26 replies to this topic

[Brawlyrox]

OK its not parked on an angle or anything but my car sits really low, only on the driver side front... I havent got HiLos so it cant be those not setup properly, does anybody have any ideas what I should be looking for, or what I have to replace?

Cheers Nick

[Guess-Works.com]

Basically, it will be in connection with the upper suspension arm and the cone..

Overtime the resistance of the cone to compression deteriorates, and hence the car, over time, lowers. Your symptom coul suggest one sire 'more tired' that the other. The next point to looc at is the nuckle joint at the bottom of the strut between the code and the upper suspension arm. This normally sits in a nylon/plastic cup and over time dries out and wears the cup away, eventually going through the cup and resting on the metal of the suspension arm, and eventually wearing that too.. If this happens the total loss of height could be upwards of an inch..

The only way to find out is to strip the upper suspension arm out of the subframe. and when you've done that you may aswell replace the knuckle anyway. If the cones are tired, then you will want to replace both sides at the same time, but genuine ones are not cheap, but infinitely better than the cheap copies.

[Guess-Works.com]

ooh... Also check the bearing wear in the upper arms pinion, if that has worn to the extent that it's into the casting, then your looking at a replacement arm.. remove the spindle, and look for wear marks either end ( will look like ribs, or even a reduction in diameter )

[Brawlyrox]

Cheers for the help Guessworks, am i looking at a job for a few hours? or a weekend day of it?

[Guess-Works.com]

Yep, a good couple of hours on a good day, you'll also require the services of cone compressor, ball joint splitter and patience.

[dklawson]

If you're lucky it's just a tired cone. However, while you're in there you should consider replacing the knuckle joint and nylon cup. It would be false economy not to. I'd be very surprised if anything is wrong with the top arm.

You may want to thoroughly clean everything under the wheel wells now. After the car has dried out for a day or two, apply some penetrating oil to all the fasteners and give that a day or two more to soak in.

[Pavel]

Very common for the knuckles to fail and do this. If you get a cone compressor I'd replace the knuckles on both sides just so you have peace of mind...

[miniman5]

SNAP!!!!!!!!!!! my mini does exactly the same i though it could be a damper shot but obviously not! :sad:

[Pavel]

One more time:

Dampers do not affect ride height. AT ALL. Want proof? Take off your dampers on the front and see if anything changed :tongue:

[Dan]

I believe the most common cause of this is a shot knuckle joint cup, that's what's always caused it for me at least. The more drastic damage is less common, but the shot knuckle will eventually lead to other damage in the suspension if you don't sort it soon. Rubber springs don't collapse by very much unless they are really knackered, most of their collapsing is done as they settle in during the first few months after fitting. I think if it was a spring you would notice the deterioration in ride and handling before you'd notice the sagging suspension.

[Brawlyrox]

trouble is i dont use it atm... If i kill a few birds with one stone and fit hilos while im at it would it be worth it? obviously i ask this as HiLos could make the problem seem to go away, but it will still be there if u get what i mean? Will the hilos come with the knuckles and the Nylon cups i need?

Cheers for all your help

Nick

[dklawson]

Dan, when I fit new cones to my car I was replacing antiques. When they are really old, the cones are as much as 40-50mm shorter in free-height compared to new cones.

I fit generic Hi-Los to my car after I put the new cones on with the old trumpets. The car, which had looked low and aggressive, suddenly was sitting tall and looking silly. I knew the car would settle in time but I didn't want to wait and like the idea of adjusting the height. Would it be worth it for you? That's a personal decision only you can make, but I like them. To the best of my knowledge, none of the Hi-Los come with new knuckles and cups. However, these parts will be very inexpensive compared to the Hi-Los.

[mikejl29]

I had the same thing happen two weeks ago. It required a new knuckle joint and I had hi-lo's fitted at the same time, not sure if they were necessary or not.

[Guess-Works.com]

It's more the case, while everythings out, may aswell do... If you plan is to fit hilo's at some stage, if you have the pennies available, put them in while the front suspensions apart..

[Brawlyrox]

Cheers all, deffo have been of some help :grin: