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MG MGF Technical - Releasing pressure in hydrogas

Gentlemen,
I'm new to the "F" marque & own a model year 2000 1.8i.
The car has done 25k & is sitting a little high (378mm )
Where do I find the thingy to release the pressure slightly & any do's & don'ts would be appreciated.
Great little car the F , I'm really enjoying it !Handling reminds me of an old Lotus Elan S4 I had many years ago .
J M Brown

Hi, the pressure valves are in the front boot compartment underneath the black plastic shroud. This is held in place by around half a dozen fixers (look like screws but I'm not sure about the correct name for them). If you remove these then the black plastic shroud can be moved enough to reveal the valves which look the same as tyre valves. By releasing pressure you should be able to lower the height. There is one valve for each side so you have to be careful about getting the car level on both sides. Hope this helps.
Robert Matthews 1

Thanks Robert ...

Point noted about keeping the car level , appears straight forward enough by your description. Obviously, a little at a time as regards releasing pressure. I read that 365 mm is about right altough the F does look good when it is "sitting down" on it's ride height.
J M Brown

May be useful to reading a little bit more about this cars suspension

We have some websites about that matters. May worth to checking.
http://www.mgfcar.de/
Loads of stuff about the hydragas in the BS Archives also.

Errm, and let the tracking get dorrected at a good workshop on 4-wheel laser alignement equipment after you drained the suspension.

HTH
Dieter
Dieter

Dieter,
Thanks for your thoughts , very much appreciated !

Point taken about the tracking as I assume that the geometry may be thrown out a little.

Thanks again for your advice,

Regards,

Julian
J M Brown

I've chickened out a little ...I am taking the car to Brown & G next week to let them do it properly & sort out alignment & all that goes with it.
Be nice to get into the car without a step-ladder !!!

Off topic, but I keep looking at the front rad intake & realising how much the front number plate obscures the air-flow. Can't be the most helpful aid to cooling !
Juat a thought
J M Brown

Julian, there's not much wrong with the radiator end of the cooling system, the achilles heel is the location of the thermostat (fine for front engined cars, but not for mid-engined). If you had B&G fit the remote thermostat kit and a coolant level alarm, you'd be making a very good investment, and will probably enjoy much happier motoring ;o)
J Fox

... and while you are there...
Let them fit the improved gear bracket with two balljoints at the gearbox.

Makes life easier also :)

Regards
Dieter
Dieter

Thanks , Gentlemen,

Once the ride etc is sorted, coolant alarm is "on the list" ...thanks for the thoughts regarding the thermostat , will address that also.
Silly thought maybe , I weigh 160lbs or so , if I sat in the car when the height was set , would that be a good thing (I am half joking) ...putting the equivalent of 160 bags of sugar on the driving seat must throw the balance to the Offside of the car out of whack.
Maybe I need a heavier wife to balance things up !
J M Brown

Out of interest, wifey-poo measured the car without me in it & then with me seated & the difference with my body weight was approx 10mm lower in ride height on the offside.
It's rather odd, when I drive the car on my own, the steering feels "easier" to the left than right yet two-up , I am not aware of that slight sensation.
Food for thought ...
J M Brown

Yes and no...
I'm used to pump it up 5mm higher on the drivers side.
Balance for my low weight :)

Mind you, the front suspension tends to toe _out_ if load is applied there. You find some more at Rob Bell's site under _suspension_.

HTH
Dieter
Dieter

10 out of 10 to Brown & Gammons ..."F" ride height & alignment adjusted ...transformed the car !
J M Brown

You're being quite generous - for me to give 10 out of 10 there would have to be carefully calculated & measured weights being intricately hung from the underside to simulate the effects of downforce, and the car would be set up for whatever speed you wish ;o)

Why hasn't someone designed a wishbone with camber adjustment built in, they'd have sold literally thousands. Maybe someone did, but Goodyear had them eliminated...
Mike Hankin

VHS have camber adjustable wishbones.

http://www.vehiclehandlingsolutions.com/page2.htm
Deborah Evans

>> VHS have camber adjustable wishbones.

http://www.vehiclehandlingsolutions.com/page2.htm <<

Anyone got more details on this? I know about the rear brake kit - I'll hopefully be getting this for my car in due course... but the " bespoke lower arms to provide correct castor and camber"? Sounds interesting! Need to know more! :o)
Rob Bell

Rob,

Quoting from VHS leaflet:

"we now offer a front lower arm correction service. This corrects the castor and/or camber which is so often the cause of brake veer, throttle steer and bump steer. Supplied with a new ball joint if required, ready to fit. from £80 + VAT (Special geometry if requierd from £100 + VAT)"
Dave Livingstone

Yup, read that Dave - but what angles of camber/ castor do they aim for? Also, I presume that they're not actually adjustable from the description... they sound as though they're fixed position.

Need to have a chat with Andy and Al about this; I am intrigued! :o)
Rob Bell

This thread was discussed between 20/05/2007 and 07/06/2007

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