Espelir Springs for 97' Q

[BadQ45t]

So it appears that one of my tein springs is now binding and I will have to get new set of springs. I am suddenly getting little pops on bumps but only on the left side. They have been on my car for 7 years or so, which should mean they are worn out, but I am thinking that is the cause. I have the KYB SR Specials which could also be the culprit but I am doubting it.

Anybody have any lines on these, I would hate to have to back to stock....plus the fact that I plan to put the Q up for sale in the next 12 months as I search for better mileage and a newer car....anybody???

[elwesso]

Springs can't really wear out... The only time you should have to replace a spring is if they start to sag, which usually means they're broken. After all, they are steel, so as long as they're not rusted through (doubt you have that issue in California) they're probably still good. If the car is sitting level, then I don't think it's a spring.

If you're getting little pops/clicks from the one side, I'd suspect first a sway bar end link, or perhaps a ball joint or strut bearing.

[BadQ45t]

Thanks man, that is good news as the car is indeed sitting level and is popping into the wheel well but just from one side. I measured last night and everything is completely level.

I have it going to the shop Friday to have a pro look at it, sway bar end link or ball joint or strut bearing all sound good versus trying to find stuff from Japan again!!

Thanks for you rely.

[BadQ45t]

And the springs have 30k on them, the car lives in a garage and sees water when it is being washed, no rust anywhere on the car.

[elwesso]

Let us know what it ends up being!

My cali-custom springs have probably 100k on them, and they still work great (no sagging or anything), but they look like hell, basically all the paint is gone. When I replace the struts on the car, I'll probably take them off and paint them real nice.

[BadQ45t]

I have never heard of a worn out spring either, tired yes, but not worn out. My eibach springs on my 84' Z went on in 1994 and are still just fine, I only put those on there to get the 1/2 lowering and a big better spring rate than stock. Tein makes excellent products so I hope it is not broken, if so I really don't feel like bending over and buying stock ones nor do I want to put that money into the car.....

[BadQ45t]

So an update, he took the front end apart and everything looks okay. The only problem he sees is the sway bar bushings are the original ones but don't look horrible (he said he's certainly seen much worse) and both Strut bump stops are broken.

What do you guys think is this likely to fix my left hand turning and topping out issue? He still thinks the spring might be "weak". It is $600 for parts and labor (I know I live in the Bay Area so stuff cost more here) and I don't have time to source the parts from IOS or other cheaper places.

You think this is the issue, just obviously asking for best guesses.

[elwesso]

I still don't think it's the springs. When you say he took the front end apart, what does that mean? It would be a few hours labor to take EVERYTHING off the front end of the car including the struts, sway bar, lower control arms, etc.

So to clarify, is the car making this popping sound when you turn AND hit a bump, or does it only happen one time or another? That could be a tie rod end perhaps?

[BadQ45t]

The tire is hitting the inside of the wheel well when I am turning, it doesn't do it just going over a bump, I tested that out pretty specifically. Two places on my way to work I know it pings the inside of the wheel well, one is a right turn that has a dip in to on a down hill where I am usually going about 50 mph, never had an issue there before. I can make the same thing going left and stiff as always. Also a freeway entrance where you go from 35mph to 65 pretty fast and also bends to the right with a little dip and ping on the top of the wheel well there.

What he has so far is take off the front tire and removed the strut from the car which is how he saw the bump stop was broken. He plans to put in fresh bump stops, which means he has to completely remove the spring as well.

At this point since I hoped to drive the car for another 1-2 years (it only has 98k on it and I have taken BEYOND good care of it) I have told him to get new sway bar bushings, remove the spring and ensure it was seated properly, repair the bump stops and put it back together. The tie rod ends were done at 70k but told him to replace those if they were at all suspect while he's in there. In Northern California an independent mechanic chargers $94 per hour (at least for a decent one) and the Infiniti dealership is around $175 per hour (Nissan is $145)....so he told me he'd keep to $600 bucks. I figure it is a good bet to see if he can fix it for that price and I can get that last 40k out of the car.

I will let you know how it comes out, Wes, you think I have it fixed??? If not the car is going to be a trade in for something (don't know what yet).

[MaximA32]

In the 7-8 years of working on cars (and being ASE in steering and suspenstion in that time), I've only known two or three things to cause that issue. Either the strut mounts are bad which is entirely possible in that time frame, the sway bar bushings (the ones that hold the bar to the frame) are no longer round and allowing the bar to slide back and forth or the sway bar end links are bad. That is the order I would check/replace things as those are the most common resolutions for the issue you described. I agree 100% with Wes in that it is NOT the springs. I've never heard of a spring making a noise unless it's broken.

[BadQ45t]

I am feeling better about the 600 bucks I authorized today. He took the spring out of the strut to fix the strut stop that was broken and replaced all the sway bar bushings. He said those were "hammered" so I am really hoping that this is going to fix. He finished doing the alignment and I pick it up tomorrow, I will report back!

[BadQ45t]

hey guys, it is fixed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The car rides great, I cannot believe that I hadn't done this before. Thankfully at least another year of driving my Q, and now that it is a daily driver I am getting closer to 21 MPG instead of the 18 I got when it was a garage queen.

I guess my Telsa or q50 later on..............

[BadQ45t]

CRAAAPPP!!! I did a more extensive drive yesterday and it is NOT fixed. So my mechanic took apart the entire front of the car, he put in strut bump stops in (said both were wasted) and also did the sway bar bushings on both sides. Said there was a lot of play in them, I could feel the front left of the car didn't feel right when turning the wheel. That is completely fixed and it rides great on the highway and corners great. The issue is that when I am making right turns the tire hits on the inside of the left front. It really only happens in 2 places on my way to work, a bending right turn where I am accelerating (it wasn't as bad as before but still hit) and as I make a right turn that has a dip right in the middle of the turn.

What else could it be. The mechanic said the spring seemed to be in good shape as did the strut itself. He replaced everything rubber in there. There has never been any rubbing ever before. I have 22mm spacers on my rims to fit the M45 06' sport rims with 245/40 19 rubber, again tires are on there for over 1 year and never an issue before.

Any other suggestions? I think I can run the car this way, I really don't want to put more money in. The mechanic still thinks springs, said the struts were fine. What do you think???

[qship96]

Bent strut tower?

[BadQ45t]

The mechanic setup everything when he reinstalled and the car aligned perfectly on the front end so I don't think so....but I will ask him if he measured that.

[BadQ45t]

Well the long and short of this story is that the car still pops the inside of the right wheel well on occasion, but the car rides just fine on the road and when it does happen it isn't very bad. At this point I am just going to live with it for the next year or two or three until I figure out what is next for my garage. My mechanic still thinks the springs are tired, and I wish I could have found a set for a reasonable price, but given the rarity of them and my interest in finding a new ride sometime in the next few years I give up.

[qship96]

Not that you are overly concerned about it,but the tech could have swapped L and R front springs and see if the problem followed the spring.

[BadQ45t]

that was a good point, but he was pretty sure he fixed it with the strut bump stops and sway bar bushings......I am done as you said...but that was a good idea.