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[RobseyMV6]

Spings are easy but dropping diff yourself, thats mad!!! 

But well done Matt!!!

[TheBoy]

Spings are easy but dropping diff yourself, thats mad!!! 

But well done Matt!!!

Why 

[Gaffers]

Did you remember to take the handbrake off

Yes fatty, and in neutral on the autobox too.  So ner 

I didn't. Twice 

Considering how much of a pig of a job it is, I can feel your pain on that one 

[RobseyMV6]

Spings are easy but dropping diff yourself, thats mad!!! 

But well done Matt!!!

Why 

For the easy way to drop diff, have to remove tail pipe so that means mid boxes, bolts normally snap from cats, unless you have a jack to lower down diff on its a belly job, undo prop etc etc, are spring claps £££

[TheBoy]

Spings are easy but dropping diff yourself, thats mad!!! 

But well done Matt!!!

Why 

For the easy way to drop diff, have to remove tail pipe so that means mid boxes, bolts normally snap from cats, unless you have a jack to lower down diff on its a belly job, undo prop etc etc, are spring claps £££

With the handbrake off , They is more than enough give in the exhaust, at worse, have to remove the backbox rubbers. In my experience anyway...

[feeutfo]

It depends on the length of spring. Lowered or sports springs fall out. LA springs need extra leverage and the exhaust unhooked to prize them out with a bar. Unhooking exhaust can be dodgy if its well rusty admitadly, because the pas side drive shaft fouls and stops subframe dropping.

Slightly pedantic but its the whole subframe that drops, hinged by the rear donut bushes. Jack placed under the diff to support the subframe should allow the carefull and contrlolled dropping of the subframe until the drive shaft touches exhaust. 

Shouldnt it TB 

Have to say i've never had an issue bar unhooking the exhaust and LA springs being way too long. They add 1.5inches to the ride hight to the car when fitted. Poxy things.


I dont see the wheel rotation issues like auto box in neutral and handbrake off being relevant as they lock in relation to the rear subframe, which is dropping with the wheels and everything else.

The dif drop method, although inacurately described is very simple(honest). Subrame is ONLY atrached by the two diff blocks as the guide and the donut bushes! thats it! I guess any issues with clearance for the springs are related to removing the "ancilliarys" that allow the subframe and trailling arms to drop fully. The shocks have to be undone no matter what to allow the the springs to extend, as do anti roll bar drop links because the roll bar goes over the dif which is in the roll bars way.

Might do a video next time. if it helps.



Thing is, the subframe drops a fair way. So if not dropping the dif/subframe, that extra space has to be found somewhere if using a jack as pictured. This means over stressed bushes in the traing arm pivots. Shocks and roll bars still need to be undone, wheels still have to come off to clear the floor not just for access obviously. From that point its four more bolts to undo to drop the subframe with jack under dif. to control it.

Not a job i'd want to do in failing light though. Fair play Guffer.

Maybe its the description that trips us up? "Dropping the dif" doesnt imply the subframe is going to move, so might lead to stands being placed under the subframe itself. Its going nowhere then.

[Gaffers]

I made sure the stands weren't going to interfere with Tue subframe.  The bushes are relatively new, maybe that made it more difficult?

It's very busy at work right now for obvious reasons plus I have Jenny to work on at weekends. So I had little choice.  Now just to sort out this HID issue and back in for a retest.

[feeutfo]

Yeah sorry i meant generally, it has happened in the past.

Still, all done now.

[Gaffers]

 

[TheBoy]

I dont see the wheel rotation issues like auto box in neutral and handbrake off being relevant as they lock in relation to the rear subframe, which is dropping with the wheels and everything else.

I reckon the handbrake cable tightens as the subframe dropping, to the point that its the handbrake cable holds the subframe up slightly.

Can't think what else it could have been - I tried twice, yet when we did it together in Reading, they both just fell out.

[Omegatoy]

I have often seen post titles, rear springs /spring change etc etc but never read them,
i just did as im bored,
 AND,  Im confused here, been playing with big vxhalls for years, and ive never dropped the diff to do a simple spring change? undo bottom shock mount after undoing 13mm nut and bolt on arb, and the springs come out and go back in with spring compressors no problem at all,
must have changed at least 15 pairs this way, takes around 15 mins per side, ok i admit i have loads of experience, but i do not understand dropping the diff, seems a lot of work for  simple spring change

JM2PW

[feeutfo]

Four bolts v spring compressors ... 

[feeutfo]

I dont see the wheel rotation issues like auto box in neutral and handbrake off being relevant as they lock in relation to the rear subframe, which is dropping with the wheels and everything else.

I reckon the handbrake cable tightens as the subframe dropping, to the point that its the handbrake cable holds the subframe up slightly.

Can't think what else it could have been - I tried twice, yet when we did it together in Reading, they both just fell out.

Mmmnot so sure... The entire weight of the rear of the car to compress those springs, which are pushing the subframe down v a hand brake cable? That wouldn't stop it dropping, which was your problem as it wouldn't even budge as I recall...?
if the subframe became further away by dropping it at the rear, the prop shaft would have to be longer as well? By dropping the dif the wheel base becomes shorter not longer. 

I guess Lazytinker will be next up for springs, might play about then To prove the point see of it makes any odds.   

[Gaffers]

I wonder if the position/angle of the driveshaft relative to floorpan makes any difference.  ie most of the time no problem but at certain angles it makes it more difficult to drop?

[Marks DTM Calib]

I have often seen post titles, rear springs /spring change etc etc but never read them,
i just did as im bored,
 AND,  Im confused here, been playing with big vxhalls for years, and ive never dropped the diff to do a simple spring change? undo bottom shock mount after undoing 13mm nut and bolt on arb, and the springs come out and go back in with spring compressors no problem at all,
must have changed at least 15 pairs this way, takes around 15 mins per side, ok i admit i have loads of experience, but i do not understand dropping the diff, seems a lot of work for  simple spring change

JM2PW

sadly it dont work everytime (very few on the mig) and the guide has to cover all applications.