Shocks

[woodworm]

Hi.
Just wanted a bit of advice really. I'm sure that my shocks need replacing. But I'm not sure what to get. The ones that are on my 2000 MGF are the original ones.

So like I say any advice or ideas would be appreciated

Thanks Mark

[Bigfootmgf]

Hi mark I see you have a mgf and they don't have shock absorbers as such they have hydro gas spheres and dampers to control the movement.

What makes you think there is a issue? Hard ride sitting low or are the damper leaking?

Sorry about the questions but it helps us with giving advise

[Geoff.F]

Hi mark I see you have a mgf and they don't have shock absorbers as such they have hydro gas spheres and dampers to control the movement.

Until a recent generation "Dampers" were always called "Shock Absorbers"
If you look at the Rimmers IPC, you will see that the MG-R Nomenclature is Damper however the nomenclature for Aftermarket Parts is Shock Absorber.
Geoff F.

[woodworm]

Hi.
Hydro gas is good, had that done last year. On the MOT last year the garage said that there was a very slight misting of oil coming from the shock absorbers.

Going on the run on the Sunday of MG 20 it just felt like I was crashing through every pot hole that was on the road. So I just thought that now would be a good time to get them done.

[Bigfootmgf]

ok is there suspension movement when you go over bumps?
or are the dampers stuck solid only the damping and movement comes from the hydro gas system. the separate dampers just control the movement usually in one direction I think
Its the nitrogen in the sphere that creates the movement and comfort

[woodworm]

The f does seem to move abit when hitting a pot hole. I'm sorry about the vague answers its just in not very technically minded lol

[Bigfootmgf]

That's ok the suspension is a bit different on these cars.
What I am trying to say is like a lot of f's the spheres have probably lost some of there gas so there is less movement as the gas in the spheres is what compresses and the fluid is what gives the height so that then makes it more of a hard ride. Just like my car!
There are a few options
Get the sphere re-gased
Find some good replacements
Just live with it for bit!

The only other thing is when you say crashes over bumps do you mean noise or just a hard ride?
Because if its just noises it could be other things

[woodworm]

Just a hard ride

[Reckless Rat]

Before you spend any money, measure the height of the centre of the front wheels to the top of the wheel arch. It should be 368mm or thereabouts. If it's lower than 350mm then the car is probably sitting on its bump stops, which will affect ride quality. Whilst there is a possibility that your spheres may be down on gas, the most likely cause is that the suspension needs pumping up to its correct ride height, even though it was done last year (I do mine every 12 months or so). The dampers on an MGF only operate on rebound as there is a restrictor valve built in to the base of the sphere to cater for compression damping. It is unlikely therefore that your dampers are the cause of your harsh ride. Continuing to use the car in this condition could cause damage so check it out as soon as you can. If there is still no suspension movement available once the car is sitting at its proper ride height then you may have a sphere problem.

[woodworm]

Thanks for that I'll get my the measure out tomorrow

[woodworm]

Hi
Just measured the ride height and I'm 20mm down on all the wheels. Hence the rough ride that I'm getting. Will sort out getting it pumped up to the correct height tomorrow.

A big thanks to the people that have repleyed to my question.

Thanks Mark

[Reckless Rat]

You can save a little time at the workshop by removing the black plastic under bonnet trim to gain access to the two schraeder valves for pumping the system (they are behind the washer bottle) before you go.

The spheres are connected front and rear on each side so all that is necessary is to pump up each side until the front wheel height is 368mm. The valves are exactly the same as a tyre valve, and usually they have plastic caps. Buy yourself a couple of the metal ones - they have a rubber sealing ring inside and are better at holding the pressure if the schraeder valve leaks.

Make sure whoever pumps the car rolls the car forwards & backwards before checking the ride height, to ensure that the suspension has properly settled. Hopefully all will be well and the car will ride better and stay at the required height. It might look a bit weird at first, but that's how it's meant to be. Best of luck.

[Rob Bell]

Hydro gas is good, had that done last year. On the MOT last year the garage said that there was a very slight misting of oil coming from the shock absorbers.

Oil leaking from the damper (shock absorber) is an MoT fail - so if this is the case, you may not be able to avoid replacement in the near term.

Standard specification dampers are available. Are you keeping the car standard, or might you consider fitting up-rated dampers at any stage?