Fusion Front Spring Failure

[TR1GG]

I've driven /owned quite a few high mileage different cars since 1973 and this is the first time I've had a coil spring break, so it's either modern design/materials or potholes causing the problems.

[stef123]

I would hazard a guess that pot holes and speed bumps play a huge part in destroying springs. The quality of parts too, probably down to cost and mass producing them.

I have changed springs on every car I have owned, most of my families car, many of my friends cars and also many as homers. All cars from the 90s onwards, last year I done about 20 or so of them. A variety of cars too, not just fords.

[Fused]

Just returned from taking the wife's 206 for MOT, hey presto broken front spring. Have known the garage owner for years and have used them for all the cars, Fusion as well. Just said we see it all day every day with no specific makes at fault, the speed humps can do more damage quicker than pot holes. The humps are not uniform is size or height and some have serious impact and damage to springs. Maybe over analysing the issue

[fusion66]

The issue with the Fusion is the failure of the driver side front spring which seems to be common. Only one post in this thread relates to kerbside spring failure.

Whilst potholes and speed humps maybe a contributory factor, in my case I rarely go outside the county, almost every mile driven being local. I know where potholes are on roads I use regularly so am able to avoid them, often having to reduce speed to 15 or 20mph, even on A roads.

For those outside Devon a tip is to avoid the A377 (Barnstaple to Exeter) paricularly near Kingford where the road is subsiding and breaking up badly.

3 years and just 12,000 miles between failures cannot be right.

David G

[Fused]

100,000+k on one and now 92,000 k on this one with no spring failures yet ! motorway, heavy urban and some rural mix of miles. One injector seal change but apart from that just the usual.

[fusion66]

A Tip For Next Time

A big problem is undoing the nut at the top of the Shock - the one in the cup. The thread corrodes and causes this problem.

Whilst chatting to a local repairer who does my MOT (passed again! hurrah) we discussed this problem and he suggested filling the cup with grease. So, here's an idea.

Take a short length of 22mm o/d copper water pipe and fit it down into the cup . It's a good press fit over the nut.

Fill with oil then with grease. The oil could be motor cycle chain oil or chainsaw chain oil both being 'low fling' and rather sticky. I used RS Components Silicon grease only because I had a few spare tubes.

[fusionfan2]

Nice idea, when the garage did mine, they just filled them with grease.

[Sergeantcookie]

Sorry to bring up an old thread. I have the same issue. My passenger side spring has snapped and i am struggling to remove the top nut. Whilst I change the spring I am putting new drop links on but need to grind the bottom drop link bolt off as i cant get it off any other way. I then need to change the driver side spring as this has also snapped. I was thinking of getting a garage to try and free the spring bolts with an air gun, will this work?

[Sergeantcookie]

Or the other way was maybe to bolt the shock back in and use my breaker bar to get it off? I am going to be soaking the nut every night this week with wd40 in hopes to help it a bit

[fusion66]

There is a special tool by Ford for undoing the problem nut but I know one repairer who has even broken one of them trying to get a nut off, so it is very tricky.

I designed and made a tool to use and posted details here in a previous post a few postings up from this one. However making it does require the use of a lathe to modify a socket tool.

Using lots of WD40 for a week or so may do the trick but be assured they are a pig of a thing remove. No harm in a total rebuild though - shock, top housing, and spring. Don't forget the Ford mods and plenty of sealant (my other mod) as well as grease/oil in the top cup and you'll have no further problems.

A few months back I bent a shock and everything came apart as easy as anything and no corrosion on the spring due to the Ford mods and my idea of plenty of sealant at the bottom

David G, Fusion66

Edited March 30, 2016 by fusion66

[Sergeantcookie]

I ended up getting a garage to remove mine and they came off with no issues

[ford fusion 1.4 tdci]

do spring compressors damage the paint finish on springs when compressing them  ?(cheaper ones may be worse for this)

how did they compress them in factory? (if they used that method)

my feb 05 fusion diesel suffered offside front spring failure...corrosion to blame..(when parked)(70.000  miles)

bought at 60.000  miles.don't know if broken before

next time am going to cover the spring with some sort of a plastic tube filled with waxoyl(seal the bottom of the tube +top)

just doing rear springs,will try it on them..( not broken,just changing) (don't have to compress them,can fit without compressing). (rear springs have never gone on mine)since I bought it at 60.000  (140.000.  now)

even heat shrink may do it..if can get big enough dia, and long enough. (will put something stronger on lower part)

[ford fusion 1.4 tdci]

On 5/12/2023 at 1:34 AM, ford fusion 1.4 tdci said:

do spring compressors damage the paint finish on springs when compressing them  ?(cheaper ones may be worse for this)

how did they compress them in factory? (if they used that method)

my feb 05 fusion diesel suffered offside front spring failure...corrosion to blame..(when parked)(70.000  miles)

bought at 60.000  miles.don't know if broken before

next time am going to cover the spring with some sort of a plastic tube filled with waxoyl(seal the bottom of the tube +top)

just doing rear springs,will try it on them..( not broken,just changing) (don't have to compress them,can fit without compressing). (rear springs have never gone on mine)since I bought it at 60.000  (140.000.  now)

even heat shrink may do it..if can get big enough dia, and long enough. (will put something stronger on lower part)

used 3/4 inch dia. heat shrink with adhesive lining inside.(pointool 10 feet length.3:1  shrink ratio.)these springs are longer than you think,one length only did one spring  ,had to put a lot of grease in it to slide it on..bent the heat shrink over to seal the ends

(bent heat shrink over then used some smaller heat shrink to seal it) bottom rests on anti squeal pad ,bent the heatshrink up away from the rubber.(rubber pad at top as well) (ps  1 inch heat shrink would have been better.obviously used a heat gun to shrink it.time will tell if it works (10 years) car will be long gone by then)  

sealed the ends by bending heat shrink over

[ford fusion 1.4 tdci]

On 5/12/2023 at 1:34 AM, ford fusion 1.4 tdci said:

do spring compressors damage the paint finish on springs when compressing them  ?(cheaper ones may be worse for this)

how did they compress them in factory? (if they used that method)

my feb 05 fusion diesel suffered offside front spring failure...corrosion to blame..(when parked)(70.000  miles)

bought at 60.000  miles.don't know if broken before

next time am going to cover the spring with some sort of a plastic tube filled with waxoyl(seal the bottom of the tube +top)

just doing rear springs,will try it on them..( not broken,just changing) (don't have to compress them,can fit without compressing). (rear springs have never gone on mine)since I bought it at 60.000  (140.000.  now)

even heat shrink may do it..if can get big enough dia, and long enough. (will put something stronger on lower part)

used 3/4 inch dia. heat shrink with adhesive lining inside.(pointool 10 feet length.3:1  shrink ratio.)these springs are longer than you think,one length only did one spring  ,had to put a lot of grease in it to slide it on..bent the heat shrink over to seal the ends

(bent heat shrink over then used some smaller heat shrink to seal it) bottom rests on anti squeal pad ,bent the heatshrink up away from the rubber.(rubber pad at top as well) (ps  1 inch heat shrink would have been better.obviously used a heat gun to shrink it.time will tell if it works (10 years) car will be long gone by then)  

sealed the ends by bending heat shrink over

front springs will need a lot of thinking about ...if I ever have to fit any more.