Change those front springs before they break [Archive]

Jorge-789995

11-25-2013, 08:01 PM

I did a full replacement of nearly every front suspension component a little over a year ago, but when I looked at the front springs, they looked fine. I couldn't see why I would want to replace them when they still had good paint on them and were not even rusty. I wish I'd have replaced them. A couple of months ago, I got in the car to drive away and I didn't drive 10 feet and I knew something was really wrong. I broke a spring and the sharp edge was digging into the inner sidewall of my tire. It was the front left, but I replaced both. I was fortunate in one aspect that the tires were new enough that I had only about 1/32" difference and I could buy a single new tire and rotate the right side and still be well within the 3/32" tire tread difference rule of thumb.

The car is an 02 with 145k on it driven in some of the midwest's saltiest weather. My spring broke when the car was parked. It was not like that when I backed into that spot, so the spring broke while stationary.

Moral of the story. Change those springs when you have a chance.

Keith

564856495650

vtl

11-25-2013, 10:29 PM

Looks defective: inner structure is not uniform.

Volvoholic

11-26-2013, 01:46 AM

Looks defective: inner structure is not uniform.

Agreed. And just enough rust got through where the paint wore off to possibly cause a weak spot in the metal where the initial cracking took place.

sjonnie

11-26-2013, 08:20 AM

Moral of the story. Change those springs when you have a chance.
It's very hard to assess the soundness of that advice from just one incident. What we need is a survey of how many people have broken their springs over a specific time period and if there were any mitigating circumstances (e.g. paint removed, cracked, rust, damage etc.).

vtl

11-26-2013, 08:47 AM

Spring is defective. It is easy to see on the first pic that during manufacturing spring's metal was cold enough to form crystals before it was bent. That in turn caused internal damage and lots of small cracks. Rust developed just in one of those cracks, that's why spring still looked good.

Either metal alloy used by OEM was of not good quality (uneven sulfur distribution, scrap metal, etc) or OEM had technological problems.

I don't know US laws, but in Europe Volvo would pay if defective part caused an accident, even if car has expired warranty.

Volvoholic

11-27-2013, 01:14 AM

It is easy to see on the first pic that during manufacturing spring's metal was cold enough to form crystals before it was bent. That in turn caused internal damage and lots of small cracks. Rust developed just in one of those cracks, that's why spring still looked good.

That's exactly what I was trying to say but my brain wasn't working when I wrote my first post.

Volvo should pay for a defective part in the states too. As Volvo NA has told me several times "we trust the local dealers and service departments to make the right calls when it comes to replacing a broken or defective part."

Jorge-789995

11-27-2013, 02:10 PM

It's very hard to assess the soundness of that advice from just one incident. What we need is a survey of how many people have broken their springs over a specific time period and if there were any mitigating circumstances (e.g. paint removed, cracked, rust, damage etc.).

I'm hardly the only incident of a broken front coil spring on a Volvo. There have been other reports on this site and a google search turns up a lot more on other sites. I had never had a coil spring break and in my experience it is a rare event. I wish I would have been more aware of this potential breakage when I replaced the struts etc. It is very little additional work to replace springs with new at this point, and it could have saved me a saturday under the car replacing springs and the cost of a new tire.

If you have an older XC driven in salty conditions with original springs,... I recommend swapping them out with new when you replace the struts. It could save you a lot of money. Is that sound advice? I think so, but it's worth what you paid for it.

dhayner

11-28-2013, 06:16 PM

Looks defective: inner structure is not uniform.

Most of the cross-section has failed in fatigue, a small crack at the right side growing due to repeated loading until only 10-20% of the area remained. At that point, the remaining area (the rough area at the top) failed abruptly. The initial crack could have been due to a nick or rust or some other small imperfection (or fretting if there was contact with some other part). Not necessarily a manufacturing defect at all.

olevolvo

11-28-2013, 08:01 PM

Most of the cross-section has failed in fatigue, a small crack at the right side growing due to repeated loading until only 10-20% of the area remained. At that point, the remaining area (the rough area at the top) failed abruptly. The initial crack could have been due to a nick or rust or some other small imperfection (or fretting if there was contact with some other part). Not necessarily a manufacturing defect at all.

So we should assume that Volvo designed these springs to break. Both front on my 01 went and look similar to the pic.

vtl

11-28-2013, 08:14 PM

Not necessarily a manufacturing defect at all.

I could be wrong, but I think it is. That remaining area, which broke at once, would be a nice, mate cut, while it is really crystallized and doomed to fail in conditions spring works. IMHO.

Thames

11-29-2013, 09:00 AM

On mine (MY05), the previous owner had a spring break (!!) during driving. Im about to change the front suspension so I will only replace the original one (200k KM)

Waterdog

11-29-2013, 12:53 PM

Any opinions on whether aftermarket or OEM springs are the better choice, and, if aftermarket, what brands are best?

Steve F

11-29-2013, 02:15 PM

I recently did struts on mine and noticed the protective coating had worn off where the spring comes out of that rubberized bushing just like pictured here. I had concern about it being an issue but couldn't have the car laid up waiting for springs. Looks like my concern is legitimate from these reports. Time to look for new springs!

2001 with 208,000 miles

Jorge-789995

11-29-2013, 10:51 PM

Any opinions on whether aftermarket or OEM springs are the better choice, and, if aftermarket, what brands are best?

I think the choices for aftermarket are limited. There are no good options for aftermarket struts, so I just went with 100% OE. If there were options that were designed to work together, I might have tried something different. If you go with different springs, let us know what and how it worked out. There was a guy in Australia -Ocean Racer I think that did a lot of swapping of springs. He did a lot of work really - more than I want to do.

If you go OE, here is the part number I got - 31200372. The interesting thing is that this spring has one additional coil over the spring that came out of the car. I think it was 6 vs. 7 coils. I thought I bought the wrong spring, but this is listed as the right one. The height of the car did not change enough to notice, so I guess it works fine.

Keith

men2be

11-30-2013, 03:45 AM

When I replaced mine, Rock Auto had Sachs Advantage struts and shocks. It is supposed to be a heavy duty version. That is what I went with. Rides excellent. I used Volvo springs all the way around.

QUOTE=Jorge-789995;168141]I think the choices for aftermarket are limited. There are no good options for aftermarket struts, so I just went with 100% OE. If there were options that were designed to work together, I might have tried something different. If you go with different springs, let us know what and how it worked out. There was a guy in Australia -Ocean Racer I think that did a lot of swapping of springs. He did a lot of work really - more than I want to do.

If you go OE, here is the part number I got - 31200372. The interesting thing is that this spring has one additional coil over the spring that came out of the car. I think it was 6 vs. 7 coils. I thought I bought the wrong spring, but this is listed as the right one. The height of the car did not change enough to notice, so I guess it works fine.

Keith[/QUOTE]

Waterdog

11-30-2013, 12:46 PM

I think the choices for aftermarket are limited.

Keith

FCP Euro offers springs by Suplex and Lesjofors, in addition to OEM. Anyone either had experience with or know something about those brands?

sjonnie

12-02-2013, 01:32 PM

I'm hardly the only incident of a broken front coil spring on a Volvo. I had never had a coil spring break and in my experience it is a rare event.
That's my point, you can't make any judgement about rare events from one or two incidents.

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/car-servicing-repair/coil-springs-breaking.html

mpitts

12-02-2013, 03:22 PM

You're right on vtl. I'm a metalurgist and I saw what you meant in a instant.

raf22x

02-17-2014, 03:53 PM

had to to replace mine too, each one was $160 which is outrageous just for a coil spring... had a few cars in my life and NEVER had a coil spring break...

billr99

02-17-2014, 06:08 PM

had to to replace mine too, each one was $160 which is outrageous just for a coil spring... had a few cars in my life and NEVER had a coil spring break...

Wow! I think I paid about $200 or so for my Eibach set.

Cheers,

Bill

vova

02-18-2014, 01:58 AM

I installed Lesjofors springs with Sachs shocks in my 01xc. After 10K all is fine.

olevolvo

02-18-2014, 08:39 AM

They will break.

Forkster

02-18-2014, 09:34 AM

I paid $150 each for the front of mine - I remember reading back 4-5 years ago they were going for around $300 each. But if the demand is there, the price goes down - which is now showing that almost any northern North American Volvo, the front springs fail in all P2 Volvo's. Because of this, for any front strut replacement where salt is ever used to keep roads clear in the winter, I would include the springs as part of the maintenance.

Here's a note on front end 'kits'. For example, FCP Groton front end kit includes replacement parts for a lot of components you don't need to replace. Ever. For example, they'll include top strut mount, struts, spring seats, bump stops, braces, mount cap, fittings, and lock nut.

Which is strange, because it also should include a new set of springs, half the other stuff included doesn't need to be replaced. Here, everyone recommends a new bump stop, bellows, bellows cap, spring seat, springs and struts, and maybe bolts if you live somewhere where this is a lot of salt - but unless you've damaged your struts by waiting 15 years on original struts, you don't need anything else. All the other parts are for the sake of replacing the parts which is IMHO, not cost effective or environmentally friendly as perfectly functioning parts will end up in a landfill. While kits are an easy way to replace parts using the shotgun approach, you also have no control on the brand of the other components used to make the kit.

I'm going to make a sticky on this and post soon so our members will make the best choice on information we have.

JRL

02-18-2014, 10:32 AM

I haven't seen any Volvo spring break except the taller, thinner XC spring

Forkster

02-18-2014, 11:38 AM

I haven't seen any Volvo spring break except the taller, thinner XC springInteresting... was it a Ford decision to put the cheaper springs?

Question JRL - what about the rear springs? Do people often have to replace those?

olevolvo

02-18-2014, 11:56 AM

I've seen certain metals fracture like the front springs on my 01xc. Based on my experience with failed metals. I would say that the cracks caused when the springs were formed during production. Either brittle alloys or wrong temperature of the metals when the parts were formed.

perkinscl

02-18-2014, 10:49 PM

These broken spring stories scare me a bit. With 92K miles, I know I'm getting ready for some suspension work. These crazy pot holes that I try to dodge every day aren't helping much.

I'm slightly sensitive to a broken spring, my wife's 2000 S40 had a spring go right in the driveway at about 5 years old.

giorgio

03-01-2014, 08:07 AM

billr99

03-01-2014, 05:58 PM

Is this springs ok for ours Xc ?
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Eibach-Pro-Kit-Tieferlegungsfedern-VOLVO-XC70-CROSS-COUNTRY-30-30mm-/121155821815?pt=DE_Autoteile&fits=Year%3A2004%7CMake%3AVolvo%7CModel%3AXC70+Cro ss+Country&hash=item1c357320f7

I have Eibachs on my '02 that were specified to be the proper spring set for the car and they continue to work very well after the 150K kms that they have been on the car. Unfortunately, what little is left of my high school German is insufficient to be able to tell what the number is on the set in the ad but they seem to be the same as what I have as I got at least a 30mm drop when I replaced the originals.

Cheers,

Bill

giorgio

03-18-2014, 03:02 PM

I have Eibachs on my '02 that were specified to be the proper spring set for the car and they continue to work very well after the 150K kms that they have been on the car. Unfortunately, what little is left of my high school German is insufficient to be able to tell what the number is on the set in the ad but they seem to be the same as what I have as I got at least a 30mm drop when I replaced the originals.

Cheers,

Bill
Thank you very much . So your car is 30mm minus than the original. Is there's some photo of your car in the forum ?

sjonnie

03-18-2014, 07:45 PM

Question JRL - what about the rear springs? Do people often have to replace those?
Mine need replacing, I have Lesjofors HD replacements to put it. After 10 years of towing, carrying kayaks and 3 dogs the rear is sitting 1" lower than the front, lol.

JRL

03-18-2014, 07:59 PM

That would happen with any car

Skater

03-19-2014, 08:49 AM

I think it's more than just a manufacturing flaw. All the pictures I've seen plus both of my front springs break in the exact same place. I believe it is where the last coil makes contact with the sharp end of the coil sitting in the strut. It is causing a high stress point and a surface flaw from where the break mitigates from. Also, the paint or coating was compromised there, letting corrosion take place and speeding up the failure.

Steve F

03-25-2014, 05:22 PM

I had posted earlier in this thread I was intending to change my springs as preventative maintenance but due to our harsh winter and lack of a shop to work in I didn't get to it until today. Since I posted last the last 3" of the bottom of the driver's side spring had broken off. The replacement spring has a nylon sleeve over the bottom that I think will prevent the powder coat from being damaged, at least for a little while. The car sits noticeably higher, I'm guessing they were the originals. '01 with 230,000 miles.

Dubya

05-02-2014, 09:40 AM

My left front spring just broke last night after 112,000 miles spent in Western MA. I heard something clunking and then something falling off right as I pulled up to my house. I couldn’t see anything in the dark, but when I looked this morning I noticed about 2 inches of the spring gone. Luckily it didn’t puncture the tire while I was driving.

My indie is replacing both struts and springs as we speak (one of the struts was leaking), he managed to squeeze me in at the last minute and all should be well again by Monday. They didn’t have time right away to do the rears, but if the car turns out uneven I will have that done soon as well.

nickbw

05-03-2014, 09:17 AM

Road springs in general seem to be just dreadful these days, Only yesterday I scrapped a car, a Ford, because in barely twelve months new springs and front wishbones were shot to blazes. No idea why but I certainly get the feeling that things are designed to fail now a days and fail soon!

Antherzoll

05-03-2014, 07:18 PM

Thames

05-12-2014, 07:25 AM

Hey team, the front right spring broke on my XC70 this weekend, on the road (wife was driving to work), she is LUCKY as she was driving on the HW @ 120 KM (not miles!).
When back home, she said "dear, there's something wrong, can you take a look ?".... took it for a short drive in the block, I immediatly noticed something was very WRONG.... I then noticed the spring broken. Hopefully the tire is all fine, the break is on the other side.

NOW, Im wondering if I can drive it 2-3 KM to the shop, is it safe ?

sjonnie

05-12-2014, 08:08 AM

No idea why but I certainly get the feeling that things are designed to fail now a days and fail soon!
I'm not so sure, 20 years ago you'd be lucky to get a car to 100k miles before it rusted away or needed an engine rebuild. There are many Volvos owners on here with 200K+ miles on their cars with them still looking and running great, if anything, quality and durability has improved.

Forkster

05-12-2014, 09:05 AM

The worlds top three most durable vehicles are (in order):
1. Toyota (no surprise)
2. Volvo
3. Mercedes

Antherzoll

05-12-2014, 09:26 AM

I had a 1996 Toyota Camry V6 3.0 LE, the money I saved on maintenance owing it (which I kept on top of), and the need for a upgrade brought me to the XC70. The car lasted me until 365k km (226k miles) driven in the rust belt and loaded up for road/camping trips. Gave it to my brother so he could get a set of wheels and scrapped not to long after due to rust outs giving way and a bad cat, although the paint job looked in fair shape. If I had rust checked it, it could have lasted a lot longer, I guessed I jumped off of it at a good time. Never left me stranded, and would always start without hesitation. I only had to replace the routine maintenance parts along with some suspension parts, which is a given. I've always been a fan of Volvo, and the wife grew up with them so it wasn't a hard choice when deciding on another car.