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MG MGF Technical - some questions

Just a few questions as i'm doing stuff to my f now -
was the agreed alignment 5 min toe in all round?
i think this is what was said, will this impove the handling as it feels real tail happy at the moment?
Is it worth having complience washers fitted at the same time as getting the alignment done?
What should the tyre pressures be on 215/40 16s? (F1s) be? i've got these to go on front and rear.
How do i get the last bolt out of the panel on top of the engine?- went to fit my K&N all but one bolt came out the last one just twisted and twisted - i could not pull it out at all - so a bit of an anticlimax really!
last thing for now- is it just me or is the f realy low in the middle,, i've checked the ride heigt, but when i drove over one of those poles you fold down to the ground i heard a bang noise - which realy got me worried. (the pole was folded down before anyone asks :)

That's all for now, and thanks in advance for your help.
Kingsley


Hi Kingsley,

to answer Youur last question : It is not uncommon for bolts with this type of threads to get exactly as You describe ! Use a small knife to get between the headbolt and panel .Force the bolt upwards by levering the knife and at the same time undo the bolt with a ring-spanner or socket wrench. In this way it should be possible to "engage" the threads and get the bolt out. Discharge the bolt and replace with one similare,test the threads before refitting the panel,do not overtighten when closing the lid. Enjoy Your K & N !

Best regards , Carl.
Carl

On the subject of engine cover bolts:

About 25% of the threads on my F are partially stripped. Has anyone experimenteds with replacing the threads in the body with some form of captive or clench nut?
brianh

Kingsley,

Some of us on the BBS recommend 5min toe in each wheel (Front and rear) indeed
It improved the steering feeling and the high speed stability on my car.

>>when i drove over one of those poles you fold down to the ground i heard a bang noise - which realy got me worried
Yep, I noticed this too. I even regulary pull the door stop in the middle of the alley at the gate in my parents garden but my F is a little bit low at the moment.
The BANG comes from the shock on the metallic plate which protects the frame, I think there's nothing to worry about (I presume)

Jerome
Jérôme

>>
Just a few questions as i'm doing stuff to my f now - was the agreed alignment 5 min toe in all round?
i think this is what was said, will this impove the handling as it feels real tail happy at the moment?
Is it worth having complience washers fitted at the same time as getting the alignment done?
<<

The answers to these two questions is yes- get the compliance washers fitted and then get the tracking set to 0 degrees 5 minutes toe IN all round.

Regarding the tyre pressures, don't be too scared about altering these *a little* from the standard figures to suit your own requirements for handling/ ride.

HTH
Rob Bell

Should the garage (don't know which one yet) know what complience washers are?
Kingsley

Unfortunately Kingsley, unless you happen to be talking about Swain and Jones, then I very much doubt it. These are available as competition parts from MG Sport- but I've never known a dealer who knows about these!!! Alternatively you should buy a set from Brown and Gammons. Your dealer should have no problem fitting these for you (or indeed *any* garage for that matter- it isn't a difficult task).
Rob Bell

I doubt the garage will know what a compliance washer is - certainly mine didn't ("what are they? where did you get them from? do they help? why do they help?")

I've still got a second-hand set available (£5 inc post) - I fitted polybushes instead. But, I can confirm they're very easy to fit (< 1 hour when you're not familiar with the car, and including having to borrow a torque wrench off your neighbour). Particularly simple if you have access to a pit or a lift like garages do!

Neil.
NNW49
(sitting at home, without a job at the moment!)

Neil

remove the "nospam-" to email me - I'm just paranoid about junk email - having got 4 copies of a viral-infected thing yesterday from someone I didn't recognise @ hotmail, dialled in via AOL maybe I have cause...!

Neil.
Neil

YGM neil,
and is
24psi front
and
28psi rear
correct? reccommended?
Kingsley

One comment on getting the tracking done: make sure you have the car at the height you want it before they start and also make sure it has stood for a couple of hours too.

Changing the suspension height (like by it warming up while you drive) will mean that the tracking setting you get will be wrong.

The official temperature for setting the ride height is 17C, which is a little hard to achieve at the moment, but I seem to remember that Dieter has a table correlating temperature against the correction you need to apply for however cold it is tomorrow.

Neil
Neil

0.4 mm per degree difference from 17 degrees celcius.
Rob Bell

0.6 per degree, Rob :)
Dieter Koennecke

??
kingsley

Try reducing your tyre pressures to 22psi front and 24 psi rear

I am having probs with handling at the momment and this made things feel more settled - you still need to find source of problem!
tony

This thread was discussed between 06/11/2001 and 07/11/2001

MG MGF Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGF Technical BBS is active now.