Spring update #3 How in the world can you tell if a spring is upside down?
04-13-2003, 08:09 PM
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Spring update #3 How in the world can you tell if a spring is upside down?
I know this may be a question I should have asked eariler..but Every spring looks identical and in the installation manual it says make sure they are not upside down. How can I tell if they are in right? The springs are marked for which ones go in front and which ones go in the rear, so im all good there. Im mainly asking this because there is a slight popping coming from the rear when you push down on the trunk up and down. I installed the front springs with the labels rightside up..and the rears with the label upside down. I would sure like to chat with someone that has been through this before! contact me on aim (sn: mousmonke) if you want to talk! Thanks again guys..I would probably be lost if it wasnt for the info on these forums! 
04-13-2003, 09:49 PM
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Well, im no spring expert, but... (long)
Intersting I actually didnt know there was an "upside down." When I installed my new springs, I paid attention to where the spring lined up to the top strut mount and the bottom spring retainer. That was the bitch part of refitting the springs, was to make sure the end of the coil spring on both the top and the bottom, fit tightly against "the bumps" that stick out of the top and bottom mounts. Take a close look at the mounts to locate the bumps, and make sure you have lined them up properly. It may be alittle harder to do this with aftermarket springs, or lowering springs.Give the spring a shake, see if it fits tightly. I ended up screwing one up, by not lining it up properly to the bumps. Which produced a loud poping noise like you decribe. I turned the spring by hand while it was uncompressed and mounted, until it "popped" into place, but it takes quite a bit of force. My other words of advice is that make sure you put all the strut mount components (bushings bolts) back into their right place, and make sure that you have really tightned the strut housing nut, and the strut mount nuts down very tightly. The noise could also be coming from bad suspension components such as your control arm bushings. Mine are really loose and the creak like hell. Otherwise everything seems to be working fine, even though I may have installed a few upside down. Hope this novel helps!
04-13-2003, 10:17 PM
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Thank you afroney! I will definatly check the things you said.
Although I do question one thing..you say to really tighten the upper strut mount nuts? Specs call for only like 40 lbs or something. Did you just crank them? Cause if you did..I might as well do the same.
04-14-2003, 04:30 AM
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I wish I could afford a torque wrench lol.
No, if I were you I would leave the bolt torqued at 40 ft pounds, In my case, I didnt have a torque wrench around, I just used the Haynes method, a allen key in the hex head, and a vice-grip around the bolt, but I really didint tighten the thing down very hard, I guess it pays to have the right tools sometimes. Did you have the special vw tool to get the bolt off the strut mount? I looked around for the sucker at the local parts shop, even at Foreign Car Parts, and the guy said he never heard of such a thing.
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04-14-2003, 12:11 PM
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I could help a bit with translation
If you ever really want to have something thats in german translated, id be glad to give it a shot. Might as well use these 6 years of german classes. I wouldnt use bablel fish, I find in alot of my German homework, that it can give you alot crap, (like english, german has many words that have two meanings)