How to tighten a shock absorber spring without cable ties

How to compress a shock absorber spring without couplers

Sometimes you need to compress the suspension spring without removing it from the car. For this purpose, you need couplers. In a simple case, two or more rods equipped with so-called hooks can serve as couplers. The hooks are attached to the spring from the outside with their hooks. All ties are usually placed on opposite sides of the spring. And then, by turning the threaded rods with a wrench, you can easily perform compression.

Branded tools for spring compressors

Of course, there is special equipment used in the repair of cars of a particular brand. For spring compression, however, universal ties are more commonly used. The appearance of these devices is shown in the figure:

Branded spring clamps

It is clear that a set of universal ties can be bought in the store. However, the cost of such equipment is higher than the price of all the constituent elements in total.

Welding ties by yourself

In general, shock absorber spring couplers make sense to make themselves. How to do this is discussed further.

Four nuts and two threaded rods

The metal products listed below are easy to find at almost any supermarket. For example, you can buy two M16 threaded rods. You’ll also need four extended nuts, as well as a steel plumbing pipe. Its inside diameter is 16-16.5 mm.

The end result will be what is shown in the pictures. You will also need a steel bar, which goes to the manufacture of fittings. Consider how the ties are made:

Two identical cylinders are cut from the pipe, the length of which is 80-120 mm;
Threaded rods can be shortened if necessary;
From the armature make 8 rods with a length of about 30 cm;
Using any bending equipment, the rods are bent to make hooks;
Four rods are welded to two nuts, another four to pieces of pipe;
The set of accessories at this stage is completely ready for use.

Welding is easier to perform by arranging the workpieces on the plane. The essence of these words is illustrated in the figure:

How to Weld Hook Rods

Actually, the following is a movie, where the technology is shown “from beginning to end”. The author even solved the problem of the lack of a bending machine: to bend one rod, you need two of the same rods, welded to a steel profile.

If the reader thinks that using welding is difficult, it is better not to risk it. Welded joints can withstand a considerable load, but only if they are made according to all the rules. Spring ties can be made without welding. A suitable drawing is given below.

Two ties in 10 minutes (video)

How do you need to tighten a spring?

Let’s list the steps that include the tightening of the shock absorber springs, carried out with their own hands. Everything looks simple:

When the body is held by the jack, two ties on opposite sides are brought to the spring;
Turning the nuts by hand, achieve a sure engagement of hooks and springs;
Using a wrench, the nuts on the different rods rotate in turn;
It is better to be reinsured and to fix the compressed spring with straps or wire.

Video of spring tensioning on a shock absorber

No explanation is needed here. The result is shown in the photo.

A spring compressed with tie rods

When using homemade or even purchased equipment, stick to simple tips:

Before using couplers, the threaded joints should be lubricated with Cyatime or Solidol;
Do not remove the couplers from the compressed spring, even if it is additionally secured;
Be very careful when carrying out the work. It is better to sacrifice body parts than your own health.

Peculiarities of the suspension of Lifan cars are discussed in these articles:

Blueprints of universal threaded ties

Let’s get back to the question of how to make a fixture for the shock absorber spring tensioner yourself. The following shows the appearance of ready-made fixtures:

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Factory made threaded ties

There is a left-hand thread on one side of the rod and a right-hand thread on the other side. The thread pitch used is standard, M18. But you can’t do without buying threaded rods here. And to cut the thread yourself, you need special equipment.

The drawings of the assemblies that make up the entire design are shown here:

Threaded rod coupler (3 parts)

To make the parts, you need to have a lathe, drill press and probably a milling machine. It may be easier to go to a workshop. Print out the drawing by downloading it from the website.

Most likely, there are no other drawings of universal couplers on the internet. And what is shown above is taken from the book on repairing domestic cars. You can use it.

Let’s assume that the couplers were made according to the drawings and all parts fit each other. But even then, the advice about using grease is still valid. You need to take solidol or tsiatim and apply this material to the threads of the nuts.

Packing tsiatim-201, 20 grams.

Lubricant tsiatim-201 is a rather expensive material. You can reduce its consumption by mixing it with machine oil in a 50/50 ratio. We wish you good luck.

Actually, here is the whole question. Is it possible to carry out this operation without couplers? I have the screed, but not the couplers.

Comments 66

you can take it off, you can’t take it apart!

I’ve already found a way to remove without ties, but I’d rather wait for ties)))) Yes and the tip is not knocked out at all….

Help yourself with a crowbar and a helper (one crowbar presses the other taps) but unscrew the nut completely and then tighten it

No crowbar, there is a 70 cm tube dia.12 and a pair of hands))))

You can’t get between the knuckle and the knuckle with a pipe.

You won’t be able to reach between the elbow joint with a pipe. If you do it for the first time, ask someone who knows the deal to help you.

How do I remove struts: jack up, remove the wheel, instead of the wheel put a pad under the support, removed from the jack, put a couple of people on the hood car lowered, tied the spring and that’s it remove the rack and put a new amartizator

Also did it when I had no ties for the springs. Springs tied rod about 7 mm, from it bent 2 brackets so it does not fly off the coils)

Did you do a camber after you removed the strut and unscrewed it from the hub?

No. When I changed the ends and the supports, I did the camber and the camber.

Shock absorber is the component responsible for comfortable driving. It is not rare that a shock absorber strut needs to be replaced. For example, it leaked or simply worked out its resource. In this case the whole knot is dismantled. The procedure is time-consuming, but not complicated. You will need such a tool as a coupler for shock absorber springs. The device is extremely simple, but at the same time necessary when performing such work.

Universal and branded

Although the construction of a coupler is extremely simple, they come in several varieties. For example, dealers of some companies use proprietary tools that are suitable only for a certain make of car. This also applies to couplers, although in most cases such meticulousness is not required.

Universal couplers, as it is possible to understand from the name, will be suitable for everything. A spring is a spring everywhere, and the device for work with it is suitable for any make of car. As for the craftsmen who repair cars in their garage, they need a coupler. Let’s see how to assemble such a tool with their own hands.

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Necessary material and tools

To make a coupler yourself, you will need a metal rod (armature), two rods with threads (M16), as well as elongated nuts and a metal tube with an inner diameter of 16 mm. This will be quite enough to make a full-fledged screed.

It is also desirable to have on hand a grinder for cutting fittings and a few wrenches for nuts. Set of tools is minimal, all you can find in the garage of any motorist. Well, now let’s look in detail at the process of assembling the product.

Making a coupler for shock absorber springs with your own hands

Using a grinder, we cut two one-meter pieces from the pre-prepared pipe. We adjust the threaded rods to the required length. Next, we take the rebar and mark out eight pieces of 30 cm. We saw with a grinder and with any bending equipment try to make hooks out of the rod.

It should be noted that you will need a welder. If you do not have your own, you can borrow from a neighbor. We weld 4 pre-cut rods to the nuts, the remaining 4 to the pipe. In principle, we have made couplers for shock absorber springs with our own hands and can use them. Let’s consider a few more interesting options that are popular among car enthusiasts.

Shock absorber spring coupler from a jack

There is also an alternative option, which does not require special training and a large number of tools. To make it, we need a grinder, a connecting rod from the classics, as well as an old jack from VAZ (original). The procedure is as follows.

Using a bolt cut off the bottom support on the jack, as well as the rivets. Then in the place of the lever for lifting/lowering of the jack with the help of welding we mount two ears for bolts. Where the rivets were removed, we weld a 25×25 piece of pipe. The same is done in the place of welded lugs, but we take a 20×20 pipe. You can additionally strengthen the jack with another piece of pipe, cut to the required length. In general, this device for tightening shock absorber springs is quite effective, and you can make it quickly enough without much cost.

What you need to know when dismantling

The tightening of car springs is quite a dangerous process. If you make a poor quality puller, it can come off. Because of the high pressure, you risk injury. That’s why you need to be extremely careful when doing such work.

Simple and affordable

We take two rods of equal length. The threads can be any, but it is most convenient to use the standard M16 or M18. The rod should have two threads: left-handed on one side and right-handed on the other, or vice versa. In the center it is desirable to rigidly fix an elongated nut as a stopper. There are such purchased rods, so if you do not have a special machine for threading, go to the car market.

All that remains is to weld a few hooks on the nuts and you can use them. To make the device work more smoothly, it is desirable to lubricate the threads and the nut. You can use regular machine oil or solidol. Here it is necessary to achieve a smooth movement, almost any lubricant will do. You can also use the drawings and take them to the turner, who will make everything. It takes a few hours to make a coupler for shock absorber springs.

The cost of couplers in stores

You can also not bother at all and buy a ready-made product in a store. The abundance can be confusing. There are hydraulic and mechanical shock absorber spring couplers. The price for them differs significantly. The cheapest versions will cost about 1,500 rubles, and the most expensive – about 30,000 thousand. Of course, it is not necessary to purchase an expensive product for single works. You will be quite sufficient mechanical coupler for a couple of thousand rubles.

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You can buy hydraulic couplers. It is more convenient to work with them, but the price tag is twice as high. There are universal couplers with different attachments, but it is also quite a weighty purchase. Pay attention to quality mechanical shock absorber spring couplers. The price for a normal product will be in the range of 2-3 thousand rubles.

A few more points

Here we have figured out with you that it is not so difficult to make a coupler with your own hands. For this, except for the desire, a small number of tools and time, you do not need anything. If you do not have a coupler, and it is necessary to remove the spring, it is better not to risk your own health and not to experiment, and contact a service station.

It will not be possible to tighten the shock absorber spring without a coupler, it has already been said about it. This does not apply to cases where the product has lost its elasticity and has cracks. It is no longer possible to call such a spring working. You can find a huge number of options for making homemade ties, the most popular of them we have just considered with you.

Homemade coupler for shock absorber springs is made quickly and easily. The main thing is that the construction turns out to be strong and performs its main task. Don’t forget that if the coupler comes off the spring, you can get a serious bruise from the impact, so always try to keep the spring out of your face and secure it, if possible.

How to compress a shock absorber spring without ties

It happens quite often that the shock absorbers on a car wear out or fail. This is not surprising, and there can be many reasons for such consequences. In this case, every car owner is faced with a number of troubles and the only solution may be the replacement of shock absorbers.

You can do it in a service center or in your garage, but you will need a spring coupler (some people call them shock absorber spirals), which requires a special puller, as well as some knowledge and skills.

Shock absorber

What is a puller

Shock absorber spring pullers are a special device that can be used to compress the springs of a shock absorbing element. Once the element is compressed, you can continue the dismantling activities you started. There are many variants of the device in question. We may be interested in the simplest version of the removable device.

The object under consideration is two slats made of metal.

The entire length is threaded. There are hooks on the edges of the product, which, when turned, go towards each other. In other words, when it is necessary to compress the spring element, it is necessary to simply turn the rail. At this point, the hooks tighten the springy structure.

There is another option for tightening the spring struts of shock absorber struts – the belt.

The design is 2 “frogs” in which strong belts made of fabric are tucked. They are thrown over the upper coil of the springs. After this you need to work “frogs”, alternately pressing on each of them.

The process of the movements performed involves gradual tensioning of the belts with tightening into a spiral. After compression, the work process continues.

The shock absorber spring tensioner is sold in car dealerships and on the Internet.

Its cost is high, as is its quality.

Photo: Factory version with left and right threads, pitch M-18.

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The elements do not fly off and do not hit the car owner in the forehead when disassembling. But some of the drivers “with hands and head” make the pullers by their own hands.

Making a shock absorber spring puller

Many motorists use an ordinary chain: wind a few turns around the coils of the spring, and tighten the chain. After the car is jacked up, the shock absorber strut is stretched and the spring remains compressed. This is a dangerous method: if the chain slips, the unextended spring can cause serious injury.

How to make a simple puller along the lines of an industrial one

Mechanical semi-stationary “machine” can be created from the “Volga” jack.

old jack from Volga-24, Moskvich 412, or any other soviet car = 0 rub.
old connecting rod from any engine = 0 rubles.
steel angle from salvage yard 1 meter long = 0 rub.
a couple of rods from broken shock absorbers = 0 roubles.
a handful of bolts and nuts M12 – M14 = conditionally free.

The remover by your own hands

Those who are used to making car repairs with their own hands know how to make a shock absorber spring coupler. For those for whom this experience is new and encounters it for the first time, we, on the example of step-by-step works with the use of photos, will tell you how to build a spring puller with your own hands.

On the Internet, or on automotive forums, you can find information about how to make a spring extractor. Also find a drawing of a shock absorber spring extractor.

Although, this is not necessary. The design is pretty straightforward. You only need to have the necessary tools at hand to make a shock absorber spring puller.

It is necessary to prepare the tools and fixtures:

Welding machine or “lathe”.
Vise.
Set of wrenches.
A set of wrenches.
A set of electrodes.

It is not difficult to make a spring coupler in the garage. It will require only a few hours of work.

An ordinary piece of metal pipe is taken and cut into four parts. The length of each piece is 40 mm. A ¼ part is cut out.

The individual parts of the construction should be clamped in a vise.

Using a hammer, align one edge, as shown in the photo.

As a result of manipulation should turn out 4 hooks.

Next, choose a corner of the right size.

Cut it into 4 pieces. They should be 10 mm larger than the hooks.

On one wall of the corner, as shown in the photo, a hole is drilled for a threaded rod. The approximate size is 14 mm. It is important that its stroke through the hole was free.

Having welded together the hooks and corners, we will get finished products: brackets.

Then the brackets are matched with a tube, which should be 16.5 mm in diameter.

It is obligatory to lubricate the threaded rods with 16 mm diameter with solidol. This makes it possible to avoid rapid failure of the nut. More precisely, its threads.

Next, pieces of pipe are cut off and welded. At this stage we use welding.

Here’s what you get at the output: a finished product for the spring coupler.

Here we have considered the question of how to make spring ties shock absorbers with their own hands, which can be used in the working process on the front and rear axle of the vehicle.

Some practical tips

Working with a factory product or homemade device, it is necessary:

The threaded joints, on a mandatory basis, lubricate solidol or tsiatim. Grease tsiatim-201 is not cheap. Therefore, in order to save money, it is mixed with machine oil. The proportion is 50/50.
When compressing the working structure it is forbidden to remove the coupler, even if additional fixation measures are taken.
While working it is necessary to be constantly on guard and exercise caution. It is better to sacrifice body parts than your own health or even life.

At home, working with your hands, you can use different devices to compress the springs. For example, to clamp the working material in a vise. All methods for achieving the final result are good. The main thing is to observe safety precautions and not to join the ranks of injured professionals “home spill”!

Analysis of the options will make it possible to choose the most appropriate method. This will allow you to fully enjoy the creative process and improve your own self-esteem. We are not talking about the obvious fact – saving the family budget.

Knowing how to make a spring puller, let’s consider the very process of coupling. Let’s figure out what it actually consists in.

Branded tools for spring compressors

Branded spring clamps

It is clear that a set of universal ties can be bought in the store. However, the cost of such equipment is higher than the price of all the constituent elements in total.

Tightening process

The process of spring tensioning is exactly the measure that drivers face. That category of enthusiasts and craftsmen who prefer to make shock absorber spring ties with their own hands from improvised materials, rather than taking their car to a service center, know what the process of tightening is. We, for beginners, will describe the algorithm of actions for familiarization.

It should be remembered that constructions can be different configurations: the factory version differs from the self-constructed product. But in one or the other case, you can not do without the device. The working process will turn into a long nightmare with unpredictable consequences. However, enough “horror stories”. Let’s get acquainted with the algorithm of actions.

Having installed the car on an elevator, an inspection pit or having placed it on an overpass, it is necessary to put it on a handbrake and put spacers under wheels.
Dismantle the strut with shock absorber.
Fix the puller on the upper and lower coils of the spring. Next, the compression process is done by hand. It all depends on the design. It can be a “frog” or hooks.

Note!

It is not necessary to tighten the working element completely. There is a high probability of breakage of the working element or the compression device.

Compression is carried out until the work item can be removed and repair work can be carried out.

If we work with a set equipped with hooks, the steps are almost similar to the process of removal with the “frog”. Only in this case, after installing the car and securing it, the ties must be positioned on opposite sides.

The nuts are rotated by hand to secure the tool tightly to the work item. The nuts are tightened alternately on the different rods. Many people tie the spring element with straps or wire for reassurance and personal safety.

Safety, safety, and safety again. This is the main thing to pay attention to when doing the “technical treatment”. The process itself requires physical effort and consistency.

Replacing the front spring without a puller, couplers.

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Replacing the front spring without a puller, couplers.

Hello Roman, in your case, replacing the lever, you could not bother in this work, unscrew the wheel, put a bar under the lever and lower the car with all his weight.then take a thick wire and tie a spring from both sides.and then dismantle everything.did so many times, but then had to review the couplers still.I think this method will suit who replaced the spring on the new )) all good luck in the repairs.