Spring popped out!!!!!!!

[turbomangt]

This is going to sound crazy, but it just happened to me today. (gary04GT you will NEVER want to get springs after you read this) I took out my gold line rear springs and replaced it with the rear BTG, reason is it doesn't lower the car as much. ok, that was done early today, I drive maybe 25 miles, when I started to hear a bang sound when I would go over a minor bump. It was bad enough that I pulled over to look under the car, thats when I almost had a heart attack. The left spring was perfect, set in place, the right side WAS SLANTED ON A 45 DEGREE ANGLE.!!!! IT POPPED OUT ! I was only a few miles from goodyear and they brought it up on the jack. Thats when I got more bad news. He brought me under the car to show me. He not only popped it back in where it belonged, but he could move the spring with his hand while the car was in the air. He said these springs are not right for the car, they should be tight, . well I called PT Tuning, and Majier said he never heard of that before. Not sure what to do. I know springs should not pop out, this is turning into a nightmare. anyone considering lowering their car???? be warned. any tech people help? I wonder if the springs are installed unside down, if that would cause it? PLEASE HELP !!! IDEAS!

[ptgtcb]

It sounds like who ever installed the springs did not get them seated properly! Most, if not all, lowering spings will not fit tight when the the suspension is unloaded. My eibach's do not fit tight and the gold lines are even looser. With the suspension loaded you would have to run over a 2 foot ditch for the spring to pop out and you would be worring about more than a spring popping out. Who ever told you that they are not correct for the car is full of beans and just trying to cover their butt. Heck, the btg's are tighter than the Goldlines. If the coils are progressivly wound the tight set of coils are on top and even if they were upside down they would not any more prone to poppping out. I have had absolutely no problems and I can not think of anyone else posting a problem with the springs popping out, installer error, period! Make sure the upper and lower rubber isolators are installed correctly. If they aligned the car with the spring installed incorectly they need to re-align the car! I just think you are having a case of bad luck and everything will work out fine. It appears, Murphy is alive and well [:0]

[Sci-Fi]

Just to add, if the isolators are installed correctly (top and bottom), then check the coils orientation. The top coil edge or the face at the top end of the coil should be parallel to the axle and placed towards the outside. To be honest, between the Watts Link and the Shocks (and rear anti-sway bar if equipped) limiting the suspension travel, the springs should not have popped out, even if one used 3" slammer springs. Could remove the springs and compare them. You might have got a mismatched pair. There are front & rear coil spring dislocation cones available for 4X4's to keep the springs from popping out. Might want to see if any of them fits as a last resort.




From the service manual (sorry no pics, scanner is down):

INSTALLATION

(1) Install a rubber isolator on each end of the coil
springs wrapping the rubber fingers around the coil
(Fig. 32). Turn the isolators until the rubber abutment
butts up against the flat end of the spring coil.
NOTE: Both ends of the coil spring are identical.
Either end of the spring can be the top or bottom.

(2) Place the coil springs on top of the axle spring
perches.

(3) The coil springs require proper orientation to
the body when installed. To do this, turn the coil
springs (along with the rubber isolators) until the
flat end of each upper spring coil lines up with an
imaginary line running parallel with the axle beam
as shown (Fig. 33). Also, make sure that the upper
coils end near the outboard sides of the vehicle and
not 180 degrees of that location.

(4) Raise the transmission jack guiding the coil
springs into the spring mounting brackets on the
body of the vehicle. Raise the jack until the shock
absorber lower mounting bolts can be installed
though the axle brackets and shock absorber lower
mounting eyes (Fig. 30).

(5) Install the washer and nut on the end of each
shock absorber lower mounting bolt. Tighten the
mounting bolts to a torque of 88 N·m (65 ft. lbs.).

(6) Remove the jack.

(7) If equipped with a rear stabilizer bar, hook the
lower ends of the stabilizer bar cushion retainers into
the slots in the back of the axle, then rotate the
opposite end of the retainers upward so the mounting
bolts can be installed. Install the mounting bolt
though each cushion retainer into the threads in the
rear axle (Fig. 31). Tighten the rear stabilizer bar
cushion retainer bolts to a torque of 61 N·m (45 ft.
lbs.).

CAUTION: When installing the watts links and bell
crank to the axle, make sure the bell crank is rightside-
up. When mounted properly, the words “BACK
UP” should be able to be read from the rear over
the top of the axle (Fig. 34).

[Mike-in-Orange]

Gary, I had the exact same thing, on the right side, happen with the initial install on my GoldLines. I had a clunking sound noticeable right after having the springs installed and I thought it was most likely my exhaust hitting the axle. While this in fact turned out to be the case, the very first thing I did was to bring the car back to the guy who installed the springs. He was very red faced and apologetic when he noticed that the right spring had indeed popped out and wasn't seated properly. He took care of it immediately and I haven't had a problem since.

I think it comes down more to the seating being a really tempermental thing than the springs not being right for the car. You experienced this on the BTGs, I had it on the GoldLines. We both had it on the same side. Like ptgtcb I haven't heard of anyone else having this problem and I wrote if off to a simple(!) error on the part of my installer. Also as mentioned by ptgtcb, the springs are not tight at all when the rear end is unloaded. I don't think you have anything to worry about, as long as they are properly seated now. Seriously my friend, relax, take a deep breath.....everything is just fine with your car, your springs, and those awesome detail products you sell. But I digress![]

Gary04GT, go ahead and get your springs, but I highly recommend you add a set of Tokico or Eibach shocks/struts when you do it.

[dfunkdj]

I have a set of Dropzone springs that droped my DC II 3". I had Tire Kingdom install them. Thay have been on my Pt for over a year now and no problems. I would not take my Pt to a goodyear tire place ever again I went there with my stock tire that had sprung a leak and instead of patching them the pluged it. Then when I asked about a swset of new tires they couldnt help me. they said they couldnt lift my lower pt up to get the tires off. I took of the flat tire with my stock jack for them to fix.


Don

[turbomangt]

Mike, do you have stock shocks or did you put on tighter aftermarket shocks? One theory is that the stock shock is stretched to its limit. Just curious. Thanks for your help. will watch closely the next few weeks. Gary

[ptgtcb]

quote:Originally posted by dfunkdj

I have a set of Dropzone springs that droped my DC II 3". I had Tire Kingdom install them. Thay have been on my Pt for over a year now and no problems. I would not take my Pt to a goodyear tire place ever again I went there with my stock tire that had sprung a leak and instead of patching them the pluged it. Then when I asked about a swset of new tires they couldnt help me. they said they couldnt lift my lower pt up to get the tires off. I took of the flat tire with my stock jack for them to fix.


Don

"Off topic" Did you know that either a patch or plug will erase the speed rating of that tire! A repaired tire is basically not speed rated any longer. Personally, I would take a plug over a patch. A patch is much more likely to be installed incorrectly and fail. I can't think of a way to incorrectly install a plug unless your trying to repair an unrepairable tire.

[sakigt]

That happened to a girl at our local car hangout one night. She had her acura lowered 3 inches with a universal spring and the thing just popped out [B)] Got some guys together and we fixed it, but yea...its just how you install them. I have the Goldlines and had the BTGs...never a problem with either. [8D]