Compresing springs - something I now hate more than plumbing

[danwheeler]

Spent 5 hours in the garage trying to compress my front springs for re-installation with some new KYB struts. This is easily the worst experience I've ever had working on cars. I used a $30 strut spring compressor kit from NAPA. It compressed the spring a few inches but it looks like I need 5-6" or more to get the spring/strut back under there. Any time I tried to go more than a few inches one of the spring compressors would slip around to one side giving me a tweaked spring which is a REAL pain to get off of there. I'm feeling lucky to have not been injured tonight.

anyway - i'm asking for any advice or help from someone who knows what they are doing. I'm thinking I may have to take the springs to a shop and have them compressed and held so I can install them. I was also thinking about going to Harbor Freight and getting a hydraulic shop press

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=33497

since I need one anyway. Would this work for compressing a spring? I'd probably have to fab up some pieces to keep the spring straight but otherwise would this work?

thanks,
dan

[Gforcefd]

I don't know why you need to compress the springs 6 inches, are you sure you have front springs and not back springs? Because the back ones are longer. When I did mine I only had to compress them about 2 maybe 3 inches.

[danwheeler]

I haven't taken the back springs off so I know I have the right ones and not mixed up. Basically the spring and strut assembly wont fit up into the wheel well. I've compressed the spring as much as I can, slid it over the strut and when I install the strut/spring up into the wheel well the bottom of the strut sits about level with the axle shaft. Thats about 2-3" lower than it needs to be to get those 2 bolts back in.

I dont even know if I'm doing this right since I dont have a manual but it seems to me that you would need to compress the spring enough so that you could put it on the strut and install the strut/spring into the wheelwell and attach the nut at the top then lift the wheel up and connect it to the strut with the 2 bolts.

I'll see if I can find an online manual but any help or instruction is really appreciated.

thanks,
dan

[danwheeler]

hmm, ok i did screw this up... so it sounds like i'm supposed to remove the compressed spring/strut as an assembly INCLUDING the piece (mounting block?) at the top of the fender/wheelwell that keeps the spring compressed BEFORE removing the single nut at the top of the tower. I now feel like an idiot because I unscrewed that single nut and it released the spring inside the wheel well and smashed the strut down into my axle shaft. No significant damage but still a stupid move.

I guess I'll have to give it another shot today in the garage but I still think it's going to be difficult to compress the spring enough to attach the mounting block and single nut at the top.

[danwheeler]

My front springs are 15" I measured the maximum length between the top and bottom spring cups and it's 10". So i have to compress my springs at least 5" probably a little more to make it all fit.

anyone know how long the stock springs are? something just doesn't seem right, i'm never gonna get these things back under there.

[oxbrain]

Yes, the strut and spring come out as an assembly. If you remove the two nuts on the top of the shock tower, the whole thing should drop right out. It will be a big dish shaped piece. It makes getting the spring compressed a lot easier.

For the rears I just used a jack under the beam and undid the top nut. Lower the jack and the whole thing drops.

[danwheeler]

I don't know why you need to compress the springs 6 inches, are you sure you have front springs and not back springs? Because the back ones are longer. When I did mine I only had to compress them about 2 maybe 3 inches.

wow... and your positive the rear ones are longer right? I just took off my rear wheel and measured the rear springs and they are about 11" in length. thats about 4" shorter than the fronts.

I guess this means the previous owner got them reversed. That may explain why the tires would rub the fenders when I drove with 2 people in the back.

:roll:

[danwheeler]

For the rears I just used a jack under the beam and undid the top nut. Lower the jack and the whole thing drops.

ah, good idea - thanks for that. Did you read my most recent post? what do you think abuot the springs being reversed? Thats gotta be it right?

supposed to be?:
11" springs in the front
15" springs in the back

mine seem to be completely reversed

[Gforcefd]

Im pretty sure the fronts are shorter than the back, its been awhile since I had them out...

[danwheeler]

Hooray! I got them in. The garage gods were on my side this afternoon. I got the springs compressed down enough by compressing them on the strut locked upright in a vice. I used some small hose clamps to keep the spring compressors in place so they didn't slip up the spring and get all messed up.

The fronts are longer and larger than the rears. The fronts are about 15" and the rears are about 14" (assuming i had them in right)

[bsirvine]

Strut spring compression

It still might be a pain to compress the strut springs. I got the HF threaded rod compressors which in theory should work great. In practice they slip down the spring and get all screwed up. I was thinking of fabricating a wood jig that kept the tops and bottoms 180 degrees apart, but finally I got it right and so I didn't have to. Pain in the butt, but I'm past it now.

[oxbrain]

When I did my suspension I had new everything, so I threw out the whole spring/strut assembly without taking it apart. I know the FMS front springs are shorter than the FMS rear springs.

I do remember the front springs being a pain in the butt to compress because the strut boot wouldn't fit in with the compressors in there. I ended up having to buy different boots.

[skeeters_keeper]

When i got my car it needed new springs all around, but the struts were fine... i got spring/strut assemblys from the JY and some of the struts were bad, so i took apart all the spring/strut assemblys and picked the best-looking parts from my car and they JY springs.
When i re-installed i didn't use any type of spring compressor. i put a jack under the bottom of the strut, and adjusted it till it was aligned with the two bolt holes, and i was done....

i'm glad you finally got it, but it should have been an easier job then it was apparently you may want to spend the few $ for a manual!

[WmWatt]

Well when you figure the fronts have the engine to contend with it's no surprize they are bigger and heavier. A couple of people can lift the back end of the car off the ground and swing it around. I've got people out of tight parking situtations that way. No way a couple of people can lift the front end off the ground and swing it around.

[Guest]

Yeah, I'm with Nate.. I have gone back and forth at least 6 or 7 times on different Festivas.. From oem to FMS Sports, from FMS back to stock and never had a spring compressor. Pretty much just a floor jack under the strut and a couple of jackstands to keep the car up.