Help urgently needed - replacing air bags with springs

[Froggie]

I have been following this http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=25538 by Les Henson (replacing air bags with springs) , all was going well until i came to put the springs on.

In a nutshell I cannot get the axle lower enough to get the springs on, the axle only seems to want to come about an inch from the chassis.

Maybe I am jacking it up in the wrong place??

Any ideas greatly received as I am now off the road till it is sorted.

Thanks

Steve

[M&S]

Where have you put your axle stands? Are they on the chassis, or one of the radius arms? The spot where LR tell you to jack the vehicle is fine for changing a wheel but no good for this job.

[Dave W]

Anti-Roll bars still connected ?

[K88 MUD]

Put the bottle jack between the axle and chassis......just make sure the ABS sensor wire and brake flexy still have slack.

[Froggie]

The bottle jack sounds a brill idea!!

I have just borrowed a mates "Commercial" trolley jack and jacked it up using the rear cross member, it has gone up a lot further but not far enough, if I can make enough room I'll try the bottle jack.

The anti roll bars are still connected (I was jacking it up on them at first), maybe releaseing them may be an option if all else fails.

just one though should the opposite side to what i am working on be as high or low as possible or doesnt it matter!!

Thanks

Steve

[K88 MUD]

Easy way is to support the chassis/towbar (if fitted) on stands and allow the axle to drop......remove the bottom shocker mount and then use the bottle jack between the axle and chassis where the bump stops meet......never had any problems and we've done loads.

[Froggie]

Easy way is to support the chassis/towbar (if fitted) on stands and allow the axle to drop......remove the bottom shocker mount and then use the bottle jack between the axle and chassis where the bump stops meet......never had any problems and we've done lo

i'll give it a go....

[Dave W]

The anti roll bars are still connected (I was jacking it up on them at first), maybe releaseing them may be an option if all else fails.

Don't mess around with bottle jacks fighting the anti-roll bars just unbolt them rather than fighting them. It only takes a couple of minutes and will save you much more than that in the long run.

That anti-roll bar is designed to stop one wheel on the axle moving in relation to another. Using a bottle jack to force the anti-roll bar is just plain stupid. You are loading a massive spring with a hydraulic ram, if that ram slips what's going to happen to that massive torsion spring you just forced all that energy into ???

When I read posts like this i get my Mr grumpy head on and ask why does someone who can't grasp the basics of what an anti-roll bar does think they are qualified enough to remove the factory suspension system and replace it with something different. Get someone who knows what they are doing to check your work over before you go near a road with your custom suspension system.

[Froggie]

Don't mess around with bottle jacks fighting the anti-roll bars just unbolt them rather than fighting them. It only takes a couple of minutes and will save you much more than that in the long run.

That anti-roll bar is designed to stop one wheel on the axle moving in relation to another. Using a bottle jack to force the anti-roll bar is just plain stupid. You are loading a massive spring with a hydraulic ram, if that ram slips what's going to happen to that massive torsion spring you just forced all that energy into ???

When I read posts like this i get my Mr grumpy head on and ask why does someone who can't grasp the basics of what an anti-roll bar does think they are qualified enough to remove the factory suspension system and replace it with something different. Get someone who knows what they are doing to check your work over before you go near a road with your custom suspension system.

As it happened I did unbolt the anti- roll bars, because like you said it was forcing them open. I disagree a little with your remark about "Custom Suspension System", air bags were an optional extra on the disco, all i have done is reverted back to what would have been the basic install!!

[disco_al]

doesn't the ecu need to be reset as well when changing from air bags to springs? seem to remember reading it somwhere that it needs to be changed from "air" setting to "coil" setting

[Les Henson]

You have to do both sides at the same time - one side dropped won't go very far as the opposite side will prevent that. I Jack the vehicle up from under the axle and place an axle stand under each side on the chassis in turn until it's high as possible. With the jack still under the axle, remove both road wheels, disconnect both shocks, unclip the tops of both air bags, then lower the axle down - keeping an eye on the brake hoses. I don't disconnect the ARB, but the axle will drop further if it's unbolted.

You will get a warning light on the dash, but that's all. The last two times I did this coversion I got no warning light.

Les.

[Froggie]

You have to do both sides at the same time - one side dropped won't go very far as the opposite side will prevent that. I Jack the vehicle up from under the axle and place an axle stand under each side on the chassis in turn until it's high as possible. With the jack still under the axle, remove both road wheels, disconnect both shocks, unclip the tops of both air bags, then lower the axle down - keeping an eye on the brake hoses. I don't disconnect the ARB, but the axle will drop further if it's unbolted.

You will get a warning light on the dash, but that's all. The last two times I did this coversion I got no warning light.

Les.

i was going to mention the "light", mine didnt come on either, even so, i changed the suspension from AIR to COIL using the Navicom