14 replies to this topic

[Dom]

is this a major prob?

my car is considerably lower at the front than the back, is it the front suspension ball joints gone or another problem?

it was level front and back before.

[Jordie]

Could be many things, get ur head under the arches and make sure everythings in order, espically the supsension and where they bolt on.

Could be u've just hit the front end hard or something and its got caught or stiffened.

[dklawson]

Compare the ride height figures for your car to those presented in the Haynes manual to determine if you really have a problem. Old rubber cones settle and shrink. There isn't a lot more to the front suspension that will cause the front suspension to lower. The nylon cups where the knuckle joints go in the top arm can wear out but that will account for only a small portion of what you'll notice with old cones. Consider replacing the old cones and fitting a set of Hi-Los so you can put the ride height where you want.

[Nipplegreaser]

Do NOT fit adjustable length struts to correct collapsed springs though ! :gasp:

Oh yeah and it shouldn't be level front and back. The rear should be higher than the front

[Dom]

:erm: ill get a pic of it when i can.

[philster]

most common are the knuckle joints, if these are the culprit it usually lowers the car by up to 1.5 inches. They are not that hard to change although you would need a cone compressor and a big socket to undo the turret bolts.

[miniman5]

well i think some thing has gone rong here! i duno what but some thing has Its great being imature!! :grin:

[Nipplegreaser]

The 'knuckle joints' as termed are never the cause of lowering at the front ! Their failure can only contribute about 0.5" in height when completely worn through and by then the top arm is completely shot anyway ! The rubber cones have 3 specifications: pre 1974, 1974 on and 1995 on and the mini has gained 150kg in weight since 1959 so they must sag prematurely. The rubber springs are pence relatively speaking and although special tools and some level of expertise is needed to replace them it IS the root cause of lowered front ride height !

[bluebottle]

well thats funny, in the last 20yrs of ownining mini's , i've had countless knuckles wear through the nylon cup, and even wear half the ball away, and it usually accounts for at least an inch drop in ride height.
and conversly, i've never had to change a cone because the car was low, i've only had to change them because the thread in the centre was gone.

[philster]

well thats funny, in the last 20yrs of ownining mini's , i've had countless knuckles wear through the nylon cup, and even wear half the ball away, and it usually accounts for at least an inch drop in ride height.
and conversly, i've never had to change a cone because the car was low, i've only had to change them because the thread in the centre was gone.

same here

[dklawson]

You didn't notice that awful squeaking and grinding when the nylon cup wore through?

When I put new cones on my car it "rose up" at least 1.5 inches. I can't comment about the amount of effect you get from worn through cups.

[bluebottle]

i put two new cones on the front of my jem last year as the threads were gone on my old ones, i left the hi-los set the same, and boy did it look funny when i lowered it off jacks the first time, it must have been a good 6" higher than before, i left it for a couple of journeys and it settled down at being just about a couple of inches or so higher than before. so i just dropped it down on the hi- lo's and we're back to normal!
i never thought it would settle so much, but i'm glad i left it for a bit before dropping the hi-los.

[Dom]

can it get dangerous if i dont get it fixed asap?

havent heard any noises.

ill get some pics when i can.

[dklawson]

If it is the knuckle ball wearing through the cup it's only "mildly" dangerous. It is highly unlikely the ball will come out of the top arm. However, once you wear through the nylon cup the ball is riding on the top arm casting. This is a bad thing. Top arms cost real money while knuckles and nylon cups are inexpensive.

[cowboy]

this is a picture of how low sunshines car has sagged, i was going to get new cones, but will try the new knuckles first, what do you lot think, oh yes the tie bar bushes have also gone.

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