing the Pascoe river and on the Frenchmans Track. Have a list and be ruthless on saving weight. The second best thing you can do is drive to the conditions. Corrugations are the biggest killer, both on vehicle and camping equipment. Write a list and go over it again and a again.

Jono

PS. Can I come too?

[Tombie]

JC Rover - Well said mate :cool:

[PAT303]

surely no one would be thinking about welding a coil spring????:eek:

JC

Yep,it'll last 10 feet,maybe 12. Pat

[PAT303]

The best way you can avoid breaking stuff is not to overload your vehicle. On my first cape trip I took way too much stuff. Didn't use a lot of it. I was lucky nothing broke- especially crossing the Pascoe river and on the Frenchmans Track. Have a list and be ruthless on saving weight. The second best thing you can do is drive to the conditions. Corrugations are the biggest killer, both on vehicle and camping equipment. Write a list and go over it again and a again.

Jono

PS. Can I come too?

Trouble is Jono people need a TV,microwave oven,washing machine,dishwasher,computer,three GPS's and a 10KVA gennie to run it all,ask any bicky dipper.Oh and you need a 4.5ltr V8 cruiser to tow it all as all other vehicles are underpowered,then sit on 70 to save fuel. :eek: Pat