Guide: Front suspension/spring/coilover change

[ginge191]

This guide is going to explain how to change the springs OR fit new front suspension OR fit new coilovers.
Made this purely because over a whole weekend, i required new tools/pieces and frustrated me to hell!


Tools required

WD40
Socket Wrench 16mm socket and 13mm Socket
Hammer


Optionals

Spring compressors
Replacement springs/coilovers
Mole grips
New suspension top mounts
New drop links (recommended)
New Track Rod Ends

Few tools needed and all in all a very simple job

to begin with jack the car up, doesn't need to be too high, Wheel about an inch above the groung is suffice.

Firstly, WD40 all the bolts which are going to be removed

These are:

- A drop link bolt (i suggest the top drop link connecting to the strut to be removed, this keeps the drop link attached to the car). I took this to my advantage and replaced the drop links at the same time - a common feature of the drop links is to !)$("£$"*! spin, easiest way to overcome this either grab mole grips behind and grab as hard as possible - and get a socket on the other side, OR cut it off and replace them <-- recommend

- Steering rod

- Suspension/hub bolt (behind where the blue circle is)




Remove all these bolts, keep in a secure place and remember which bolt went onto the track rod end as it has a slightly different thread - a 'crown' shape on it (confused me for ages....)

Next, get a hammer! (fun part)

Gently tap down (piece of wood ontop will prevent the thread from being damaged) knock the track rod end downwards, and it should simply pop out.

Next, there is another bolt behind the strut, it tightens the bottom of the shaft of the strut into the hub, loosen this off, doesn't need to be removed... this loosens the shaft from the hub.

You now want to smash the hub downwards, this part you need to be careful only because you dont want to knock the driveshaft out (which i done, had a little wee, nothing much).





The hub will take a beating before the suspension comes out, but you can see it gradually leaving its 'hole'...

Once its out, its an idea to remove the brake hose 'clips', gives ease of access when removing everything. One 13mm bolt.

As you can see circled, bolt to remove and suspension out.



Now open the bonnet, remove 3 bolts holding in the top mount, and last thing holding the suspension in place.

Here i've removed 2 already, a friend to help is useful, or as i did, put a jack under the hub so when the suspension fell, it wouldn;t pull the driveshaft out.



gradually ease the suspension out and you should be left with this:



At this point, you can either:

fit new coilovers/standard suspension straight away with new top mounts requiring NO spring compressing

Compress the springs to use the old top mounts because your a cheap ass like me and dont want to spend an extra £50

So, compress your springs, remove the top bolt (which is a cack, requires an odd torx size, anyone know it?) OR use my technique, get a pair of mole grips on the damper rod? to prevent it all spinning at once.



Once thats done, pop the suspension mount on your new coilover/suspension and fit in reverse order...



Guage your ride height and set as required - i set to maximum drop to see how it sat..



but was a bit TOO low for the local roads, will hopefully be this low for next meet


Desired height set, wheels tightened and chuck it in a corner!



Questions, comments and editing welcomed

[declantg]

Cheers for posting this mate

[ginge191]

your welcome - any problems, chuck it in here and i'll edit accordingly - should cover everything you need...

[declantg]

will do man Should make it a shit lot easier!

[306 d turbo]

A few Quick Q's:

1)Is there anything between the top mount and spring?

2)What make are the coilovers that you have used

[ginge191]

]
1)Is there anything between the top mount and spring? - depending on what you're using - coilovers have a spring cup, standard springs have a plate iirc.

2)What make are the coilovers that you have used - TA Technics, identicle to most cheap ebay jobbies

[kentiiboii]

A recommendation for removing the top mount on the old shock and to tighten up I used the spark plug socket in my halfords professional kit as it fitted used the hole at the top to fit a allen key in to stop the shock spinning and a adjustable spanner to turn the socket

Only problem with this is I did it with out compressing the spring and it scarey as you don't know when it going to pop but we had fun

[Niall]

Another idea is to crack the bolt off whist on the car.
Mine were the original shocks and springs and I could crack them off at all. Garage ended up gunning them off in the end and grinding the springs in half. He weren't happy about that! Lol

[ginge191]

Yeh there are a number of ways to remove the top mount but I'd suggest compressing every time, those springs are explosive!!

[Niall]

Yeh there are a number of ways to remove the top mount but I'd suggest compressing every time, those springs are explosive!!

Problem is finding compressors to do the job. Uncompressed, 306 springs are stupidly long!

[Jenkosowls]

Top mount bolt can be undone while under compression you need a swan neck spanner and appropriate allen key undo it few times and itl be fine

[ginge191]

Yeh there are a number of ways to remove the top mount but I'd suggest compressing every time, those springs are explosive!!

Problem is finding compressors to do the job. Uncompressed, 306 springs are stupidly long!

You dont necesarilly? need to compress from the very top to the very bottom, if you fit the "fixed" end of the compressor to the 2nd coil down from the top, then slide the loose end as low as you can.

You'll miss about 2/3 coils from the bottom, but nonethless, the bulk of spring is compressed.

[306 d turbo]

When fitting the hub carrier bolt to the bottom of the shock,is there a specified torque that is required?

Thanks

[ginge191]

When fitting the hub carrier bolt to the bottom of the shock,is there a specified torque that is required?

Thanks

Im assuming you're talking about the pinch bolt round the back side of the hub. Im not sure the torque setting, but as right as humanly possible I tend to go for. It's an important nut to tighten. Maybe someone with pugbox can help...

[devils_fuel]

Or Haynes manual ginge, it's not tight as you think as I had mine apart at the weekend - about 40nm ish

[ginge191]

I dont know anyone who torque's up pinch bolts, maybe im just a pikey

But yeh, check haynes for official tightnes

[306 d turbo]

Does it matter which way round the ARB droplinks go?

As in which side of the arb and shock absorber?

[ginge191]

They go inside of the brake lines. The wrong way an they'll pull on the lines as you turn.
As for up and down side, as far as I know both ends are identical.

[306 d turbo]

Thanks for the brake line tip.

I meant which side should the stud on the droplink be facing on the shock and the arb?

Thanks

[ginge191]

see this picture...

http://i.imgur.com/NPqao.jpg

That's how it should be fitted, im not sure what you mean by stud?

There is a nut, which bolts onto the drop link?

[306 d turbo]

Thanks for the pic

[ginge191]

It was up the top all the time, but you're welcome

[306 d turbo]

Ive got sum new pinch bolts for the bottom ball joint to hub clamp,

But the ones that were on there originally had a smooth shoulder before the thread started and were 8.8.

So i ordered fresh ones from peugeout and they did not come with the smoothe shoudler and were 10.9's!!

Then gt sum from a peugeot workshop specialist who sent 8.8's with shoulders?

Unsure on which ones to use?

1)bolts from peugeot main dealer-No shoulder(but 10.9's)

2)bolts from peugeot workshop specialist-With shoulder(but 8.8's)

Comments Please

[ginge191]

Grab some pics please. I'm still unsure what you mean by these shoulders and numbers. What's the numbers mean? mm?

[samass]

i think the 'shoulder' is the unthreaded part that will be inside the pinch bit, iirc, normally the pinch bolts only have a small amount of thread at the end.
id use the ones that match the ones that came out

[ginge191]

...and the numbers represent what exactly?
Maybe because I'm tired and just finished work I'm missing something...

[samass]

numbers will be the diameters in mm. id guess anyway. still seem to be odd diameters..

[ginge191]

But for what? Bolt width? 'shoulder' length? Etc..

[samass]

diameter, so bolt width lol
or, could be the size of the hex head? tis a bit cryptic for sure
you must be half asleep haha

[ginge191]

Lol I think I might be. I'll wait for some pics and genius an answer then.