61 replies to this topic

[gonzoavfc]

right after speaking to guy at my local car shop, he told me that maybe the new knuckle joint had gone into the trumpet further than before so i took it all out and put two washers on compressed couldnt get it to fit compressed some more BANG compression tool stapped in half, manage to repair the compression tool, tried again with one washer fitted it drove up my road, it dropped right down but not as much as before , might try and get the other one on at a later date, but i need to drive it mroe first to see if its ok.

here it is with two washers

[Boycie]

*melon* mate you are having some greif!!

Yup, I think the best thing for the time being is to space it up a bit with washers, like you're doing. Don't go too mad of course but 2/3 should be ok?

Like DTX said earlier, you must have a rubber doughnut issue! (or some scamp has cut down the trumpets?)

[ellen.brg]

thanks for al the suggestions
will get looking to as what it is

hope youcan get it sorted gonzoavfc, mine seem to look as its dropped about the same amount as yours from the picture,be interested to hear what it is

[wombat_mini]

right after speaking to guy at my local car shop, he told me that maybe the new knuckle joint had gone into the trumpet further than before

Don't understand that personally!

I fitted that Minispares knuckle joint to my MPI and apart from it being a total PITA to get the old knuckle out, it sits in fine.

Thinking logically, my money's on the trumpet.

Unless your top or bottom suspension shafts have ground away in the subframe and moved, its an issue with the height of the trumpet (with the knuckle joint and rubber cone) being too short.

I'm assuming that where the rubber cone sits in the subframe, this hasn't been deformed / pushed in at all (can't see how it can really)

It's a pain in the arse having to use the compression tool again, but I'd measure the length of the trumpet pretty accurately, or if you're close to a mini shop pop in and compare it / or order one in (they only cost about £12 ish).

As i said in my last post I replaced all the suspension parts on my MPI the other week and it all sits considerably higher than your pics.

[gonzoavfc]

cheers ellen i hope i can too will let you know when i sort it

ive just been out for a drive its still low but the wheel isnt rubbin now, cheers for the advice wombat, im gonna compare the two cones on the front, and see if theres a difference.

[Ethel]

Are the subframe mountings ok? The rear suspension can also effect the front so check that's equal too.

[gonzoavfc]

the thing that gets me is once i have jacked the car up and let it down it looks like this:




but once i drive it a little bit it looks like this:



since i added the washer its alot higher than it was.

[DTXDave]

I've been working on my Mini this weekend replacing the brake limiter valve under the servo, and what I realised is that you can see the cone pretty good in the top of the tower with the water bottle removed.

So could you maybe take two photos of the cone through the engine bay when you first lower the car, and then after driving it? It might show you if the cone is collapsing.

Here's mine:



DTXDave

[gonzoavfc]

i will try that dave but after having a quick look, the big bolt that you have to take out to get to the cone has a gapbetween the rubber and the car and you cant do the bolt up anymore, on the passenger side its a tight fit with no gap, could this be doing it.

[gonzoavfc]

right after taking pics it loks like my cone has something up with it, although it does look slightly out of posistion but i have had the trumpet out loads of times and the other side is fine so i can get it into posistion ok so unless its the cone not letting it sit in place but here are the pics

Jacked up



Just let down



Driven round for about 30 mins

[DTXDave]

That trumpet+cone doesn't look right. I'm not sure if it's your cone that isn't seated right and is therefore angled wrong against the trimpet, or if it's just caving in completely.

I've just nipped out to my Mini and took a closer photo of mine, forgive the slightly out of focus image, but it looks like my trumpet is sat straight on into the cone.

What you want is to be able to draw a virtual line from the top of the subframe tower, through your cone, down through the middle of your trumpet into your knuckle joint. Your's looks like the cone and trumpet angle is offset somehow.

Mine under load:



DTXDave

[gonzoavfc]

ill go compress it and see if i can get it to be more like yours mate

[stormintrooper]

ha, as you know mate im having problems with my rear, mine does the same when jacked up and dropped back down only mine goes down gradualy over space of half an hour

(as im not on the road to take him for a spin yet)

Edited by stormintrooper, 14 June 2009 - 01:06 PM.

[DTXDave]

It might be a good idea to remove the cone and trumpet and inspect the top of the subframe tower for any damage. You'll need a torch and a hand-held mirror to see the top. Look for any damage to the metal lip that the back-end of the cone sits on. Is it bent at all? This could cause the cone to sit at an angle, causing the trumpet to enter the cone at a slightly offset angle.

Also check the rubber seals on your upper suspension arm for wear and check for any sign of movement in the upper suspension arm. Can you wiggle it at all?

DTXDave

[gonzoavfc]

done it dave and it stills the same move it over as much as i could and knocked it over kept checking every turn i made it wont site in the right place it just goes straight in, its gotta be a fault cone, what cones do u have mate because they look very different to mine?