While you can service most of the minor issues with your car on your own, several problems take you to the garage. One such problem is a faulty suspension. You can choose to take professional help or can buy spring compressor at Sydney Tools and try doing it yourself. A properly functioning coil spring can help you keep your vehicle off the ground and enjoy a smooth ride. However, this benefit can only be enjoyed if the springs are well compressed.
While you can easily fix and compress coil springs with the help of a coil spring compressor, it can be a bit risky too. Here is the right way of working with a compressor and getting your car’s suspensions fixed quickly and safely.
Step 1: Jack your vehicle
Firstly, you need to get all the tools handy to repair your suspension coils. Apart from the regular basic tool kit, a coil spring compressor and a jack are the prerequisites to accomplish this task. Once you have the right tools, you need to jack up your car. Place the jack underneath the car and use the level to lift the car above the ground to the required height. Make sure that you are wearing your safety gloves and glasses while doing this.
Step 2: Remove tires
Next, you need to remove the car tires to make room and reach the spring. You can use a simple lug wrench to unbolt the nuts of the wheel and then pull it off the vehicle. If there are any additional parts of the wheel, you would need to remove them as well. You can refer to the instruction manual of your car to understand and remove the parts correctly.
Step 3: Position compressor rod
The spring compressor consists of four clamps and two rods. The two clamps will just be screwed while the other two slide onto the compressor rod. Pick one of the rods that fit perfectly to one of the clamps and slide it so that the clamp reaches the rod’s end.
Step 4: Attach clamp and coil
The next step is to place the compressor against the spring so that the other clamp at the rod’s end is properly attached to the coil. Now use the safety pin and carefully secure it to keep the clamp in its place.
Step 5: Position another clamp
Now pick the clamp that twists the rod and keep twisting to reach the coil. Once you have twisted the clamp to its threshold, secure it with the spring with the safety pin. The same process should be used to attach clamps with the spring using safety pins.
Step 6: Clench bolts
Once the compressor clamps are secured, you need to tighten up the bolts underneath the coil. You can use a wrench for this purpose while ensuring that you do not apply excessive pressure on the rod. You must ensure that both of the spring sides are equal. Take your time for this process and keep switching the sides after every few twists of the wrench.
Step 7: Dismount spring compressor
As you tighten the bolts the clamps will move up the rod and tighten the coil. You should check your car’s instruction manual to know how much tightening you would need. Once you have got the desired results, loosen all four clamps and disconnect the compressor.