6 replies to this topic

[Black Pearl]

Hi i have a 93 spi cooper..with a set of kyb super gas dampers..

Recently we went on a little drive to rome via switzerland and on the way through france we started to get a knocking on the rear,,this became louder and louder ,,the mini was full to the brim with two fat men and a whole load of camping gear...

When we reached our campsite and after a few beers we decided to inspect the problem and found the rear dampers lower bushes to be the problem.

And decided to soldiered on over the mountains and on to rome then back home.. where we would fix it..

Now back home 4000 miles later and new dampers in hand I started to strip the rear apart.

But I found the bush to be fine but the centre sleeve through the bush to be the problem..

So tried the new damper and found that too was loose on the lower mount..

A kind neighbour recommended electrical tape.....he was drunk...(2 beer terry)

Does anyone know of a better solution to the problem... a permanent one to fix the lower mount..

I thought of removing the bush and replacing it with one without the centre sleeve and compressing it with a couple of washers...

But it then means i have to do thus to every set of dampers fitted..

Can i replace the lower mount?...or is it part of the whole arm??

Any suggestion welcome...  IMG_0513.JPG   37.43K   19 downloads

Edited by Black Pearl, 23 May 2012 - 09:41 PM.

[coopdog]

mine knock too i thought it was the rubber bits that go into the arch :/
hope its not a new damper job

[Tupers]

You can replace the stub axle/damper mounting pin on the radius arm but it would probably be quicker to just replace your arm for one without a knackered pin.

I notice you're running Hi Los, are you sure you've not got the car running to low causing the shocks to bottom out or causing the arms to hit the body. Both of these could result in knackered damper bushes as well as other more serious issues.

[Black Pearl]

Thank you for the quick responses


( tuners) I currently have her riding quite high.. we set her up this way for the trip and because of the new wheels..

i found the new stub axle on Minisport for £12.05 each... But how hard is it to replace.. I'm guessing they are pressed in..

or is it better to go with what you said and replace the whole arm.. for £60 each..

Edited by Black Pearl, 24 May 2012 - 02:36 PM.

[jaydee]

You should have called while you were in rome, its where i'm about now!!
Do as per Tupers' advice, just replacing stub axles yourself you could end up damaging them..

[Ethel]

Check the condition of the pin (including diameter), don't see why the bush would be loose,if it's the right one. You could one made to size cheaper than a new arm, surely.

[tiger99]

Ethel, I suspect you are correct, it must be the wrong sleeve in the bush. As you all know, the damper attachment is the machined inner end of the stub axle, and it is the same diameter as the thread on the end, which takes a standard UNF nut, so it is difficult to see how it could be the wrong diameter. The sleeve would normally have a few thou clearance on the pin, it does not rattle because the correctly torqued up nut clamps the whole assembly together and the load is taken by friction between the ends of the sleeve and the washers.

http://www.somerford...page=page&id=54

Item 57 is the sleeve in question. Iterm 59 is a standard grade 8 nut, which if I recall correctly is 3/8" UNF, so the pin is 3/8" diameter.

The several suppliers of polyurethane suspension bushes may be able to supply lower bushes with the correct sleeve, if you can't find them elsewhere.

It is just possible that the supplier of the sleeve has, highly improperly, supplied a metric component. 3/8" is 9.525mm, if they have supplied 10mm it is just plain wrong.

The error can't be the other way, because a 10mm pin would never go into a 3/8" sleeve.

Edited by tiger99, 24 May 2012 - 09:57 PM.