307cc Rear coil springs

[MixerFistit]

Help! Does anyone have any experience with the rear coil springs of a 307CC 2.0 hdi (sport)

I appreciate the parts service is out of action but maybe someone can confirm my trouble.

Was refreshing the back half of the car so changed bushings, awaiting shocks (lower bushes are getting bad) and top mounts and wanted to swap springs too. That's where the trouble started, the springs that came from the local factors looked a little different (larger arc pigtails and a bit taller with one extra full turn). Factors have double checked and reordered and the same ones arrived in store. I've also read on a different forum that CC has different coils to. Other variants due to wait and that the sport one has different springs again but there were no follow up posts to resolve it.

The factors is wondering if the vehicle has had a different set of springs at some point and that these new ones are the original type (even an axle could be changed etc) but thought I'd ask on here as surely someone has gone through this at some point. When I did a search online for parts a breakers listed a pair of used springs that look much more like my springs than the factors' ones
(and the factors is usually pretty good to be fair, they used the dealers catalogue to check too).

Oh and did try to fit the other springs and they are very noisy and clearly moving about, I don't know if it's because they are wrong or because the rubber end from the other spring doesn't fit right and maybe I just need to get a new rubber end..

[PaulC5]

If the original springs have coloured paint bands on them they may be from when the car was new. These indicate the correct part in the parts diagrams. You might need to get new ones from a dealer rather than buying copy parts.

[MixerFistit]

Yes, they had the yellow spots in a straight line down the coils iirc, I did wonder why they were there..

I wonder if there's a part number or anything on them, I never looked at the time, just remember the yellow

[Rp0thejester]

Yellow spots in a straight line suggests to me they are replacements with the spots used to line up the replacement. If it had bands then I would say they were original.

[PaulC5]

If the yellow spots were on more than one coil they may also have been put on by a scrap yard since the coloured bands are normally on just one coil with possibly 3 bands next to each other. Unlikely there will be any part numbers on them but no harm in looking.

[Rp0thejester]

I've used online automotive before to find parts, they are pretty good, they emailed me when I ordered the wrong springs for my car. They were C8 springs but for a corvette not a Citroen all they had was my reg so fair play to them for contacting me rather than sending the wrong parts. How is your C8 doing??

[xantia_v6]

The servicebox lists pre facelift springs as 5102W0 (violet blue yellow) and facelift springs as 5102V7 (yellow white yellow).

There doesn't seem to be a sports option for the springs.

[MixerFistit]

Thank you all for your input so far,

Xantia_v6, that V7 part looks like the one I already had so that's promising. Coil size and number seem to be a match anyway and conversely the W0 looks more like the ones from the factors although it's hard to be certain

[MixerFistit]

How is your C8 doing??

The C8 was moved on, I do miss it but heavy on fuel and could never get the injectors out to swap them unfortunately (even tried with the engine running and clamps partially released, never budged) so didn't force it any further haha

[MixerFistit]

The servicebox lists pre facelift springs as 5102W0 (violet blue yellow) and facelift springs as 5102V7 (yellow white yellow).

There doesn't seem to be a sports option for the springs.

Plot thickens (or thins), I tried your v7 part number and that matched to the apec part I'd already been provided and when he checked the w0 that actually has less 1 less coil turn so mine must either be lowering springs or taken from a pre-facelift.

I went to another factors who are known for pulling rabbits out of the parts hat and he compared the apec number and the V7 and also said they would be the same as they provided.

So... That leaves me with trying to source new top hat/twist on rubber caps or whatever they are called for the new springs I have in my boot, I don't suppose you're able to find a part number for them? All the factors I tried suggest only dealers or online will provide them and online would be a shot a potential shot in the dark without knowing the number.

To think, this started out as a simple job...

Edit
Just had a thought, would the bottom rubbers be different too?

[PaulC5]

It is possible the copy parts might not look exactly as originals so comparing numbers of turns may be misleading. Have you tried at a Peugeot dealer, whilst they will likely cost more they ought to be right. The other option is to put the old springs back if they are still in good order bearing in mind very few people replace springs unless they break.

[Rp0thejester]

How is your C8 doing??

The C8 was moved on, I do miss it but heavy on fuel and could never get the injectors out to swap them unfortunately (even tried with the engine running and clamps partially released, never budged) so didn't force it any further haha

I hope by moved on you mean scrapped it. There's only 676 left in the UK and I will be last around once I get their addresses...

[MixerFistit]

I hope by moved on you mean scrapped it. There's only 676 left in the UK and I will be last around once I get their addresses...

Lol, Yes it was stripped of some bits and scrapped. The Airbag module had no comms and I had (hypothetically of course) run the Airbag light in parallel with the abs light for mot while I considered repairing it. If I'd sold it cheap and declared such a hypothetical mod, I felt there was a very reasonable chance the new owner would ignore/forget so it was binned for peace of mind. Having a family of 6 wiped out due to a failed Airbag module wasn't something I wanted to tempt fate with.
The starter (only a few years old, over powered and over sized ) lives on in the CC - a very snug fit between the flywheel and oil cooler.

[MixerFistit]

It is possible the copy parts might not look exactly as originals so comparing numbers of turns may be misleading. Have you tried at a Peugeot dealer, whilst they will likely cost more they ought to be right. The other option is to put the old springs back if they are still in good order bearing in mind very few people replace springs unless they break.

Yeah, the original (at least the ones that were on) are back in for now and silent. Still sitting low though, can barely get 2, admittedly broad, fingers (unsure if lowered springs or just rubbish) between the tyre and arch and that's with new top mounts, shocks and axle bushes so I don't think there's anything else I could change after them.

I'll hopefully be able to source some rubber tops for the new springs and I'll try them again at some point. I haven't visited a dealer yet as I'm quite allergic but I fear I'm going to have to put up with a few hives and pop in soon.