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MG MGF Technical - Rear end seems to sway

Just purchased a 97 vvc MGF for the wife,lovely car in mint condition all history etc checks out , all the VVC kit is present and correct ,apart from a couple of problems.

The remote key fobs were missing when purchased , the garage we bought it off is now rectifying this at his expense and seems to be having a bit of a struggle getting the new fobs to do all the alarm functions as the previous owner seems to have overidden the imobilisor ( not using the key code method)

Second problem was a small leak in the radiator , again this was replaced with a new radiator at the garages expense.

The third problem (and it may not turn out to be a problem and just be my lack of experience with the car) is that the rear end seems to sway when any harsh steering is undertaken , say for instance you overtake a car and pull in quite sharply the rear end seems to sway before settling.I dont know if its a hydrogas thing or not but any enlightenment would be appreciated.

Jim Bognar

Hi Jim
Welcome to the BBS.
If you also get the feeling of instability under hard braking, I would say that your rear tie bar bushes need looking at. There's plenty about this in the archives, however, you can either insert compliance washers to take up the slack of the existing knackered bushes, or even better, buy some Polyurothane bushes from someone like Mike Satur.
I too have a '97 MGF, and chose the second option, it is something you can DIY with a bit of effort, and it made a terrific difference to the stability and handling of the car.
You will need to get the wheels re-aligned after this job, and you might want to consider moving away from the MGF factory settings, which IMHO are not optimal, and cause your front tyres to wear away on the insides. I drive with 5 minutes toe in at the front and parallel rear wheels, but it is a matter of personal preference.

Cheers

Jim
J. A. Farrington

When the car was prepared for us part of the mot requirements was to renew the rear knucle bushes ( garages words )that connect to the suspension.
If this is what you are sugesting they have definatly been done as ive inspected them to make sure they are new.
Its seems more like the back end wobbles about before steadying its self.Ive never noticed it under braking but mainly when making a tight corner etc
Jim Bognar

The symptom you describe can be caused by warn ball joints to the real suspension a common cause or as Jim has already said by the rear tie bar bushes becoming a little squishy. These two item would be the first suspects

The knuckles far as I'm concerned are a different items but may also cause suspension anomalies if corroded or warn.

Another cause could be a warn wheel bearing but this is last option.

To diagnose the problem, with the rear of the car jacked up move the wheel up and down and push from side to side on the rim. If the wheel moves up and down then it is likely to be the ball joints. if it move up, down left and right then it's going to be the bearing. As for the tie bar bushes, regardless of age it is worth installing the compliance washers or fitting polyurathane bushes.

Also check that if you have uni-directional tyres that these are fitted correctly.

A four wheel alignment will also go down well.

A few web links:
http://www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/group2/suspension/suspension_upgrades.htm

http://www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/group2/suspension/suspension_images/upgrading_bushes.htm

http://www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/group2/suspension/tracking.htm

http://www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/group2/suspension/tyrewear.htm
HTH

Tim
Tim

And of course, the 'check this first' - are the type pressures right?
Will Munns

hi just got home @ read this .on the way home tonight back end of car twitchy when throttling on /off. only retracked yesterday as i put polyurethane bushes on a few weeks back.is this a symptom of subframe mounting bushes failing (like the metro ones used to do)they seperated apparently.if so how much @ where do you reccomend i get them from. will go under car tommorrow to see if i have left anything loose!!
richard

Richard,

You are indeed right the sub frame mount could be another culprit. I'm seriously considering having these replaced with TF solid mounts in the very near future. However, recently my car, now 8 years old, suffered a bit of motorway lane migration and this was completely rectified by rear ball joint replacement despite the somewhat squishy sub-frame mounts, so one really has to be methodical in tackling the problem. Start with the common problems and only then work up to the less common and sometimes more expensive options.
tim woolcott

Surely the first question is what tyres are fitted on the rear?

Sounds like mine was with the NCTs on it.
Kelvin Fay

went under car the weekend i had left the 15 mm bolt on rear lower arm loose when i fitted polybushes i thought i had double checked all bolts before refitting wheel annoyed that i left it loose but relieved problem resolved.the darkside can be expensive sometimes.! talking nice to erindoors now i need to have s/steel brake hoses!
richard

This thread was discussed between 10/11/2004 and 17/11/2004

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