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Topic: Boot Springs.... (Read 660 times) |
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Dave
Senior Member
Tourmallard 24v (ex-owner)
 
Posts: 1984
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Boot Springs....
« on: Feb 15th, 2005, 5:29pm » |
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Hullo all. I'm trying to get my boot springs off. Argh!
We've tried with several men to get them off.. Ben managed to pull one hard enough to pull it away a bit but it wasn't enough to re-set it in the next hole up. So one idea is this:
http://www.trueshopping.co.uk/product.php?pid=1074&cid=12&rfid=5 &pn=Draper+Coil+Spring+Compressor
Buy two or even three of those, then reverse the claws to make it a decompressor instead of a compressor.. and do that.
Question: Good idea or bad idea? Would it work?
And: i'd then be stuck with £45 worth of tool that I would never use again... would anyone buy them off me?
D
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Dave
Senior Member
Tourmallard 24v (ex-owner)
Posts: 1984
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Re: Boot Springs....
« Reply #1 on: Feb 15th, 2005, 6:00pm » |
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 I have a better idea. It costs nothing.... wait.... give me a day.... I may have a solution to all our spring problems.
D
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Dave
Senior Member
Tourmallard 24v (ex-owner)
Posts: 1984
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Re: Boot Springs....
« Reply #2 on: Feb 15th, 2005, 6:18pm » |
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No it didn't work.
Oh 
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mr._floppy
Junior Member
Posts: 100
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Re: Boot Springs....
« Reply #3 on: Feb 15th, 2005, 6:46pm » |
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Rather than try to remove the spring from it's anchor point, It's quite easy to compress the two springs with a piece of stout fence wire and mole grips.
My boot lid now works fine.
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Dave
Senior Member
Tourmallard 24v (ex-owner)
Posts: 1984
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Re: Boot Springs....
« Reply #4 on: Feb 15th, 2005, 6:53pm » |
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Oui, I did think of that.. it's a nice simple fix. I just wanna do it properly.. but we'll see. I'll probably end up doing that! Ta flop.
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johnv
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well i never, this is my chance to repay those that have given me advice.
Its dead simple.
Buy a Estate
But if you really do want to stick with your car, this is what my Ford Main Dealer did.
My boot lid would not go up strong enought, so I asked them to play around by putting it into different holes.
This is how they did it.
All they did was attach some strong cord, (that will not snap) around one end and pull. If you wear a strong glove to protect your hand so much the better.
If you have got two men so much the better, one to pull the cord and the other to guild the end into the hole you want, but you can do it with one man as indeed Ford did.
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johnv
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by the way it works the other way around to what you think. like mine is on the second hole back from the front. if you move the spring to lenghten it; it soften the strenght but if you move the spring to shorten it, it hardens the pull.
If i park on a hill rear downwards the boot comes down half way but on the level it stays up.
We tried a new stut and it does nothing. its the springs that is the issue.
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Dave
Senior Member
Tourmallard 24v (ex-owner)
Posts: 1984
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Re: Boot Springs....
« Reply #7 on: Feb 15th, 2005, 9:56pm » |
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Right..so... oh dear! So mine are both the closest settings, that is, nearest to the middle of the car... so I wonder how I can make the lift stronger. Perhaps take one spring off altogether? Or take them both off and stretch then until they lose part of their elasticity? What a ridiculous problem.
D
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Dazzer0016
Full Member
1997 Silver Saloon Bradford W Yorks
 
Posts: 186
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Re: Boot Springs....
« Reply #8 on: Feb 15th, 2005, 11:07pm » |
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I had the same problem after fitting a boot spoiler, i had to buy a bike chain steel wire and threaded it through some of the middle spring loops then i fastened it tight it works well but looks a bit of a mess, was going to remove it in the summer then tie with stong cable around a post or another car etc then around the spring end then push the car forward pulling back on the spring rather than pulling on the spring end by hand.
what do you think?
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Scorpio owner for five years until now
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johnv
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like i said mine are on the position one down from the front. they tried all positions and found that one was the best.
but i think there is a design fault here. no matter which position, the lid is very wishey washey.
i mean if you park on a hill the boot lid comes down half way.
and its just so weak. waves up and down on a windy day.
See on the estate, you have two big struts that hold the tailgate up real good, so on the car there is only that one little bit of a strut.
I just wonder if another of these struts could be fitted to the other side, and if so would it make it any better.
I watched people in supermarket car parks open their boots on other makes of car. the boot lid fair flys up and stays there.
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johnv
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Hey Mr-floppy so which hole have you got you springs on, because you say yours work fine now.
My car only done 60,000 miles so the springs should be like new.
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low_tom
Full Member
mam the car goes up and down!
Posts: 167
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Re: Boot Springs....
« Reply #11 on: Feb 16th, 2005, 9:41am » |
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electronic linear actuator fitted in place of the damper rod and wired in to the boot release solenoid. 'bip' on the rcl,boot magically opens. only prob is if you don't need it to,or how to shut it..i'll get back in my cave now
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Paul_Boulden
Full Member
Bald Eagle
Posts: 134
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Re: Boot Springs....
« Reply #12 on: Feb 16th, 2005, 3:09pm » |
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My boot lid has never " risen to the task" so I thought I`d have a play. I used some long cable ties, 3 each side. On each side I removed the cover & pushed the foam insert back. Then I threaded the cable tie through the seventh coil and out through the front of the spring, pulled it tight, cut off the end and tucked the "lock" inside the spring, did this 3 times ( one will break ), replaced insert and cover and it now works fine, I wish I`d had black cable ties as then it would be almost invisible.
HTH
Paul
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Dave
Senior Member
Tourmallard 24v (ex-owner)
Posts: 1984
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Re: Boot Springs....
« Reply #13 on: Feb 16th, 2005, 4:55pm » |
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Argh! A few hours ago Ben did the exact same thing! We thought we'd pioneered it but alas! Well great minds think alike I suppose. My boot is now spot on. Here's a pic to clarify for people.
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Neil W
Full Member
Posts: 148
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Re: Boot Springs....
« Reply #14 on: Feb 16th, 2005, 5:05pm » |
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I did this job on my saloon a while back and all is well. Previously boot lid came halfway down in a breeze and, of course, that was while I was looking for something in the boot, and when I straightened up..... Still got the scalp wound scar to prove it  .
First take one strong lad (my nephew is built like a brick outdoor convenience), open boot lid, attach a strong cord to the hook on the outer end of the spring with a wooden handle on the end of the string (for grip purposes). Then attach a mole wrench or similar to the same hook end - to do this I sat in the boot - and use this to guide the hook out of its hole and back in at the new position.
Then get aforesaid BOC to pull on cord - this cannot be a straight pull as the springs are behind the rear part of the bodywork, but it doesn't matter - and lo! the spring will come out and go back in where desired. Mine was in a central hole position on the adjuster frame and I moved it back 2 holes, leaving it one from the outer end.
Finally, remove cord and do the other side. Remove cord again and pay BOC whatever was agreed .
Test boot lid; mine now opens pretty smartish and I have to stand back to avoid being chinned  .
Car is mid 1998 vintage with 90K on clock.
HTH.
Neil.
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1998 Scorpio Ultima Cosworth facelift saloon, reg S896VOG. Sold Feb 2010. Now own Mercedes-Benz E320 CDi.
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Dave
Senior Member
Tourmallard 24v (ex-owner)
Posts: 1984
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Re: Boot Springs....
« Reply #15 on: Feb 16th, 2005, 5:44pm » |
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Horah, check the new profile picture!
< < <
Neil, that must be the best way to do it properly.. but sadly i'm a skinny rake and just didn't have the devices! So our bodge has done the trick for now.
99% of things on the motor function properly now. The only thing wrong... heated seat switches don't light up. Tshhh..
D
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mr._floppy
Junior Member
Posts: 100
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Re: Boot Springs....
« Reply #16 on: Feb 16th, 2005, 5:59pm » |
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Johnv,
Both my springs are in the middle hole. In fact, the boot lid was so delically balanced that when I removed the inner boot lid trim and pull -down handle to work on the lock mechanism , the difference in weight made the boot lid work perfectly every time. So, we are only talking about a few ounces difference between it working well, and not at all!
P.S. What a great idea using using these plastic ties to compress the spring.
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Just Call Me Captain
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Like the pic Dave
OPENSEZAME
I had the same prob on my original SCORPIO
The springs were reset using a couple of clamps and mole grips - and it came open like an uppercut - also using talc on the rubber avoided humidity vacuum stick
Glad its now ok
Captain
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Dave
Senior Member
Tourmallard 24v (ex-owner)
Posts: 1984
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Re: Boot Springs....
« Reply #18 on: Feb 17th, 2005, 2:16pm » |
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Yes! Thanks to your earlier talcum powder suggestion we did that too and it does help. Like Flop says, the slightest difference in ounces decides whether or not the boot works, it really is an exact art. Well, trial and error I suppose.
Ahh. I'm so happy. The boot works. !
Captain, get getting the new Scorpio, it's been too long!
Brother Ben is looking to get one in the next couple of months and we can't wait to go round sorting out all the little problems we've encountered with mine.
It's just too much fun.
Dave
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