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Car Forum / MINI / October 20031998 Cooper ground clearance
Based mainly on seeming to scrape more speed bumps than I used to, I think my 1998 Cooper (Sports Pack, 13" wheels)is riding low at the front. I've taken it to two Rover dealers, both in small towns. The first one looked at it like they'd never seen a Mini before. The second one kept it for a week, at first said it needed a knuckle joint on one side, then said it didn't. I can't find a similar car locally to compare it with, but I've just measured it, and the sump to ground clearance is 11cm. Does anyone know if that is ok? Or have a similar car they can measure the ground clearance on? Second question - is it possible to check for wear in the knuckle joints without a lot of dismantling? Roger. > Based mainly on seeming to scrape more speed bumps than I used to, I > think my 1998 Cooper (Sports Pack, 13" wheels)is riding low at the [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Roger. To check for knuckle joint wear you should take it apart. It's actually pretty simple, but you need a cone compressor tool. Jack up the car, take the wheel off, compress the cone and pull out the knucke joint. If it's very badly worn you can probably tell just by taking the wheel off and removing the rubber dirt guard over the knuckle joint Dantiri If you are going to replace check/replace the knuckle joints while you have the rubber spring compressed replace the alloy cones with a set of adjustable suspension cones. They are about ?45 a pair and come with new knuckle joints. A spring compressor will cost about ?30. You can then adjust your suspension to whatever ride height you wish. Peter > > Based mainly on seeming to scrape more speed bumps than I used to, I > > think my 1998 Cooper (Sports Pack, 13" wheels)is riding low at the [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > Dantiri > If you are going to replace check/replace the knuckle joints while you have > the rubber spring compressed replace the alloy cones with a set of > adjustable suspension cones. They are about ?45 a pair and come with new > knuckle joints. A spring compressor will cost about ?30. > > You can then adjust your suspension to whatever ride height you wish. HI-Los arn't really a substitiute for worn components. Altering ride heights leads onto other suspension issues: Tracking, camber and castor and cornerweights for example. TTFN, Dave http://www.icklemini.co.uk the rubber donuts in the later model cars are much softer and more prone to compresing than ealry ones. My 2000 model settled after about 15thousand KM's, but only on the drivers side, becuase its usualy a 1 person car. I looked at many options and in the end decided to fit new Hi-Lo's and adjust them manualy to get the ride height level all round. I also fitted GAZ brand shocks and am happy to report that they a fabulous in there performance and adjustability. Bought the lot as a kit from Mini Spares for about 200 quid...which by the time I added shipping to NZ came to about $900....which I thought was damm cheap and future proofed the car from having the same probelm another two years down the track Tim > Based mainly on seeming to scrape more speed bumps than I used to, I > think my 1998 Cooper (Sports Pack, 13" wheels)is riding low at the [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Roger. Were they supposed to be softer? The local Rover dealer says the part number for the rubber cones is the same for all Minis. And a similar question someone might be able to answer - are the knuckle joints the same on all Minis? And a final question - the Haynes manual says you need to separate the top balljoint to get the cone and knuckle joint out. Is that right? Roger. > the rubber donuts in the later model cars are much softer and more prone to > compresing than ealry ones. My 2000 model settled after about 15thousand [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > > > > Roger. > Were they supposed to be softer? The local Rover dealer says the part > number for the rubber cones is the same for all Minis. actually they only make the later type now, which does fit on all minis but wears quicker than the older type. This does not necessarily mean they're softer though. > And a similar question someone might be able to answer - are the > knuckle joints the same on all Minis? Pretty much yes, they might have chenged slightly over the years but basically they are all the same > And a final question - the Haynes manual says you need to separate the > top balljoint to get the cone and knuckle joint out. Is that right? If you want to take the cone out yes, the top suspension arm must be removed, but I did it without separating the top ball joint. To change the knuckle joints and fit hilos you only need to compress the rubber cones without taking the top arm off. If you need a visual guide I took pictures of the whole process when changing the cones on my mini, I could email them to you if you want > Roger. > Were they supposed to be softer? The local Rover dealer says the part > number for the rubber cones is the same for all Minis. Not sure if they are any 'softer', but lets not forget that the car has actually got heavier... > And a similar question someone might be able to answer - are the > knuckle joints the same on all Minis? No, there are two type available - 'sportspack' and 'normal'. The sportspack have a thicker 'boss' where it fits into the trumpet - basically raising the car. > And a final question - the Haynes manual says you need to separate the > top balljoint to get the cone and knuckle joint out. Is that right? You may find it easier to do so.. TTFN, Dave http://www.icklemini.co.uk > > And a similar question someone might be able to answer - are the > > knuckle joints the same on all Minis? > > No, there are two type available - 'sportspack' and 'normal'. > The sportspack have a thicker 'boss' where it fits into the trumpet - > basically raising the car. That's a shame. All the mail order suppliers only seem to list one type, which is presumably the normal ones. Roger. > > > And a similar question someone might be able to answer - are the > > > knuckle joints the same on all Minis? [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > That's a shame. All the mail order suppliers only seem to list one > type, which is presumably the normal ones. This gets worse! A couple of people have told me the Sports Pack / 13" wheels knuckle joints are different to the normal. But the local Rover dealer says the same knuckle joint - GSV1188 - has been used on all Minis since the mid-80s. And Mini Spares list GSV1264 as replacing GSV1188. If the car was 30 years old I might have expected a bit of a problem in identifying the correct part, but it's only five years old! I bet the problem is the rubber cones, think you can get a smooth ride kit which comprises of upgraded cones, adjusta rides & new knuckle joints, not sure how much it is though, think mini sport have them. Steve. > > > > And a similar question someone might be able to answer - are the > > > > knuckle joints the same on all Minis? [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > If the car was 30 years old I might have expected a bit of a problem > in identifying the correct part, but it's only five years old! This might be a total red herring but I had a similar problem on my 1999 sportspack mini. As I understand it, the late rover minis suffered from quite variable build quality and component fit and with relatively minor amounts of wear, things can get quite out of shape. My local mini guru fitted adjustable suspension at the front and sorted out 'me geometry' and things have been fine ever since. I suspect however, if I lost a couple of stone the ride height in the car would increase dramatically. Personally, I haven't taken my car anywhere near a Rover dealer since the warranty expired as the last time they got it for a service, some fool buggered up the valve clearances (couldn't apparently tell the difference between std and roller rockers) and cause the whole thing to run like sh.t till I could find someone I could trust to sort it. James > I bet the problem is the rubber cones, think you can get a smooth ride kit > which comprises of upgraded cones, adjusta rides & new knuckle joints, not [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > If the car was 30 years old I might have expected a bit of a problem > > in identifying the correct part, but it's only five years old! > This might be a total red herring but I had a similar problem on my 1999 > sportspack mini. > > As I understand it, the late rover minis suffered from quite variable build > quality and component fit and with relatively minor amounts of wear, things > can get quite out of shape. Looking at my car - only 10k miles on the clock and sitting on the bump stops - I think you're right. > My local mini guru fitted adjustable > suspension at the front and sorted out 'me geometry' and things have been > fine ever since. I know a lot of people do that, but if the front has dropped because the cones have permanently compressed, don't you finish up with the correct ride height (whatever that is!) but less suspension travel? Roger. > > My local mini guru fitted adjustable > > suspension at the front and sorted out 'me geometry' and things have been [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > the cones have permanently compressed, don't you finish up with the > correct ride height (whatever that is!) but less suspension travel? That is exactly the problem. The correct way to fix the problem is to fix it, not to hide it with adjustable cones. It is very common for later cars (about 1990 on) to sit on their bump stops within no more than 40k miles. I think it is mainly down to the extra weight they carry around in the front. By getting the car back up to standard ride height you will dramatically improve ride quality (if there is such a thing in a Mini!) and handling.  SignatureRgds Steve steve@dsnclassics.co.uk www.dsnclassics.co.uk Steve, You could well be right. I have to say I didn't really notice any change in the (hard) ride quality from new to when I noticed the problem but I suppose it's a gradual thing? I think the ride is poorer than my previous SPI mini but I put down that to the low profile rubber on the 13" wheels over the 12" with std tyres. I did see a marked improvement in handling once the ride height was put back to 'normal'. Next time m car is in for a tune I'll ask about replacing the rubbers Cheers James > > > My local mini guru fitted adjustable > > > suspension at the front and sorted out 'me geometry' and things have [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > steve@dsnclassics.co.uk > www.dsnclassics.co.uk Were they supposed to be softer? The local Rover dealer says the part number for the rubber cones is the same for all Minis. And a similar question someone might be able to answer - are the knuckle joints the same on all Minis? And a final question - the Haynes manual says you need to separate the top balljoint to get the cone and knuckle joint out. Is that right? Roger. > the rubber donuts in the later model cars are much softer and more prone to > compresing than ealry ones. My 2000 model settled after about 15thousand [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > > > > Roger. |
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