I need to change the front springs on my sons '98 mondeo. Mr Haynes says that I need to remove the whole upright/strut assembly. Is this necessary or can I just separate it at the split clamp at the top of the upright and leave that on.
not done a mondeo myself (done a few other cars like them though) I'm sure you will need to take it off 
on the other hand it shouldn't be that big a job though, and its easy to swap the spring once the struts in vice 
I'd guess the strut is only held on by 3 or 4 small bolts at the top +the bottom balljoint +the track rod end
have you got some decent spring compressors ? (they make the job a whole lot easier)
[Edited on 16/4/10 by mcerd1]
You won't have room to remove the spring with the strut still in the hub. IIRC it's only 1 more bolt and the drop link to remove the strut from the hub anyway.
The leg has to come off. Be very,VERY carefull. Mondeo springs are rather long with few coils and require compressing a long way. As a result like to
escape from the spring compressors... and when they do, they break anything that gets in the way, including your limbs.
Unless you've got a very good spring compressor I'd advise against doing the job.
adrian
quote:
Originally posted by adithorp
Unless you've got a very good spring compressor I'd advise against doing the job.
adrian
Experience on other FWD cars says it will need to come right off, upright and all.
As above - be careful!
Brother in-law still has a scar on his lower leg where a Chevette spring escaped from the compressors many moons ago. Had him of his feet for a
couple of weeks and he was very lucky it hit him in the calf and not the shin/knee.
It's a right b£$%rd of a job on a Mondeo. You'd be better off getting a pair of 'new' legs from a write off and just swapping
everything over.
(I've got a pair of Mondeo legs with knackered shocks gathering dust in my workshop for this very reason!)
Chris
Boing no fingers....has to come off and a good compression tool not the hook ones but the horse shoe ones. When they slip the go off like a bomb.
Thanks for all the replies folks, I'll have serious thoughts before takling it!
I have a "proper" coil spring compressor if you need to borrow one - although I am in birmingham
I did a pair on a Mondeo with Clarke machine-mart cheapo spring compressors.
I didn't like it....
[Edited on 17/4/10 by UncleFista]
Just been quoted £160 to do both sides. Probably go with it. I value my fingers more than that! thanks again folks.