Lubricating leaf springs

[harryhedgehog]

Hi, can anyone advise on the best method of lubricating series leaf springs?

[Devon-Rover]

  this might be of some help.

[Bowie]

Yeah.... don't ;)

[Devon-Rover]

Might i enquire as to why not?

 :?

[AbyssDJ]

soak em in engine oil, wrap em in a rag :)

[Bowie]

If you oil thesprings, you lose a lot of the natural damping effect of the leaves rubbing together -this is designed in, and the damper rates were designed alongside this effect.

If you oil the springs, you remove this damping effect, making your dampers work harder, and there wear out faster.

With oil on the springs, you will most likely attract more dirt and grit which will get lodged between the leaves, which will slowly abrade the springs away -they may not rust, but now friction is your enemy.

Oiling them will make a softer ride, but on the set I recently put on my SIII lightweight I have left them dry, for exactly these reasons.

It's up to you, long life, or *slightly* firmer suspension.

HTH,

Bowie.

[Terranosaurus]

If you oil thesprings, you lose a lot of the natural damping effect of the leaves rubbing together -this is designed in, and the damper rates were designed alongside this effect.

If you oil the springs, you remove this damping effect, making your dampers work harder, and there wear out faster.

With oil on the springs, you will most likely attract more dirt and grit which will get lodged between the leaves, which will slowly abrade the springs away -they may not rust, but now friction is your enemy.

Oiling them will make a softer ride, but on the set I recently put on my SIII lightweight I have left them dry, for exactly these reasons.

It's up to you, long life, or *slightly* firmer suspension.

HTH,

Bowie.

Never had a landy but have had plenty of leaf sprung vehicles over the years and worked on even more. Manufacturers usually spec that leaves should be lubed so someone should check a proper landrover manual to see wether they should be done or not. However you should only oil leaf springs that do not have the small plastic pads on the tips of the leaves, this type use the plastic as a slider so don't need oiling, not having owned a landy I don't know what type they have.

[hobbit]

The old method we used to use was 50/50 petrol diesel mix and paint it into the springs

[khaki lover]

As Rowan said
painted em in old engine oil... helped no end with flexion.

I read somewhere about putting ???paper??? between the springs????   not sure about this might be making it up. Think it was on S2C forum once.

[Thrasher]

Graphite - in any form you can find that will apply. ISTR you can get it in a sprayable form?

[Devon-Rover]

Fair enough.

I like having a smoother ride and the added Articulation given.

Each to ones own.

 8)

[screwy]

I have trawked through the Series 2 and 2A, and Series 3 Repair and Ops manuals, Haynes Repair, Haynes Restoration, MoD Series 3 Repair manual, MoD Operation and Service manuals and NONE of them say you shoudl lube the springs in any way shape or form.

However, it is common practice to do so and is really a matter of taste / opinion wether you do. Personally for the record, when I first got Rose, I lubed them with 50:50 mix of fresh engine oil and petrol, the petrol acting as a pentrating fluid wich subsequently vapourises. I would not use old engine oil as it contains contaminates and acids from it previous job of cleaning the engine. Since then they have been covered when I waxoyled the underside which should lube and keep crap out.

In regards to the wear argument, personally I can see the validity but then again two cast steel springs rubbing against each other anyway are likey to have as much friction hence wear than two lightly lubed with grit stuck in them... :?:

I can also agree with the opinion regarding the natural damping effect from dry springs, again it really comes down to individual choice in the end.

 :?