15 replies to this topic

[DClarke1954]

The car is new to me (3 months) and has not been running for a while (issues).

I have now got it running (new dizzy, carb rebuild) and it now runs (with a few farts, pop's & bangs in the inlet occasionally when I take my foot off the throttle after an uphill climb).

 

While out trying to see if the ignition/fuelling changes have had the desired effect I notice a lot of unwelcome noise on low (crawling speed) turns.

The car has Hi-los, camber adjusters etc. but it almost feels like something is snagging somewhere on hard L-R or R-L turns.

You can feel it through the steering and indeed the floorpan.  Heaven forbid if something should come apart while at speed.

Of course if I put it up on stands then there will be no load on the suspension/steering to resist any turning effort/input and it may not do it at all.

 

Is it common for classics to have such issues when they have been "altered" from factory standard?  Are there any common problems/issues?

 

Thanks in Advance.

 

Dan.

[mab01uk]

What size wheels/tyres are fitted, as some wider rims with increased offset and wider tyres can rub/make contact with the inner wheel arch on full steering lock. Especially 13" wheels which had restrictors fitted to the steering rack to prevent this happening when the 13" wheels were factory fitted on the later MPi Minis.

The problem is also worse on harder cornering when the suspension is more compressed under load reducing any clearance to any wheel arch extensions and/or the front wings leading edge where they have been cut back for more tyre clearance.

If this is the problem there may be rub marks on the inner wheel arches, also put the steering on full lock in both directions and have a look to see how much clearance there is before contact when stationary on each side.

 

On lowered suspension Minis some disc brake calipers can also start touching on the tie bar on full lock if steering rack is not limited....

 

Worn driveshaft CV joints can also make a knocking noise during low speed turns on full steering lock.

 

KAD Mini Steering Rack Limiter Kit:-

https://kentautodeve...ack-limiter-kit

Edited by mab01uk, 16 February 2025 - 03:30 PM.

[DClarke1954]

Thank you for the pointers, I have some things to look at now.

It has had a 10-inch wheel conversion and there are brand-new Yokohama A008 165/10 tyres on it.

I will put it up on stands and have a look at how much clearance there is in the "tight-spot" areas.

[Ethel]

You won't get a proper look on stands as the suspension will be unloaded & the wheels lower.

 

There are plenty of possibilities  but jacking it up & levering stuff should enable you to check most of the rubber bits for excess play - engine mounts & steady bushes, subframe mountings, tie rod & bottom arm bushes, damper mountings.

[DClarke1954]

You won't get a proper look on stands as the suspension will be unloaded & the wheels lower.

 

There are plenty of possibilities  but jacking it up & levering stuff should enable you to check most of the rubber bits for excess play - engine mounts & steady bushes, subframe mountings, tie rod & bottom arm bushes, damper mountings.

I need a friend with a "pit" to put the car over and go lock-to-lock perhaps, that might get to the root of the problem.  Especially if I put the front wheels on castors.

Edited by DClarke1954, 16 February 2025 - 10:15 PM.

[Homersimpson]

I would also check the following:

 

1. Are the steering rack u bolts tight (accessed from inside the car under the front carpet).

2. Is the steering rack under strain, if a steering column lowering bracket has been fitted the rack should have been loosened but some times people don't do this which can cause issues.

3. Are the front subframe rear mountings ok, if these fail or become weak they can cause a lot of movement.

4. Where the front subframe rear mounts bolt to the toe board, is the metal ok as they can crack in this location, especially if solid mounts have been fitted.

5. Is the top engine stabiliser to the bulkhead ok, the bushes can go but also the bulkhead bracket can fail.

[Ethel]

 

You won't get a proper look on stands as the suspension will be unloaded & the wheels lower.

 

There are plenty of possibilities  but jacking it up & levering stuff should enable you to check most of the rubber bits for excess play - engine mounts & steady bushes, subframe mountings, tie rod & bottom arm bushes, damper mountings.

I need a friend with a "pit" to put the car over and go lock-to-lock perhaps, that might get to the root of the problem.  Especially if I put the front wheels on castors.

 

 

If the tyres are fouling they'll very likely be some evidence of it where they rub. 

 

Is there any particular circumstance that causes it, or makes it more pronounced? Braking, accelerating, steering in any particular direction, bumps in the road, reversing?

[DClarke1954]

 

 

You won't get a proper look on stands as the suspension will be unloaded & the wheels lower.

 

There are plenty of possibilities  but jacking it up & levering stuff should enable you to check most of the rubber bits for excess play - engine mounts & steady bushes, subframe mountings, tie rod & bottom arm bushes, damper mountings.

I need a friend with a "pit" to put the car over and go lock-to-lock perhaps, that might get to the root of the problem.  Especially if I put the front wheels on castors.

 

 

If the tyres are fouling they'll very likely be some evidence of it where they rub. 

 

Is there any particular circumstance that causes it, or makes it more pronounced? Braking, accelerating, steering in any particular direction, bumps in the road, reversing?

 

I don't need to do anything extreme to hear/feel this interference.   E.g. just turning left in my street onto my driveway a bit tight can provoke it.

[Chris1275gt]

Has it got cv joints on it which may have gone kaput they clank about at low speeds left or right.

[mini-mad-mark]

You are not having much luck with this mini !!! that you were "lucky" to win in the competition?

 

I've entered the same competition a few times and whilst I've never read the small print I assume it has some kind of disclaimer about the condition of the mini you might win - i.e. it may or may not be completely fault free even though the bumph usually points out all the good things about the cars offered as prizes - and the person offering them may or may not actually be aware of any faults that might be present.

 

Just a thing to think about (but it wouldn't stop me entering occasionally as I have done)

 

Direct answer to this point I agree with others you need to look at wheel arch clearance  - Try it in reverse and if it sounds worse than that is almost certainly the cause (but be careful you don't rip off an arch as the contact might be very heavy in reverse)

[DClarke1954]

You are not having much luck with this mini !!! that you were "lucky" to win in the competition?

 

I've entered the same competition a few times and whilst I've never read the small print I assume it has some kind of disclaimer about the condition of the mini you might win - i.e. it may or may not be completely fault free even though the bumph usually points out all the good things about the cars offered as prizes - and the person offering them may or may not actually be aware of any faults that might be present.

 

Just a thing to think about (but it wouldn't stop me entering occasionally as I have done)

 

Direct answer to this point I agree with others you need to look at wheel arch clearance  - Try it in reverse and if it sounds worse than that is almost certainly the cause (but be careful you don't rip off an arch as the contact might be very heavy in reverse)

 

Oh yes the T's & C's do say that you might win a vehicle that needs work etc. and no warranty or suitability is given. But I look at it as a fantastic win for a mere £12.95 entry ticket.

Yes, there's a few bits wrong, but I am working my way through them one by one. 

Eventually I will get to the one about it marking its territory with oil all over my driveway. 

So, yes it has some problems and issues that were not at first apparent, but it still makes me grin inanely when I drive it. 

[DClarke1954]

I took the car in for an MOT today and not surprisingly it failed at the first hurdle.

As stated above the steering column is either slipping round on the splines of the rack boss, OR the same thing is happening inside the rack itself.

So we were able to show the steering wheel rotating (with noisy banging and clunking) while the wheels remained stationary pointing straight ahead.

 

So that's not good, but readily fixable and not too expensive I think.

[alpder]

First thing to check is whether the column has been put onto the rack properly: loosen (but don't remove) the bolt at the bottom, slacken the column clamp... then try to pull the column upwards. If (with persuasion) it comes away from the rack then it wasn't properly pushed down onto the rack's pinion in the first place and only the very tip was engaged on the pinion's splines.

[DClarke1954]

OK, my apologies as I seem to be mentioning this problem in several areas/threads, which is bad form I know.

 

I did take the car for an MOT today and we bailed on the MOT because we could see that it was possible to get some degree of turning motion of the steering wheel (with all the clicks & bangs) without this being translated to the rest of the steering system or any movement of the road wheels L-R.

 

The pinch-bolt at the bottom of the steering column appears to be as tight as it possibly can be.

 

I am unclear as to whether the part of the column that the pinch bolt "closes" is internally splined to match the external splines on the boss that protrudes through the floor panel from the steering rack, or is just a smooth collar that is tightened over those splines.  I cannot see a clear picture of the column end anywhere to tell me one way or the other.  But yes, I can grovel on the floor in the rain and try removing the column to find out for myself in due course.

It was my impression that the pinch bolt sat in a groove cut into the racks splined input shaft and the collar that the pinch bolt is closing should therefore be closing on splined areas above and below this groove, is this the case?

 

Thanks in advance.

[stuart bowes]

it is internally splined to fit onto the externally splined rack input shaft

 

the pinch bolt goes through a notch in the rack input shaft therefore really is mostly to lock that in place securely and stop the steering column being pulled off, I'm not sure it's tightness really does much to increase friction at that join but it may help to firmly hold the splines together and prevent skipping / wear

 

however as alpder pointed out if you don't push the column on fully, it is possible to put the bolt in such that it doesn't go through that notch and therefore is actually doing almost nothing at all, you'll wear the splines at that point and get symptoms like you describe (or at least that's one definite possibility)

 

I have read of examples where the splines themselves have worn and regardless of correct bolt fitment it was bad enough that they had to look for a replacement steering column

Edited by stuart bowes, 26 February 2025 - 04:07 PM.