Summary
A crucial component of your car’s suspension is the coil spring. Each wheel has these, and they cushion impacts to make sure your ride is smooth and comfortable.
If one of the coil springs in your car breaks, the lowest corner of the car will be over the damaged spring coil. Because of the unequal pressure on the tires caused by a broken coil spring, the damaged tire will wear down more quickly on one side.
Your car will sag in the place where a coil spring fails or breaks. Additionally, the ride will be less enjoyable as you travel because of the increased bounce.
Uneven tire wear, unusual noises, especially when turning, and a distinct rattling sound are all symptoms of bad or broken coil springs.
If the coil comes loose from the car, it certainly poses a risk to other drivers. The impact of driving over difficult terrain is supposed to be absorbed by coil suspension springs, which also aid in maintaining the proper height for your car.
Now, let’s go deep to explain the four possible symptoms of a broken coil spring, causes and prevention!
Contents
Strange noises
Investigate any strange noises you notice while driving as soon as you can. On uneven surfaces, you’ll hear a clunking or knocking sound if your coil springs are slowly corroding.
Extreme swinging
This frequently occurs when you have unbalanced wheels or uneven tires. Your suspension’s components will collide with one another, changing the angles of travel. This may cause your automobile to bounce excessively, steer unevenly, or wobble more than usual.
Irregular wheel arches
Looking at your car’s corners is another way to determine if the coil springs have deteriorated. Get a tape measure and measure the distance between your wheel arches and the ground if one corner appears to be lower than the rest. If the discrepancy is significant, a coil spring may be damaged.
Increased braking distance
The friction between the tires and the road decreases as your coil springs corrode. This results in longer stopping distances, especially in ice conditions, and poses a serious risk to you, other drivers, and pedestrians.
What causes the spring coil to break?
Coating damage and corrosion
A flexible plastic coating is applied to coil springs to assist in preventing corrosion of the metal. But over time, due to continuous compression and being struck by road stones, this coating may become harmed, allowing rust to develop on the coil.
When this occurs, the coil may become fragile and even shatter. Regularly driving in tough terrain will increase the likelihood of a break.
Blown tires
Uneven wear on your suspension from unbalanced wheels could result in a broken coil. Meanwhile, a flat or blown tire can put a lot of strain on your suspension system and perhaps damage a coil.
Your steering and braking systems may be harmed by a broken coil spring.
Fluid leaks in struts
When a strut, which typically consists of a shock absorber and a spring, leaks hydraulic fluid, it loses its ability to function, which puts greater strain on the neighboring coil and raises the risk of a break.
If your vehicle makes more noise when you drive over dips and bumps, you may have a hydraulic fluid leak. Reduced hydraulic pressure may result in springs making contact with other suspension parts, harming brake lines or even the exhaust system.
How to prevent coil spring corroding
Never overburden your vehicle
Avoiding overloading your vehicle not only helps you use less fuel but also keeps your coil springs from corroding over time and breaking.
Maintaining excellent tire condition
Regular tire maintenance and inspections will prevent your coil springs from experiencing excessive pressure. By doing this, you can keep them in good shape and stop them from cracking.
Your coil springs are put under stress when you drive recklessly on bad roads or into potholes; the more carefully you drive, the longer your coil springs will endure.
Clean the vehicle’s underneath
Regularly clearing out any accumulated grit, dirt, or ice underneath your car during the winter, whether with a hosepipe or a pressure washer, keeps your coil springs in top shape.
It makes a huge difference to understand the factors that lead to coil spring failure and how to stop them from corroding. Our step-by-step instruction explains how to prevent the paint flaw from corroding and turning rusty if you’ve discovered a spot that needs to be touched up.
How Much Does It Cost to Replace a Coil Spring?
Typically, coil springs only cost $55 to $150 per piece. But if you replace all four, the cost quickly rises to between $220 and $600. If you are unable to repair the coil springs yourself, you must hire a mechanic, who will likely charge an additional $350 to $800 for a full replacement.
This cost may be reduced if you only want to replace the front or back pairs of springs. However, you could also need to include other services, such as shock replacement.
Can you drive with a broken coil spring?
No, you shouldn’t drive while your coil spring is broken. It needs to be fixed as soon as you can. Some motorists might choose to continue on a damaged spring coil in order to get to a garage or a house. Driving with a broken coil spring, however, will probably result in a rough ride and make it harder to control the vehicle in an emergency.
If you drive the automobile with a damaged coil suspension spring, it will put additional strain on the nearby shock absorber and could result in significant damage.
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That is all for this article, where we explained the sypmtoms of a bad or broken coil spring, their causes and prevention. I hope it was helpful, if so, kindly share with others. Thanks for reading, see you around!