Removing P38 front air spring - am I being stupid?!

Am in the process of replacing my front air spring. Got everything apart, but can I get the lower retaining spring out - can I b*llocks!

I have removed the bolt, and pulled and pulled and twisted and bent and done everything I can think of, but the bloody thing refuses to move. Am I doing something incredibly stupid? am I missing something? All the instructions I read just say pull it out (By the looks of it, it can only be pulled one way - towards the center of the axel i.e. towards the bump stop)

What is weird is that the bottom part of the spring seems to be loose (but for the fact that I can't get it out because of the pin!) so it isn't like there should be any pressure on the spring holding it in.

Once I get this damn pin out, it is a 15 minute job, but so far I've been messing around trying to get it out for 3 hours! Tried it with the car on he bump stops, jacked up as far as I can, no difference! Drove it around with the bolt off so it might free up, but still stuck in there!

Need some help please if possible as I am now completely stuck!

Matt

Hi Matt, I changed both my fronts in under an hour, I found it easier if I jacked the chassis up as high as I could get it, with the wheel well off the ground, once the top clips were removed, the bag 'fell' down, making the bottom loose, then I twisted the retaining pin as it was pulled out.
Good luck.

modelman - where did you jack the chassis from?

At the moment I just shoved a brick under the bump stop as the suspension sunk down onto it to keep it high and out the way! Seemed like the easy thing to do!

Cheers,

Matt.

I jacked it under the lowest part of the chassis member just behind the front wheels, around where the front passangers feet would be. I placed a stout piece of timber between it & the trolly jack, helps to prevent slipage & gives extra height. Loosened the wheel nuts first, jacked it up till the wheel was about 100mm off the ground, then removed the wheel, plenty of room then to work!! Also remember to chock the rear wheels as well for safety.

hi yes those springs can be a bitch to get out and the lower pins seize in easy answer is get new pins and with a big lever prise under air bag at bottom metal plate the pins WILL SNAP and then you can get the bag out easy hope this helps,tiga

Tiga,

Thanks for the advice, I brought Big Bertha out (my HUGE crow bar!) and tapped it between the piston and the axel and a quick shove saw the pin snap. I fabricated a new pin and and had the new spring in 15 mins later and all sorted!

Trip to Limoges on Monday to get the LR place to reset the ECU and I should be all back to normal.

Cheers,

Matt.