Year: 1990
Description of problem (please be as in depth as possible):
Yet another problem.
The Mini has pulled to the right under braking for about a month. Everything - suspension/steering wise - seemed okay, so I just put it down to the tracking being out which I intended to get done anyway.
In the past week, however, it's started violently pulling to the right all the time.
If I let go of the wheel on a straight road, it will drift a little to the right and then suddenly turn a lot - to the extent that it will direct itself if I want to turn right onto a side road.
I've measured the distance between the front and back wheels on both sides, and it's the same (I'm on my own so couldn't get a completely accurate reading, but it was as close to the same as makes no difference).
I checked the tyre pressures and although the fronts were low, both were the same. (I got them pumped back up to 28psi.)
I switched the front tyres over, and it still pulled to the right.
Both wheel bearings seem fine: there's no noise or movement in either, and the offside was replaced about three months ago.
The front tie bars are straight.
The driver's side track rod end rubber dust cover is cracked, which I hadn't noticed before (so it's probably only cracked in the last month), but I can't see that causing this.
As far as I can tell, neither of the brakes are catching (both wheels seemed to spin at the same speed when I had it in the air, although it was nothing like scientific).
It feels incredibly twitchy on a straight road, and will understeer a little at first if I try to turn left gradually.
So what on earth is causing it?
As an aside, I've also discovered today that the nearside wheel scrapes on the back of the wing (i.e. the outside of the passenger footwell) at full left lock. Again, why's it doing that? It's another thing that's developed in the past two weeks or so.
In those past two weeks, I lowered the front suspension. In the process of getting it right, I had some instances where the tyres scraped on the arches. Has my messing with the suspension caused one/both of these issues? I've now put the front suspension very high, and both issues remain.
Thanks for the help.
Any non-standard parts that might be involved with the problem?
5.5" wheels; Minisport's "Adjustaride" front suspension cones.
Edited by Mr. Bridger, 29 November 2010 - 12:17 PM.
