Hi Guys.
Has anyone used one of the hand pumps off ebay for pumping up suspension??
It states in the instructions that the vehicle has to be raised off the ground before commencing.
Is it possible to just pump it up from where it is sitting??
Thanks.
hydrolastic pump up
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Not many rules really, this board being aimed at technical issues, it shouldn't fall foul (hopefully) of some of the more personal issues that can affect forums.
Rule 1 - Is that you need to think very carefully before posting anything technical or asking anything technical relating to the security system of the car - See 'Security Issues' sticky for more info.
Rule 2 - We (MGF Register) do not support copyright infringement and therefore references to CD ROM, PDF versions or paper copies of the workshop manual (for instance) should not be posted on the forum. We don't want to get into trouble and we'd rather sell you a genuine hard copy through our Regalia shop anyway!
Because advice is honestly and freely given in this technical section, much of it will be amateur experienced based, so any information is given in good faith and is not guaranteed as correct.
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Reckless Rat
- Posts: 1898
- Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2008 9:01 am
- MGF Register Region: Europe
- Model of Car: 97 1.8mpi in BRG
- Location: South of France - in the Gard.
Re: hydrolastic pump up
Yes it is. I cannot see why or how you can achieve the correct ride height with the car in the air. I have one of these pumps and have done the job several times without any hassle, and sometimes with the car on its bump stops.
It's a bit Heath Robinson but the pump will do the job. You have to do a lot of pumping though so be warned! I use a length of metal square section tubing with a flat base, which has graduated marks on it (not the base) to show the desired height. I can lean this against the wheel and wheel arch and see how much the car rises. Make sure you don't let the pump run out of fluid. It helps if you put a Johnny over the end of the pump to stop splashing fluid all over the place while you're pumping.
The Fleabay pump is only any use providing the system hasn't been stripped down as there will be air in the pipes it can't get out. In such cases you'll need access to the vacuum pump.
It's a bit Heath Robinson but the pump will do the job. You have to do a lot of pumping though so be warned! I use a length of metal square section tubing with a flat base, which has graduated marks on it (not the base) to show the desired height. I can lean this against the wheel and wheel arch and see how much the car rises. Make sure you don't let the pump run out of fluid. It helps if you put a Johnny over the end of the pump to stop splashing fluid all over the place while you're pumping.
The Fleabay pump is only any use providing the system hasn't been stripped down as there will be air in the pipes it can't get out. In such cases you'll need access to the vacuum pump.
Re: hydrolastic pump up
o.k. will give it a go and get arms like popeye, thanks for the help.
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Reckless Rat
- Posts: 1898
- Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2008 9:01 am
- MGF Register Region: Europe
- Model of Car: 97 1.8mpi in BRG
- Location: South of France - in the Gard.
Re: hydrolastic pump up
And pay no attention to the psi reading on the pump (assuming that it's got a pressure gauge that works); Pump the car up until you've got it at the right height (front wheels for measurement) - then roll the car backwards & forwards & bounce on the suspension and re-check. If the weather is cold (below 17°C) then set it a little lower. Correct height is 368mm measured from centre of front wheel to wheel arch +/-5mm at 17°C.
Make sure you've got fluid coming out of the pump to valve joint before you fully tighten it onto the schraeder valve to ensure all the air is out of the link up.
Make sure you've got fluid coming out of the pump to valve joint before you fully tighten it onto the schraeder valve to ensure all the air is out of the link up.
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talkingcars
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- Location: West Sussex
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Re: hydrolastic pump up
Are you sure, I thought the instructions were to keep the car on the ground.Pmill52 wrote:Hi Guys.
Has anyone used one of the hand pumps off ebay for pumping up suspension??
It states in the instructions that the vehicle has to be raised off the ground before commencing.
Is it possible to just pump it up from where it is sitting??
Thanks.
However it 's easier to pump with the car slightly raised as there is less pressure in the system.
Home to black Alfa 159 3.2 V6 Q4, blue MGZR160, green MGF VVC and grey MGF 1.8i, and red MG Maestro T16.
MGF chatting on the Register and at http://www.the-t-bar.com
MGF chatting on the Register and at http://www.the-t-bar.com
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RobboMC
- Posts: 1061
- Joined: Wed May 09, 2012 1:36 am
- MGF Register Region: Eastern Australia
- Model of Car: 1999 Mpi
Re: hydrolastic pump up
I know many say to pump up on the ground, but it's your arm muscles lifting the car, bit by bit.
Our car was down near 300 mm, it was awful, when we got it, so I had a long way to pump.
The instruction in my pump definitely said to jack the car up too. The car was sitting on the wheel arches
it was so low, and we saved it just with an e-Bay hand pump and some good old-fashioned elbow grease.
I got 2 jacks, one front and one rear, and jacked the car up until the tyres were just touching the ground.
Lifting the weight off the ground made the pumping a heck of a lot easier. I did the other side a week later when my arm had recovered.
I guess if you are trying to get your car perfect at 368mm from a reading of say 362mm, then you should pump it on the ground,
BUT of your car is a basket case ours mine was and you have 50-60 mm to raise the car then getting the weight off the wheels
is the way to go IMHO.
It might be possible to work out how many pumps to the mm of height. Then when you need to add to the height just count the pumps.
It's a year ago now, but I think it was somewhere near 1000 pumps to get an inch of height, so be warned, it's a long hard road.
Our car was down near 300 mm, it was awful, when we got it, so I had a long way to pump.
The instruction in my pump definitely said to jack the car up too. The car was sitting on the wheel arches
it was so low, and we saved it just with an e-Bay hand pump and some good old-fashioned elbow grease.
I got 2 jacks, one front and one rear, and jacked the car up until the tyres were just touching the ground.
Lifting the weight off the ground made the pumping a heck of a lot easier. I did the other side a week later when my arm had recovered.
I guess if you are trying to get your car perfect at 368mm from a reading of say 362mm, then you should pump it on the ground,
BUT of your car is a basket case ours mine was and you have 50-60 mm to raise the car then getting the weight off the wheels
is the way to go IMHO.
It might be possible to work out how many pumps to the mm of height. Then when you need to add to the height just count the pumps.
It's a year ago now, but I think it was somewhere near 1000 pumps to get an inch of height, so be warned, it's a long hard road.