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MG MGF Technical - Subframe mounts

I am still trying to get my car sorted out. I was told (by the salesman) that the ride of the Trophy would "shake out your fillings" as it was very firm and "bumpy". I am having a great deal of problems with my VVC (2months old now)An MGR mechanic (from a different dealer) having driven my car suggested that he'd noticed that all the 16" wheeled models lately seemed to be much firmer and "twitchier" and that in the last few months of production they may have fitted them with the Trophy subframe mounts. These apparently being polyeuretane rather than rubber (he called them butterfly bushes). Could this explain the lousy ride and how can I identify which I have without taking the car apart. If I have these, do you think I could get MGR to replace them as if I'd wanted a ride like this I would have bought a Trophy. (the mechanic agreed that he could not live with a trophy on a daily basis).After two F's that I loved. I hate this car!
Alan Dunlop

I think you only need to look at the colour of the 'butterfly' shaped subframe mounts.
IMO they should be light green coloured.
Anyway, on the other hand it sounds wrong for me.

'Twitchy' ride behavior relates to toe angles at first. Not the front, but almost the rear wheels.

Regards
Dieter
Dieter Koennecke

Dieter.
I threatened MGR that I would reject car today. I am so fed up. I just want it fixed. I cannot accept that it is supposed to be like this. It feels to me to have a 'wobble' through whole car sideways and when I go around corners this is worse, it seems to be bouncing round the corner. (If you imagine drawing an arc as one continuous line, then imagine having to draw it with a ruler ...so lots of little straight lines.) It is simply not smooth. MGR said they would have the dealer contact me again but I don't want to deal with them anymore. If only I could find the problem. I would take it to an independent specialist but they are so for away and at the end of the day, I should not have to!

Alan
Alan Dunlop

> I should not have to!

.. and you need not. They should fix it or take it back.

Had such wobbly steering troubles when I got my first MGF from second hand in 1998. It was already 2 years old and out of warranty. It steered like mad from right to left on accelerating/decellerating at speed 60miles/h++ and I found it most dangerous and sensitive on side-wind.
Had a very interested mg workshop and they found at last the steering control arms beeing in different lenght which was a known problem at some cars from early 1996.
An official bulletin (1996) advised on how to analyse the trouble location and how to cure it with change to a special steering arm and any washers to add.
They took contact to the former MG servive hotline in the UK and got it repaired at last. (200 quid for me, but I was happy though)

Sad to say, but this were the good times of MG Service.

:(
Dieter
Dieter Koennecke

>>>that in the last few months of production they may have fitted them with the Trophy subframe mounts. These apparently being polyeuretane rather than rubber (he called them butterfly bushes). Could this explain the lousy ride and how can I identify which I have without taking the car apart<<<

The trophy and TF mountings are not mountings as such but solid connections. Essentially there is no bush material inside the mounting, it just has a both through for the solid mounting between body and subframe. Yes the Trophy does test fillings!!!

In the cars general condition I wonder if the suspension is running at too high a pressure, achieved to realise the official correct ride height - or higher! I can't recll how new the car is but certainly if there is a suspension error setting and the car is less than 3000 miles from new then the dealer will have been told not to touch the suspension.

However if the suspension is too high and the pressures are over 500psi then this is very likley to be one root cause of the problem. The suspension should ideally run with 400psi, but that may not realise the official correct ride height of 368mm. (between front wheel centre and the underside of the wheelarch lip directly above.) Certainly the cars 'officially' come from the factory with a ride height of 378mm which is 'officially' to allow settlement in that first 3000 miles.

I would suggest that you seek to have the suspension height and pressure checked. Your insistance is a reason for this to be done as MG Rovers official line is that adjustment should not be done within 3000 miles, nothing said about not checking!!! If you then find pressure of height amis then you have a much bigger lever to move the dealer into some action.

Rog
Roger Parker

If the handling's fidgety i.e. 'dangerous'... Take the car to (another?) dealer and ask for height, pressure and susp geometry checks and report findings. My 1.8i was at 500psi and 400mm at delivery. On the motorway it was all over the place. Had the pressure dropped to 400psi / correct ride height. Much better.

Another consideration is the 16" tyres 'tramlining'. Steering / steering feel-feedback being affected by undulations in the road surface?

But my money on a choppy / bouncy ride is susp pressure - an independant garage with a hydrogas pump fitted with a gauge (quite common) will suffice for a quick check in return for a beer and a bun.... All you need to do is remove the under bonnet cover over the nipples - easy two nuts - to let them access. I would measure the ride height myself first though.

Then if wildly out get the MGR dealer to sort it.

Ian
Ian Walker

"The suspension should ideally run with 400psi,"

Does the Trophy have the same pressure?
Chris

This thread was discussed between 15/02/2002 and 17/02/2002

MG MGF Technical index

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