Is it Nessacary to replace spring's

[flmont]

Merry Christmas everyone,a quick question, is it always nessacary to replace the spring's when doing New strut's , these are probably original spring's /strut's and I expect to stay original or upgrade to B6 Bilsteins,? 02' Boxster Base 2.7, Thank's Frank

[spinjockey]

Technically no as long as there is no obvious rust. They can and do fracture. The cost of new springs is roughly $100 each as they are sold in pairs. I plan on replacing my springs when I do my shocks.

[flmont]

Thank's Spinjockey,..Probably for the age I should,..I wish there was a spring tester..LOL,.I would like to know how much strenth would be left in them...Have a Great X-Mas,,Frank

[ecruz]

Not my Boxster, but my other 20-plus year old car. I had a spring break while it was sitting in the garage. No rust, no obvious signs of wear, just old age I guess. If I would have been driving while it happened, it would have been bad, as the spring poked right into the sidewall of the tire.

I would replace them while everything is apart. For peace of mind, if nothing else.

[jluetjen]

Replacing the springs is a fairly cheap "while you're in there" replacement. Once you have the struts out, it's only a few minutes to replace the spring.

If the springs have significant age on them, they are at risk of breaking. Basically spring steel likes to rust. The prevention of this is usually a nice powder-coating applied by the manufacturer, but it's easy to scratch this finish when installing the spring. Add some salt spray and repeated stress and the spring will snap in the area of the scratch.

I'd suggest that you pad the spring compressor when installing the print to help avoid scratching the finish, and combine this with a nice spray of under-coating for insurance.

[spinjockey]

It is my plan to replace the whole assembly when I replace my shocks because of age for the springs and wear on the bearings. The bearings are inexpensive enough to avoid having to go back in and repair later. I’ve checked around to see if I could find someone who would preassemble the whole thing but can’t find anyone. I know I could get coil overs but that’s not what I want. Does anyone know someplace that will preassemble?

[Gilles]

You can borrow a spring compressor tool at Autozone, or O'Riley and replace the bearings, bump stops and dust boots.

IMHO the hardest part is removing the strut itself, to disassemble it you just need a spring compressor tool.

[piper6909]

Originally Posted by Gilles

You can borrow a spring compressor tool at Autozone, or O'Riley and replace the bearings, bump stops and dust boots.

IMHO the hardest part is removing the strut itself, to disassemble it you just need a spring compressor tool.

You can rent one, but be aware of the dangers. A compressed spring can make your day go really bad really fast if you don't know what you're doing.

I recommend finding any indy that does shocks and suspension work. Even chains like Meineke are usually independently owned so talk to the manager.

[Bush Pilot]

It’s not necessary to replace the springs.

[Wret]

24 years and 300,000 miles and I have not replaced one spring.

My 2 cents on spring compressers: I have them. I use them. I find only a light amount for force is needed to get the struts assembled.

[flmont]

Great Info,..Thank's Gentlemen