Saggy Suspension

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Taffy - 11 Mar 2004 13:22 GMT

The suspension on my niece's 98' Mini Paul Smith LE is low all round and as
a result the o/s front wheelarch has broken off due I think to it coming
into contact with the front wheel.

What's a simple fix? Is putting spacer washers between the cone and knuckle
joint the answer? Trouble is I don't have the tools nor nerve to carry this
out myself so I guess it's a hefty garage bill?

Any advice appreciated.

Taffy

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Jono Barspeed - 11 Mar 2004 13:33 GMT

sounds like it been carrying some passengers and a half, being tactful as
much as possible here but its not an old car to have a sagged suspension?
it maybe worth just having the suspension checked, might not be the rubber
cones at all, might be the suspension knuckes worn out dropping the car a
bit, had the same on my Cooper some years ago made worse by wide alloys and
rubber!
Another thing i found was it could also be broken front subframe mounts, the
lollipops that are mounted behind the front valance?

Jono

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> The suspension on my niece's 98' Mini Paul Smith LE is low all round and as
> a result the o/s front wheelarch has broken off due I think to it coming
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> Taffy

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Taffy - 11 Mar 2004 13:38 GMT

I suspect it to be the suspension knuckles as it's not only low at the
front, but at the rear too.

Taffy

> sounds like it been carrying some passengers and a half, being tactful as
> much as possible here but its not an old car to have a sagged suspension?
[quoted text clipped - 26 lines]
> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> Version: 6.0.619 / Virus Database: 398 - Release Date: 10/03/2004

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Jono Barspeed - 11 Mar 2004 14:40 GMT

if you have a terminal case of knuckle failure, i think that i am right in
saying that the rear of the car can also appear to be low, in the olden days
when this happened on cars with hydrogas suspension the opposite occured
raising the car at the rear?

jono

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> I suspect it to be the suspension knuckles as it's not only low at the
> front, but at the rear too.
[quoted text clipped - 33 lines]
> > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> > Version: 6.0.619 / Virus Database: 398 - Release Date: 10/03/2004

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Steve68s - 12 Mar 2004 23:06 GMT

If you can afford it replace the cones & knuckles, & throw in a set of
adjustable trumpets,

Steve.

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me - 12 Mar 2004 12:47 GMT

> The suspension on my niece's 98' Mini Paul Smith LE is low all round and as
> a result the o/s front wheelarch has broken off due I think to it coming
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> Taffy

The rears are easy to replace by just dropping the arm down. But the
fronts are more difficult in that you do need the compressor.

Have a look at the recent thread "Knuckle Joints" on these problems.

I've been through it all just to change the ball and socket.

rm

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Kelley Mascher - 12 Mar 2004 16:43 GMT

Those in the UK would know better than I, but weren't the late
production Minis notorious for sagging? Something about the softer
rubber cones used collapsing after a few years.

Cheers,

Kelley

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