20 replies to this topic

[chrisandsarah]

Model: Rover Mini City Auto E
Year: 1992
Description of problem (please be as in depth as possible):

Suspension has dropped 1 finger on the drivers side. Baught a £20ish cone compressor off ebay. Tightened her up until the cone started turning. (Nice and slow). Then tightened the nut above compressing the cone, slowly and carefully, making so sudden movements + wore goggles for extra safety + didnt put head above it.

Then when the knuckle was nearly free, the sodding compressor popped back out damaging the thread of the compressor. So had a wee look around the garage and found what I thought was a similar type of rod. However it was a mil or 2 narrower. Plonked it in the hole and - theres brownish liquid in there :S the car is pretty damn uptogether no rust really. Is it serious + how can I fix this situation?

Cheers guys!

[Kam]

Is strange you got some liquid sitting near the tower bolt mounts, I'm thinking it can only be either some copper grease or rad coolant but how rad coolant gets near there I don't know!

Did you get the right compressor tool, there are two threads, imperial for earlier and metric for later. I've heard of cheaper cone compressors popping out like this, there is so much force behind that spring cone I really wouldn't want to be standing near it when it lets go....goggles or not!

When they do let go they can let go quite catastrophically, if your thread on the compressor is goosed then chances are the thread in the cone is a goner aswell, your gonna have to take the top arm out to get the cone spring out anyway so get yourself a decent cone compressor from someone like Minispares for when you compress your new cone

[Ethel]

It should almost certainly be M14 thread. Is it back to square one? Threads can get iffy with age, how many turns did you get before you started compressing the cone? I'd say at least 7 turns of full thread engagement are a minimum.

Sit it back on its wheels, jack up that corner to compress the suspension and try and get more thread engagement, then use some thread lock and leave it to go off overnight before having another go at compressing it - using a jack to assist in compressing the suspension as much as possible. Taking the pin out of the top arm will also help as will removing the rebound stop, if you haven't already.

[chrisandsarah]

I didn't count how many turns, was quite a few though - atleast 7, basically until it was so tight that it was turning the cone itself.

I took the hub off when i did it, so I should put the hub back + wheel back on then jack up the wishboney bit (not very good with names) or the wheel?

The first two or three threads on the cone compressor are near stripped. I tried this morning tighening up the cone compressor, all it does is tightens up a little bit then the cone slips off the tool - sodding car - nothing but grief at the moment

[Cooperman]

Do you think the threads in the cone soring are damaged? If you have any doubt, don't try to compress it, even with a new tower-tool shaft.
If in any doubt you will need to remove the top arm to get the cone spring out and replace it.
Just be very careful, there is one hell of a lot of energy in the spring when it is compressed.
One tip - if you have to remove the top arm it can be easier and safer to shatter the aluminium trumpet first, so long as you have a spare. I once did this by drilling a series of holes in it, then hitting it with a 1" wide chisel and a 'lump' hammer.

[chrisandsarah]

The suspension has only dropped by a finger on the driver side - should you replace the cones in pairs?

[Hemihead]

Mine on the drivers side was down by about 3 fingers and I was told its reccomended to do em in pairs

[chrisandsarah]

Oh balls - how many fingers should you be able to fit in there?

I can fit one on the driver and 1 1/2 on the passenger. This is getting expensive *sigh*

[Hemihead]

Not sure exactly how high it should be,Ive done the drivers side and now its higher than the passenger side so will be doing that one on saturday,I have been told that they will settle though,once youve replaced the one thats low you may have an idea of how worn the other side is,but I think its probably best to do both,with regards to compressors,mine nearly bit me hand off too,Iwonder if we bought em from the same place

[chrisandsarah]

Not sure exactly how high it should be,Ive done the drivers side and now its higher than the passenger side so will be doing that one on saturday,I have been told that they will settle though,once youve replaced the one thats low you may have an idea of how worn the other side is,but I think its probably best to do both,with regards to compressors,mine nearly bit me hand off too,Iwonder if we bought em from the same place

http://rover.ebay.co...l...BSA:GB:1123

here's the bit of kit

[Ethel]

Yes it's best to replace cones in pairs, the improvement in ride & handling will make it seem like money well spent though

If you've just pulled 3 threads it suggests the tool wasn't fully engaged (or there were only 3 serviceable turns of thread on the cone). You need load on the suspension to keep the cone from spinning*, so have all the weight of that corner going through the suspension top arm (via the wheel or jack) while you insert the tool. * you can also try chocking the cone against the subframe

It's also possible for the trumpets to fill up with water which can corrode the threads in the cone. If the tool hasn't got a vee cut in the end, for thread cleaning, you could file one in to it, or a length of threaded bar. The best way to count thread engagement is screw the thread in as far as possible and count the turns until it releases

The tool doesn't look too bad, it depends on the grade of steel, I'd guess the thread has been cut rather than rolled, it would be better to if a good grade of commercial studding was screwed into the end instead. A Tee bar and deep socket would be the best thing to use for doing the compressing.

[Hemihead]

No mines a bit different to that

[chrisandsarah]

Yes it's best to replace cones in pairs, the improvement in ride & handling will make it seem like money well spent though

If you've just pulled 3 threads it suggests the tool wasn't fully engaged (or there were only 3 serviceable turns of thread on the cone). You need load on the suspension to keep the cone from spinning*, so have all the weight of that corner going through the suspension top arm (via the wheel or jack) while you insert the tool. * you can also try chocking the cone against the subframe

It's also possible for the trumpets to fill up with water which can corrode the threads in the cone. If the tool hasn't got a vee cut in the end, for thread cleaning, you could file one in to it, or a length of threaded bar. The best way to count thread engagement is screw the thread in as far as possible and count the turns until it releases

The tool doesn't look too bad, it depends on the grade of steel, I'd guess the thread has been cut rather than rolled, it would be better to if a good grade of commercial studding was screwed into the end instead. A Tee bar and deep socket would be the best thing to use for doing the compressing.

Not pulled 3 threads - stripped all of them - the whole tool's thread is gone. Ive taken the tool, cut off the stripped end, welded a m14 bolt in it's place. Should do the job. Going to buy a set of cones + trumpets - replace the whole lot, then it's done.

[Hemihead]

Do you think youll be able to use the compressor again?if not you might just have to break the trumpet as someone said ear;ier but then youl still need a compresser to put em back in

[chrisandsarah]

Do you think youll be able to use the compressor again?if not you might just have to break the trumpet as someone said ear;ier but then youl still need a compresser to put em back in

Im thinking of smashing the trumpets, calling all the current parts write offs and replace the whole lot.