THE PORTAL HUB - Pinzgauers, Haflingers, Volvo 303s and more!

The right front spring cup has rotted out and now is flush up gainst the tub. I have the original Pinz spring compressor tool which, from the manual, is meant to grab both the bottom and top cups and to fit with each hook arm 180 degrees from the other on opposite sides of the spring. My problem is with the cup up against the tub, there is no place on the top cup to hook the second arm of the tool.
For those who have done this job, did you hook to one of the coils instead? Use a different tool? Any tips are appreciated. Thanks, as always, for your time. - Buzz

Fooling around and fixing old cars as a kid I made compressors out of threaded rod and plates.
Or use something like this at Northern or Harbor Freight
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... -_-9094292

A lot safer than the homemade version which might blow up in your face

ron

A buddy of mine is bringing his spring tool tomorrow. We'll figure something out.

Jack the truck up from the body using a block of wood to protect the sheet metal and a farm jack. Or lift from the center differential so the axles will hang.

Once you take the main force off the spring as Andre suggested, you may be able to force (pry) the spring down low enough as to use the Pinz spring compressor.

Other less structural pullers that I have tried are not up to the task, IMHO. Very dangerous if they break, and you may destroy them even if they don't fail catastrophically.

Thanks everybody. We are about to wade in. I'll let you know how it goes.

So, the solution included letting the axle hang with the limit strap and shock removed. We were not able to pry open a space to fit the tool. However, when we used the spring compressor on the coils, instead of the spring cup, we were able to pull down enough to get space between the cup and the tub. Then we stuck a couple socket extensions into the gap while we loosened the compressed spring. With the help of a weighted mallet, we were able insert the claws of the spring compressor over the edges of the cup. Lastly, per the manual, we lifted the axle with a floor jack, tightened the spring compressor so it was snug and the spring was about 11 1/4 inches long. When we lowered the jack, the spring assembly fell right out.

I will add that when ordering the parts for this, you will need at least 7101544212 Spring Cup Top and 7101544361 Spring Cup Cap. At least in this case, the Spring Cup Top was rusted and busted while the Spring Cup Cap was bent.

Thanks for the tips!

Noticed a lean to the right side today. Looked underneath at the spring and noticed it is a tad "off plumb". What is causing this and how can I fix it? Thanks for the help.

Looks like the pin isn't properly seated into the cup. Needs to be compressed and special attention placed on centering the cup onc the pin. There is a little edge on the center of the cup that will catch the pin if not done properly

Thanks Audio. What would have caused this? Do I/should I replace something? I've attached another pic looking at it from the front.

tough to tell. is the cup rotted or is it just off of the pin? Feel up in there... is it smooth, or rotted through?

You'll need to compress the spring to place it back on center. You may be able to come up with an innovative method if youre handy. Im cautious not to tell you too much as those springs are really dangerous and you could hurt yourself if not careful. Post some ideas. ill tell you if youre on the right track - or take it to a shop.

Just replaced my forward right cup. Noticed the front right sat a little low.
Grabbed the community (Southwest Pinzgauer Association) spring compressor tool and removed the spring.
The cup had rust/busted thru and the frame was sitting on the cup. I managed to fully extent the axle/spring after I remove the strap and shock and managed to pry enough to get the compressor tool to fit in. After that it was cake. Jacked the wheel hub until the rubber stops hit and tightened the compression tool threads.
The spring assembly came right out. It was a little scary handling that compressed spring to the shop to get the tool out and then to set it back in once I got the new cup. I also noticed once I took out the broken cup that the cap cup had been deformed by the broken chunk that was still riding on the cap cup. Formed that back flat and it all went to together very easy.
Now she sits level.

great photos. note the rotted cup and the tools needed to replace. Do not try to mcGyver

FWIW, I believe the spring compressor shown is a McGyver.

The factory tool had a two-piece flat end that the arms pull on, if I'm not mistaken. PC, can you confirm?

A McGyver is okay, provided it's stout enough for the job.

undysworld wrote:FWIW, I believe the spring compressor shown is a McGyver.

The factory tool had a two-piece flat end that the arms pull on, if I'm not mistaken. PC, can you confirm?

A McGyver is okay, provided it's stout enough for the job.

In the repair manual it shows something similar but not quite the same so could be a copy someone made?