Series 3 Are these springs OK?

6pot · Aug 29, 2020

Been doing a bit of stuff in lockdown etc but not anything interesting enough to post on here...

Searched for postings on leaf springs in case I could get the answer to this, but not found anything conclusive - can anyone give an opinion on my springs please?

Clearly they are not great but they are not fractured and the clamps are not open, so what are my options?

Are they OK? (for now)
Would it be worth refurbishing them, along with all the bushes etc of course?
Are they scrap?

The rear ones look OK, if a little rusty but the fronts worry me. It is a S3, LWB, basic, 6 cylinder petrol. They seem to have a fair bit of bounce in them, on axle stands currently so it's not the tyres bouncing

Blackburn · Aug 29, 2020

Fronts alot of rust between leafs forcong them out one of the shorter ones looks very worn on fron edge should be same thickness all along its length and rears of same spring bent downwards should be in contact with other leafs.
Offside rear appears to have an end broken off one leaf.

steve2286w · Aug 31, 2020

I refurbed my front springs recently it helps if you have vice , G clamps , mini grinder to derust and be prepared to make some clamps if they snap when dismantling some thing like 25mm x 5 mm bar I think the rivets are 3/8 Roundhead , it’s the rust that forces them to bend like that and with rust removed if they Re still all,a similar shape bend on them prob ok , I prefrerrd to refurb rather than risk crappy new ones , I sprayed with graphite dry grease on assembled

cornish rattler · Sep 1, 2020

For the price of new I would just replace them.

tottot · Sep 1, 2020

Rears could be refurbed the fronts are goners I recon. If going new try GB springs or Jones springs.

Bobsticle · Sep 1, 2020

I wouldnt even beat a machete out of them. Scrap.

6pot · Sep 14, 2020

Thanks for all the thoughts and advice, maybe I should have a look at some prices

I did wonder if the fronts were a bit too far gone but hoped they might not be. Your point about potential crappy replacements noted, Steve.

I've had another closer look at the rears, the broken off leaf mentioned by Blackburn is in fact a short leaf and the leaf above has a fold at the end which takes it almost back to the point the short leaf ends. The other side is the same. I've never seen that before?

tottot · Sep 14, 2020

Looking at your pic again I recon the leaf is "short " because it has slipped forward, seams to be sticking out more at the front. [ centre pin broken ]
Still say the rears are well worth a strip down, clean up, and rebuild. A lot depends if you have the time or the money or some of each but the fronts are gonners

romanrob · Sep 14, 2020

you say bouncy - how are the shocks? Maybe just do the fronts for now, just replace with new - the rears can wait.

Colthebrummie · Sep 14, 2020

Just scratch brush the worst of the rust and smear with grease. Mine were in a bad state but I found just using the landy helped bring them back to life. Every time I have to get under it, I squib some old oil onto the edges of the leaves. It's all very saying "replace them" but modern springs ain't as good and they are a right b@stard to do if the bushes are all seized. Feel free to completely ignore this advice.

Col

romanrob · Sep 14, 2020

It's been a few decades since I did my S3 ones (replaced for new), but I thought that grease was best avoided as it will trap bits of rust/ dirt between the leaves ? So maybe an underseal of some sort

flat · Sep 14, 2020

romanrob said:
It's been a few decades since I did my S3 ones (replaced for new), but I thought that grease was best avoided as it will trap bits of rust/ dirt between the leaves ? So maybe an underseal of some sort

grease between the leaves and wrap with denso tape works fo keep the ****e out.

probably better to use a dry lubricant? Although my understanding is they are designed not to actually need lube and the metal on metal friction has a basic damping effect

Blackburn · Sep 14, 2020

Must be good grease your suggesting never known one that could bend them front lower leafs back up into contact with the springs above them.

romanrob · Sep 14, 2020

flat said:
grease between the leaves and wrap with denso tape works fo keep the ****e out.

probably better to use a dry lubricant? Although my understanding is they are designed not to actually need lube and the metal on metal friction has a basic damping effect

Yes - damping effect also rings a bell

flat · Sep 14, 2020

Not a drop of grease here when they are made at the factory!

Colthebrummie · Sep 14, 2020

Bits of road grit caught by the grease will get pulverised between the leaves and have the affect of sanding off the rust between them.

Col

dag019 · Sep 15, 2020

Colthebrummie said:
Just scratch brush the worst of the rust and smear with grease. Mine were in a bad state but I found just using the landy helped bring them back to life. Every time I have to get under it, I squib some old oil onto the edges of the leaves. It's all very saying "replace them" but modern springs ain't as good and they are a right b@stard to do if the bushes are all seized. Feel free to completely ignore this advice.

Col

I did this with my series 3 and it worked to rejuvenate them until one of them broke about 2 years later. I sprayed them all with atf every couple of days (old from the 110 gearbox change), loaded about half a ton in the back and then drove to work every day for a week along a mile of road filled with speed bumps. the diferance in look and performance by the end of the week was huge, a lot fo the rust had gone and they felt more like they are supposed to. The best thing for leaf springs is to use them, leave them and they rust, splay, and seize. If yours is bouncy however i doubt they have seized, but before doing any drastic stripping or replacing I would oil and drive it around for a week or so and see if there is any improvement. Is free trail to run before you go about taking things apart.

6pot · Sep 16, 2020

romanrob said:
you say bouncy - how are the shocks? Maybe just do the fronts for now, just replace with new - the rears can wait.

Thanks - I can't vouch for the shocks but they were OK when I parked it there (a while ago...) I should probably have said 'give' rather than 'bounce', it doesn't really bounce as in for a while after letting off bouncing it, indicating bad shocks. I felt that if everything was seized solid there would be no give at all or very little, so with axle stands under the axle which I had put in for another job, I had a go at jumping up and down on the front bumper (remained in contact, not literally jumping up and thumping back down again!) and it seemed to go up and down as I would have expected.

6pot · Sep 16, 2020

Colthebrummie said:
Just scratch brush the worst of the rust and smear with grease.......
Col

romanrob said:
...but I thought that grease was best avoided as it will trap bits of rust/ dirt between the leaves ? So maybe an underseal of some sort

flat said:
grease between the leaves and wrap with denso tape works fo keep the ****e out.

Blackburn said:
Must be good grease your suggesting never known one that could bend them front lower leafs back up into contact with the springs above them.

dag019 said:
I did this with my series 3 and it worked to rejuvenate them until.....

Thanks chaps, I think I'll have a go at some of the remedies mentioned and see what happens, bearing in mind that it might not make them a lot better and I might have to replace them later, but you never know, it might be worth taking them apart and replacing the centre pin, U bolts, shackles and bushes having cleaned up the leaves, if I get anywhere with de-rusting/grease/underseal/atf etc.

On the other hand they might turn out to be beyond help and I'll keep an eye in case of fractured leaves - your point about the super-powers of grease noted Blackburn!! I won't expect miracles!

6pot · Sep 17, 2020

tottot said:
Looking at your pic again I recon the leaf is "short " because it has slipped forward, seams to be sticking out more at the front. [ centre pin broken ]
Still say the rears are well worth a strip down, clean up, and rebuild. A lot depends if you have the time or the money or some of each but the fronts are gonners

I've had another look at the rears and the short leaf seems to be short at the front of the spring as well rather than shifted. There is a corresponding fold in the leaf above at both ends, the springs on both sides are the same.

I'll certainly have a go at tidying these up. I had a butchers at someone else's Series3 I saw parked yesterday and the rear springs on that were the same as this as well.

Series 3 Are these springs OK?

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