Coil Spring compressors. Topic is solved

[mrbrian200]

All those are useless and potentially dangerous. I used to have one like 'DN-B1005' pictured by oragex. I didn't feel comfortable using it (only once). About the time I bought the Volvo I did some research and purchased the Neiko 50613A, for about $100 off either ebay or amazon.

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Worth every penny.

[scot850]

Thanks for all the wonderful input guys. All is great and valid advice. Oragex, I really like the long reach units you have. Can you tell me either the brand or where you got them from as I have not seen anything similar with that reach. The issue I had was as I compressed the spring it seemed to allow the 2 ends to actually extend. I had the spring coils maybe 3/4" gaped after compression, but still had pressure on the spring seat, minimal but it was there. When the spring compressed it made the spring ends want to twist and when it came to trying to re-assemble I could not manage to compress the ends enough to get the star nut back on.

The other issue was I wanted to remove the clamps but they would not extend sufficiently to loosen off to allow removal.

The spring compressor did grip the coils well and are similar in style to the ones you have but I like the deeper grooves in the ones you have.

The fancy ones look good but again it comes down to price and storage. I am well out of room on storage due to the mountain of used and new parts scattered around the garage and house!

Otherwise, I have used local repair shops but more often the dealer does them for me when I drop off the parts, but even an hours labour is $160/hr and that is what I usually get charged. Buying the tool makes sense, plus if I am re-using any of the parts I can take my time and clean and paint them at my leisure.

So short of getting info hopefully from Oragex on a source for the compressor, I am now good to go. Many thanks to you all for the help and advice!

Neil.

[scot850]

Sorry missed mrbrian200 input as it came in while I was writing. Now I really like that unit way better as it should prevent the twisting issue I was talking about. I will have a look into that option too!

Thanks again.

Neil

[wizechatmgr]

Wife's extended family works at Mack, they have an air/hydraulic that does them in literally 10 seconds flat and can handle far more spring than was put on any cars I've yet seen. I would be willing to bet most of their shops would swap it all around for 30 minutes to an hour labor if you bring them to them.

I've used some dodgy ones from china before - basically a 3/4" threaded rod with 2 iron runners that had U bolts on them. I don't suggest it. There is a reason their steel and iron is cheaper than ours...

[oragex]

Thanks for all the wonderful input guys. All is great and valid advice. Oragex, I really like the long reach units you have. Can you tell me either the brand or where you got them from as I have not seen anything similar with that reach.
Neil.

Looked and there is no branding on the box, not even a "Made in' thing.. Again, I personally would not recommend a no name Chinese item for safety reasons. Mine is still chinese but I do trust it, it feels sturdy. I've used it more than 5 times (buying low cost struts is not the way to go ) but again, that's not a warranty in itself plus there are surely lots out there of same shape but not same material quality. Personally I would only recommend getting a known brand even if it's to pay 2-3 the price, a mandible or an arm are worth more than $50

Googling up for a 370mm compressor will get you a few links

[scot850]

Thanks for the info. May just take it to the dealer as usual this time around and wait until we downsize in a couple of years when I hope to build a bigger garage with room for a hoist! Hope to not have to do another set of struts until then!

Neil.

[precopster]

Just to clarify Neil were your compressors shorter than mine that I pictured?

[scot850]

Sorry never really answered that one Mike. They are about the same length as the ones you have, in fact they look almost identical in shape/layout. If I was just swapping the shock over, there would be no need to remove them from the spring I reckon I could almost have worked with them. Maybe I was just no brave enough! I need to figure out how much the spring will expand when the tension is released to ensure the compressors have sufficient remaining length to fully decompress to remove from the spring if swapping the springs. There is obviously a 'knack' you have come up with to allow these to work for you in terms of positioning the clamps. The issue as stated earlier was now so much the disassembly, but the re-assembly. I had difficulty getting the spring and strut to align with the spring seat, and then compress enough to allow the shock to clear enough threads through the hole to allow the star nut to be fitted. Didn't help that the shock was goosed and kept sinking back into the lower portion. It seemed the more I tried to compress the spring the worse it got and the greater the twisting of the upper and lower parts of the spring where they narrow at the ends. Basically it lengthened the spring and twisted the ends stopping them seating correctly.

Any advice on how to do this correctly (read safely) would be appreciated.

In reality the springs themselves are still in good condition, it is all the rest that is goosed on the 'free' struts I was given. Clearly someone did not want to take them to the dump!

Thanks,

Neil.

[BEJinFbk]

If you check around the gas stations here in Fairbanks,
several have the wall mounts in-shop and their labor rates
are generally MUCH more reasonable than any dealer.

A buddy of mine has this model at his shop and it's awesome!

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You can add the bench mount for your place, Neil...

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[bmdubya1198]

I might be a little late to this, but I've been happy with my Harbor Freight spring compressors. They're the Maddox brand ones, https://www.harborfreight.com/macpherso ... 63262.html.
Especially with these Volvo springs being taller, it's very easy to use these compressors on them. I've used them on my dad's E39 with sport suspension (very short springs), on my V70, my cousin's S70, and my other cousin's Genesis coupe to install lowering springs (almost as short as the E39's tiny springs) and it performed very well.
Just take care of it and take the obvious safety precautions and you'll be fine. Use them from the side, not where the spring is pointing right at you so if the compressors break and fire it off like a missile, it won't take your head out.