Springs snapped?

**Sk1pr@** · 29th January 2013, 17:59

Going over speed bumps (slowly of course) on the way down i hear a clanking sound from the front arches...springs snapped? Can you see it easy enough without taking wheel off?

**patch22** · 29th January 2013, 18:16

Full lock on and you should be able to get your hand in and feel if you've done a spring,could do it on my vec b anyway not had the need to do it on my C yet,fingers crossed I won't have to for a while

**Sk1pr@** · 29th January 2013, 18:25

Shall try tonight. When I try push down on the front arches of the car it dosn't move at all. Really solid. Would this indicate springs then?

**patch22** · 29th January 2013, 18:48

Compare the gap between the top of the wheel and the arch either side,the last time I had one go the side that had broke had virtually no gap between the top of the wheel and the arch,looked like it had been lowered on one side,also depends on what model it is I would have thought,an sri will have stiffer suspension than some of the others so you may not be able to bounce it,can't bounce mine,I'm no expert just something to think about

**djlee** · 29th January 2013, 19:22

My spring snapped and i couldn't really see any leaning on that corner to indicate as such. I believe if the snap is at the bottom and not too far up, the ride eight won't be affected (or at least not enough to tell). With mine i put my hand under and just felt round the spring. As i got to the last few inches at the bottom, the tail end of the spring could be wobbled around (i think the only thing keeping me from pulling the tail of spring out was the weight of the car and spring above pinching on it).

If you bounce the opposite corner you should notice (or i did at least) that the broken spring side is much stiffer and harder to really get any sort of "bounce" out of.

ARB Bushes and droplinks are other usual culprits

**vectra ste** · 11th February 2013, 14:30

Originally Posted by Sk1pr@

Going over speed bumps (slowly of course) on the way down i hear a clanking sound from the front arches...springs snapped? Can you see it easy enough without taking wheel off?

ARB Bushes and droplinks are other usual culprits

**david.broad** · 14th February 2013, 06:23

You can't tell, You have to take the spring off the strut to be sure, a then you might just as well fit a new pair.
Father in Laws 2007 Vectra C Automatic Estate the last six inches of the spring against the bottom sprin cup had snapped just outside the rubber cover which was an MOT fail, I changed both springs for Irmscher ones as a pair and the other was broken as well inside the rubber cover, with no indication of failure

My Vectra C snapped front springs in freezing cold weather 1 in 2010 and 1 in 2011, both times on the first bottom big turn of the spring which took out the inside edge of the tyres oddly enough with no drama what so ever even though the front dropped several inches I fitted the space saver which cleared the broken spring and I drove home. You just can't tell.