How to Replace the Springs in a Mercury Villager

The Mercury Villager was manufactured as a joint venture between Mercury and Nissan. The Villager was a larger minivan than others on the market. The Villager's suspension features leaf springs on the rear and coil springs in a MacPherson strut on the front. Replacing the coil springs in a Mercury Villager is not as complicated as with similar minivans.

Instructions

Replacing the Front Springs

1

Block the wheels with jack stands and raise the Villager before removing the strut and spring assembly.

2

Put the strut assembly into a vise and remove the strut nut cover.

3

Loosen the strut nut and place a spring compressor onto the coil spring in order to compress the spring. Exercise caution during this step as the coil spring carries a great deal of pressure which must be released carefully to avoid bodily injury.

4

Replace the strut shaft nut and take the upper mounting bracket off before removing the following: front strut bearing and the bearing seat, coil spring seat and dust boot.

5

Take the coil spring and compressor off the strut. Slowly release the tension on the spring and remove the insulator and take the suspension bumper off the strut before replacing the spring.

6

Reverse the steps to reinstall the new coil spring and strut components. Make sure the spring is seated properly on the spring seat and use a new strut shaft nut. Be sure to tighten the nut to manufacturer's specifications.

7

Lower the Villager and remove the jacks and jack stands. Perform a safety check.

Replacing the Rear Springs

8

Raise the Villager and use jack stands to secure it. Put the jack stands directly on the frame in front of the mounts for the leaf spring.

9

Raise the rear axle until the spring's tension is relieved before removing the following: four leaf spring U-bolt nuts and washers, two U-bolts, upper spring pad, and upper spring seat, leaf spring rear shackle nuts, shackle end plate and the shackle.

10

Take off the rear leaf spring front nut and throw it away before removing the front bolt on the leaf spring.

11

Adjust the height of the Villager to remove the leaf spring.

12

Take note of the inner and outer markings on the mounting plate (see Tips) before installing the the leaf spring front bolt. Place the rear end of the spring below the bushing on the chassis and slip the shackle through the bushing and the rear spring.

13

Raise the rear axle until the alignment bolt slides into the correct hole in the axle pad before reinstalling the following: shackle end plate, shackle nuts, new leaf spring front nut, two U-bolts, upper spring pad, and upper spring seat, U-bolt washers and nuts. Tighten all nuts and bolts according to specifications for the Villager's specific model year.

14

Take the jack off the rear axle and lower the Villager. Remove jack stands. Perform a safety check before driving.