Thread: Rear springs touching the spring hanger?

There are two issues here, and I am not clear which is the relevant one (possibly both).

The spring leaves are kept aligned with each other by the clips round the springs, and the clamping of the U-bolts. The clips may be loose or worn (or missing), and this can be corrected by slackening the U-bolts with the weight off, clamp the sides of the spring, retighten the U-bolts, then bend the spring clamps back into position. Missing clamps will require the spring to be removed and disassembled - not difficult, but a bit time consuming. If this is only minor I would not think this was a roadworthy issue.

If the leaf carrying the bush is touching the side of the hanger, this shows a problem with the bush. The bush (assuming the original rubber/steel type) has a central tube that is longer than the outer tube or the spring leaf width. This prevents the spring from touching the hanger sideways. If it is touching, either this extension is worn (or the bush has failed), or there is a recess worn in the cheek of the hanger. In the first case the bush must be replaced, and in the second the cheek will need to be built up - the bush will almost certainly need replacing as well. If the bush has been moving on the shackle bolt, expect to replace it as well. (similar considerations apply to a plastic bush) This is definitely a roadworthy issue, not so much simply the fact of touching the cheek of the spring hanger, but because it cannot do so if the bush and spring hanger are serviceable.

John

Hi JNNSW,

Some of the clamps that go around the spring are loose and some are spread out a little bit which makes sense that this would allow for the springs to move. I wasn't sure what they were supposed to be like as this is my first foray into Land Rovers (hey, a month ago I thought a Land Rover Series 3 Game was like Grand Theft Auto but played in a Land Rover )

So do you need to have both wheels off the ground to be able to fix this or just the one on the side you are doing? I have new bushes which I will fit anyway and the hangers and all else appears to be ok, just the leaves don't line up and when you tap them across with a hammer they stay put for a while but then move back across. I have 2 x 3000kg axle stands but the chassis areas on my S3 are higher up than the stands will allow even fully extended and I don't fancy mucking around under a badly supported car, so any tips on where or how to prop one up to leave the springs hanging free. Do I need to undo the small bolt in the middle of the spring cluster as well or just the U bolts that secure the spring to the diff tube?

G'day Paul,
I have just done this job on my 109" and I was able to support the chassis on the rear crossmember - you may need to make taller axle stands, or buy some bigger ones e.g. 4500kg type. I bought some extras and don't regret now having six of them.

Don't remove the centre bolt of the springs unless they are clamped with a strong G-clamp, or in a vice, as the springs can fly apart and cause injury. In any case there is is no need to, unless you want to strip the spring pack to clean the leaves and remove the wear-steps.

If you remove the wheels and support the axle with a trolley jack you can lower the axle when the hanger bolts are out, so that you can replace the bushes. I found it easier to remove the springs and do this in the shed, as my bushes needed to be melted out of the eyes.

Be prepared to have to cut the hanger bolts free if the bushes have rusted to the bolt - in my case I looked up the price of new parts at Paddock and decided to cut the U-bolts and I had no choice but to cut the hanger bolts; the price of new parts was so cheap it didn't make sense to wrestle with rusty parts that were probably stuffed anyway.

When you reassemble use anti-seize on everything so that it will come apart easily next time,

Cheers Charlie

To answer pfillery's question - you don't need to have both wheels off the ground - but I strongly recommend it. If you have only one side lowered at a time, the spring needs to be twisted to get the shackle bolts in - you really don't want to get involved in that. Can be done, but there is no need and it is a lot easier to do it with both sides lowered at a time.

Jack up the axle, high enough to remove the wheels. Then support the chassis, as suggested, under the crossmember at the rear, or dumb irons where the bumper attaches at the front, then remove the wheels and lower the axle. You can then remove the springs. A lot easier to work on them on the bench, also makes it easier to tighten the clamps. And while you are at it, it is worthwhile to disassemble the spring and clean, paint, and lubricate the leaves.