Snapped coil spring passenger side

I have just noticed whilst doing an inspection that the coil spring on the passenger side seems to have snapped , however it seems to still be attached at both ends and there are no symptoms , it almost looks as if someone has replaced the spring and not removed the old one ? , I know it will need replacing , however it looks very bizarre

That's how they look.

The bit that isn't broken expands to take the space left by the bit that broke off.

You can get a jangle sound as the broken bit rattles around as you drive.

You were lucky the broken bit didn't pierce the tyre .

Thanks , I'll order the parts and get it repaired , in your opinion should I try and remove the broken off part before then ? It seems to be wedged in , there's nothing loose it that area at all , ive had it jacked up and there isn't any movement at all .Also do I need to get the wheels rebalanced once I've changed it ? , Thanks .

Neilcmusic1 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 01, 2020 5:32 pm Thanks , I'll order the parts and get it repaired , in your opinion should I try and remove the broken off part before then ? It seems to be wedged in , there's nothing loose it that area at all , ive had it jacked up and there isn't any movement at all .Also do I need to get the wheels rebalanced once I've changed it ? , Thanks .

Order two springs and it would be worth considering two dampers and even two top mounts.

The springs must be changed in pairs.

The dampers may be due for a change soonish and you need to remove them to fit the new springs anyway.

Same for the top mount bearings, they are in a similar situation to the dampers and wear out on the C3. Removing the damper and spring is needed to replace the top mount bearing.

Yes, its probably wedged in and will only pop out over a speed bump

No you won't need to rebalance the wheels after the spring, dampers or top bearing mounts have been changed.

Check out Euro Car Parts website - here for prices. They usually have a deal on and I have used them in the past for parts delivered when I couldn't drive to get them and have been very happy with the service.

I've replaced four broken springs on C3s, each time the top strut mount has not survived the spring breaking. As stated you are lucky it hasn't gone into the tyre. I would certainly get someone to fit th springs. It's a very scary experience doing it. I used two sets of spring compressors & a safety bar through the middle (with large washers)

I'm really frustrated with this , I bought all the tools and all the parts , I managed to loosen all the bolts but one thing stopped me that I could sort out , the droplink bolt on the top wouldn't loosen , so I removed the bottom one , however I couldn't get the droplink out , I tried hammering it out and it wouldn't budge . I didn't want to hit it too hard as I didn't want to rip the rubber , any ideas what in doing wrong or any solutions?

Thanks

Neilcmusic1 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 16, 2020 1:22 pm I'm really frustrated with this , I bought all the tools and all the parts , I managed to loosen all the bolts but one thing stopped me that I could sort out , the droplink bolt on the top wouldn't loosen , so I removed the bottom one , however I couldn't get the droplink out , I tried hammering it out and it wouldn't budge . I didn't want to hit it too hard as I didn't want to rip the rubber , any ideas what in doing wrong or any solutions?

Thanks

That is quite unusual. It's the drop link fixing that gets loose and gives the hollow knocking sound like the exhaust pipe is hitting the underside of the car (when it's not)

I assume you have it a good dose of penetrating fluid and left it for a bit to soak in? I have used some of this Normfest Oxim from euro car parts and found it to be very good, something that actually works.

At the end of the day, give it a massive whack with a hammer while a spare nut is attached to take the blow and if you break it, then fit another. I have aftermarket droplinks on mine and although made from a much lighter gauge material they work just as well and much cheaper than Citroen ones.

This is the culprit in the bottom left hand corner , I've hit it with a hammer and sprayed a lot of penetrating oil on it but nothing , I've put it all back together now for another day . Should I raise / lower the car slightly to take tension off it ?

Remove the spring cup catcher mod to get better access to the top one if the bottom one is a problem.

You can't get a good angle for a spanner or socket on the top one without removing the spring cup mod first.

Only the broken bit of spring will come away when removing the spring cup, there is no spring pressure on it (usually), but be careful anyway.

Have you fitted the spring compressors to take the tension from the spring and out of the suspension?

Yes, you need to take the tension out of it, the spring compressors are needed

Neilcmusic1 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 16, 2020 8:15 pm This is the culprit in the bottom left hand corner , I've hit it with a hammer and sprayed a lot of penetrating oil on it but nothing , I've put it all back together now for another day . Should I raise / lower the car slightly to take tension off it ?

LOL! Yes. The sway bar is jamming the drop link bolt in the hole. You need to raise the other side of the car so that the sway bar is not twisted. Currently you have the other side pushing the sway bar up and this drop-link/shock/spring trying to pushing the sway bar down and the bolt wedged in the middle.
I am speaking from personal experience...that's why I "LOL"ed.