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MG MGF Technical - Pulling to left and knocking noise

Hi guys,

I recently purchased a 2000MY MGF 1.8i. For a while everything was fine then the vehicle started drifting to the left. The action is more pronounced when the brakes are sharply applied at slow speed.

The vehicle has been into a main dealer three times and has had a full suspension geometry test, but the dealer assures me the vehicle is fine. There is no evidence of body repair etc.

For the past two months there has been a knocking noise coming from the front suspension when travelling over bumps. This is now quite loud and has moved from being isolated to the right side of the vehicle to both sides. It would be madness not to assume that both issues are linked.

As I mentioned the nearest main dealer is unable to find a fault, and assures me the car is driving fine, however the problem is getting worse and i'm afraid it's serious (or will become so).

Can someone give me any suggestions as to what may be causing the pulling and the knocking. I love my car but these issues seriously detract from my enjoyment of the vehicle.

Also, can anyone suggest anyone that can carry out performance modifications (and suggest which ones are best for the least money possible) in or around South London, as all the decent garages i've heard of are up north.

Many thanks in advance, i'm losing the will to live! :)

James
James

Oh, I forgot to mention... the steering whell is about 5 degrees clockwise off centre, the vehicle pulls to the left and at slow speeds the steering wheel moves to the left about 10 degrees when the brakes are applied sharply.
James

Hi James
The knocking noise from the front of your F when traveling over bumps is almost certainly coming from the lower front wishbone inner locating bushes. The inner steel sleeves of the bushes are moving against the outer housing on bumps causing the noise.Remedy is to tighten the bolts further, no doubt they will feel tight already but tighten them further try the car on the same stretch of road again, if the noise is less or gone you have found the source of the noise.In extreme cases if the ends of the bushes have worn they will need replacing. I have cured this noise many times on my customer cars. The pulling to the left may not be linked to this problem, however it may have started from the same cause. It is likely the car has hit a heavy bump at some time probably on the left side which has bent a suspension component this can be front or rear. You need a comprehensive alignment and suspension check from someone with the correct measuring equipment and knows how to use it! It can be difficult to find but with your steering wheel off centre be assured something is definitly out of alignment. Try and remember when you first noticed the wheel off centre, you may also then remember a larger than normal bump or a curb incident which has caused the problem. I hope these comments are of some help. Lawrie Steere
Lawrie Steere


James,

The dealer is wrong. Very wrong.
If your wheel is off center, them a proper geometry test has not been done.

That aside, Lawrie's comments cover lots.
I'm not as sure I could narrow it down that quickly though. :-)

The best advice I can give is to go out of your way slightly and invest in a trip to another dealer. Someone that knows MGFs would be a good start!

From personal experience I can suggest Swain and Jones in Farnham, Surrey... but that is quite a distance to travel I suspect.

Persist. It's worth it to get the car just right.

P.
Paul Nothard

James,

You could try the MG Dealer Guide at...

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/dotcomoff/

... for an alternative dealer. HTH. :)
Paul Lathwell

You've got geometry issues. prob caused by loose wishbones which means that you can't do the geometry until all the suspension is tightened up

try another garage
I have always found Trident in Ottershaw Jn 11 M25 very grown up with problem resolution. 019323 874411

chat to Chris Banton or Peter in the workshop they will get it right, and it'll seem like it wasnt a major issue

end or advert.


Neil W

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the help. The dealer who was dealing with this issue is a main Rover dealer - and to be honest it appears they know shag all about MGF's. When I put the car in for service they broke the little plastic end cap on the rad and water leaked everywhere. Good job I spotted it before it caused a major problem!

Lawrie - I can't seem to recall a large bump however driving in London it's always possible. I also have to park up on the curb at night and the curbstones are 6-8 inches high in some places!

I shall try to find a reputable MGF specialist down south and book it in to get the suspension looked at.

Incidentally all... I want to get a few performance mods done too... I'm thinking of lowering knuckles, bigger throttle body and possible a K&N filter kit... are these the best mods for the money or can anyone suggest anything else?

Cheers...
James

This thread was discussed between 02/10/2003 and 04/10/2003

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