Replacing Rear Leaf Spring Bushes Easy And With Limited Tools.

[camerondownunder88]

Hi,

Tonight on my KE15 I wanted to put my new bushes I had recived for the car in now a lot of people can find this hard so I thought Id post up a way I did it that was easy and can be done with limited tools.

 

Well first off tool list: (this is a rought guid I used this but others may not need some of the tools)

1 Car scissor jack from boot

1 Bottle hydrulic jack. I had a 2 tonne and a 5 tonne both fitted in a KE1X where needed so use what fits.

1 flat blade screw driver

1 saw of any type or really sharp knife

1 12mm spanner (might be different on other cars)

1 hammer

1 drift (wood or metal or anything will work)

optional

1 G- clamp

 

Ok now you have your tools lets get to work.

 

Steps:

1. Make sure the hand brake is on car is on flat level ground and jack up the rear of the car on one side where you normally do to change a spare wheel. I found on the KE15 I had to jack the car to a point where the wheel was just about to leave the ground so I got the springs to move to a good spot so I could work on then. This is done so less force is stored in the leaf spring making it A) safe to work on B) easier to work on.

2. Now take your bottle jack and with it compressed sit it up on the leaf spring and jack it just till it touches the bottom of the car. Now you want to place it on the spring as close as possible to the rear eye of the spring so when jacked it will bend the rear of the spring down. I did this as leaf springs will want to bent towards the car when not bolted on this prevented the spring bending up and not being able to get the link/bushes out and back into the spring. Also allowed me to move the spring and hold it in a spot so with just my self I could then fit and torque up the new bushes/nuts.

(above photo was taken after cutting bush and all this is at about step 6 but is a good photo that shows A) jack in position holding spring down B) Side of bush cut on the spring eye again this is step 6 C) How the top uncut bush is larger at the top then the hole they slide into)

 

3. Remove the 2 12mm nuts on the rear of the spring eye and car chassis.

 

4. Remove the flat plate that slides off the link. Drift can be used here might be tight.

 

5. Now for the fun part with the jack jack it till the spring bends down just enough to relive the link of any force so the spring isnt pushing up on it or the weight of the car isn't pushing down on the spring. If you get the weight right with worn bushes the link will just slide out. If it is a bit stuck play with the jack height or hammer and drift.

 

6. Now that the link is out get sharp knife/ saw and cut off one side of the bush that sticks out of the leaf spring. Reason is they usually are molded larger than the spring eye. So with this removed get drift place on bush and hit it with hammer. Old bush will be able to slide out other side and it is done easily. Saves trying to push bush through or burning it out and risk burning the car to the ground. Do this on the car bush and leaf spring eye bush.

 

7. Give the link a good clean/blast/paint etc.

 

8. Now install new bushes with lots of suitable grease and put them in the car and in the spring. Should go in by hand if you find it tight/ hard to get them in. Get a G-clamp and simply have them ligned up and press them in both will go in at same time :)

 

9. Now again repeat step 5 but instead install the link again intot eh new bushes. Since new bushes have better shape etc than old ones I found I had to jack the jack up about 1 pump to get the link to slide in easily with new bushes.

 

10. Put other side of link back on and do up the nuts.

 

11. Repeat process on other side of car. Again jack to same height with scissor jack to take weight off rear wheel so less force is held in the leaf spring.

 

12. Job complete :D

 

Now this is a suggested way to do this job easy as piss at home with limited tools. Can be done slightly different etc but again up to the user to do what is best. Also a 5 tonne jack pushing on the bottom of the car could do damage. Go slow be CAREFUL.

 

Cheers

Cameron

[Lorenzalizares]

Hi, newbie here, I'm lorenza, :) and i just have a few question about the leaf spring.why is the distance shorter at the front of the spring - from axle to eye, than the rear?I understand it has something to do with axle wrap but what exactly does the shorter distance at the front do? Also what problems would/might occur if I reversed the spring?

 

Many Thanks :)