I purchased a set of Koni Coilovers. The front suspension needs the old spring cap and guide support to be transplanted to the new setup. Problem as follows:

here's a parts diagram for reference
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...41&hg=31&fg=10

So my problem lies in part #1 (guide support) and part #2 (self locking caller nut).

as i was taking of the nuts that hold the top of the front suspension, the self locking nuts came loose (basically the teeth that are supposed to "lock" into the guide support to prevent it from moving were stripped); so as i turn the 13mm nut off, it just keeps spinning. i've tried holding the underside with a vise grip (clamp) but its not strong enough to resist the tension when trying to unscrew the nut (on top). does anyone have any ideas or solutions or had this problem before?

also, does anyone have any recommendations for taking off the nut on top of the front suspension? the one that holds the system together? part #4

PLEASE HELP!!! I GOT THE REARS IN WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. CAR LOOKS LIKE A PLANE ABOUT TO TAKE OFF!!

 

I would bet the entire shock is spinning not only the nut.

Zap the bolts with a air wrench to loosen them when taking off the front suspension. Just enough to break the nut loose.

 

the problem is with the nuts that mounts the suspension to the strut tower in the engine bay.

 

if that nut is spinning and not coming off, then there are two possibilites:
1) The nut or stud is all stripped to hell and gone, and there is little to do.
2) The stud has broken free of the strut guide, and you're somewhat hosed.

Either way, there is something called a "nut breaker" that can split the nut so it can be removed. Means a trip to a tool shop. Or you can get a dremmel tool and cut/grind it off.

If the nut is stripped, cutting it off will allow you to use a new nut.

If the stud is stripped or broke free, think about the fixed camber plate.
The price of the factory strut guide will probably make the move to some fixed camber plates easier to swallow!

For getting #4 off, an air wrench will do it, whatever you do, don't use any hard metal tools on the shaft that is spinning. The right manual tool is a socket with a side cut off so you can use an allen wrench to turn the shaft. In a pinch I've used a strap wrench or a leather belt to get a grip on the shaft without scoring it. It all depends on how desparate you are!

Good luck,

Matt

ps, the self locking nuts are a bit oval, and that's how they lock. Next time you order some parts, get a bunch extra, they're supposed to be single use items, but I've reused them before with no issue.

 

This is what I use for getting #4 off.
I could take a picture faster than explain this, so here you go.


crescent on socket, socket on nut, vise grips on allen wrench, allen wrench through socket and onto top of shaft. Does that make since?


As far as #2 goes, I had one pop off but the mount was already off of the car. When putting it back in, I slotted the head with a dremel, held it in place with a flathead screwdriver, covered it with lock-tite, and was good to. This worked for as long as I need it to before the bushing failed and I had to replace it anyway.

Hope this helped.

 

If its one of the 3 bolts in the mount you may need to cut it off. They are pressed into the mount. The dremmel trick mentioned above is a good idea but may be difficult with the assembly on the car.

 

Correct. That's why I mentioned mine was already off. Doing it mounted seems almost impossible. There is just not enough room up there. Good luck.

 

wtf is wrong with mini?!! why can't they just weld the bolts on like normal people?! why do they need to make it with teeth (self locking my ***!!!)....WHY GOD WHY?!!!!! :( i are teh failzors


thanks for the responses everyone. just curious, anyone know how much the strut guide costs?

 

but if you're going to spend on Konis, leaving the stock front camber is a crime.... Really, get a bit more neg camber up front, and understeer is reduced a bit, and tire life (if you corner hard) is increased. When I went from stock to -2 deg, my tire life almost doubled. I live in hills so cornering is most of my drive. If you do mostly freeway, that may be a bit much for you. If you're a track rat, it's a bit too little.

Matt

 

it's my daily driver gas saver. all show no go. :( i live in houston and my daily commute is <5 miles from work now (all freeway).

how did your tire life double when you went from stock to -2deg camber?

im thinking about cutting all the bolts off guide support and going to home depot to replace them. maybe i'll have someone weld the bolts to the guide.

 

the Mini has little to no negative front camber stock. The spec is -0.5 +/-0.5 degrees. This means the tires are near verticle. When you turn, the car leans a bit, and the camber gain of a Mac Strut is pretty much zero, combine that with sidewall deflection and the tire is effectivly in a zero or positive camber situation. On the outside front, this results in a lot of outer tread wear. Go to more negative camber up front, and the wear on the outside front is much more even and the life of the tire is extended.

If you drive on freeways mostly, wear is based on tire deformation at the contact patch, and closer to 0 degrees gives more even wear. The right setting depends on driving environment and style, and there is no universal answer.

Hope this helps....

Matt

 

dr. obnxs aka dr. o aka matt. thanks for your input

i bought a set of rear (lower) adjustable control arm to "fix" my camber after the drop. will this be necessary?

i was under the assumption that after lowering the car, the wheels typically like to do a little negative cambering. truth?

either way. i'm pretty sure i'll need some camber adjustability in the future as i have Rally's wheels en route and they're quite aggressive (offset). we shall see...


p.s. wanna help me with engine mods?

 

The front uses a Mac strut that has little cambet gain. The rear uses a modified trailing arm. The two control arms in the back do have a steep camber gain curve so if you lower, one set of adjustible control arm links helps out.

Matt

PS. PM me with any questions you have about whatever and I'm happy to help.

 

UPDATE:

i managed to get both assemblies out from the front suspension. I'll probably need an impact tool to get the nut off of the strut...that sucker is on tight.

is there any type of glue that will bond metal? or is that something only welding can do?

 

Update: since Ike, it's been hard finding places with electricity. drove over to a few muffler places to have the "self locking bolts" welded on.


passenger side has a broken sway link (how will that affect drive ability till i get a replacement?)






Ike's aftermath







Thanks to all those who offered advice. I appreciate you all taking the time to help me out

 

Hey,

I have used stock endlinks if you need 1 or a pair, whatever you need. They can leave dirt cheap. I also have some better alternatives in stock in the form of Powergrid. Nice shots by the way. I'm an amateur photographer myself. Give me a call if you need any direct help with this suspension situation.

-Cliff

 

Quick review. (thanks Cliff@coasttocoast for taking care of me...and thanks to all those I've PM'd about suspension systems)

The previous owner of the car had installed h-sport spring paired with stock shocks and h-sport rear sway bar. the ride was quite stiff and choppy at times for a daily driver (this was with about 1" drop all around). 40K on the stock shocks and they gave out. Being that this was my dad's car previously, he opted to go with the OEM shock replacements w/ stock springs = 4x4. the handling with stock suspension was still firm, but you could definitely feel the body roll going in and out of turns.

The Koni coils currently installed are adjusted all the way down. I'd venture to say >2" drop (believe it or not, the car is even lower now that the suspension has settled in a bit). The front damping is at 1/4 from softest and rear is 1/2 (1 full turn). Ride quality is smooth, but I can feel that there is very little rebound or shock travel (being so low i'd assume). The ride is overall comfortable and the car feels very planted to the ground. This is prior to alignment AND MISSING 1 SWAY LINK!! God it feels good to be close to the ground again. I had to cut off the scrape guard on the bottom of the front bumper (2 finger gap from the ground) b/c it was scraping nearly everywhere i went (even switching lanes in the neighborhood). Since the removal, all is well and no scraping. I will have an updated review after i have sway link replaced, rear control arm installed, and properly aligned.

I'm happy with these coilovers and would recommend them to anyone who asks. For reference, Ive also had Tein basic coilovers installed on my BMW which was also slammed and the ride with Koni's on the mini is noticealby smoother than the Teins.