I have recently got my Cooper S registered after a long period off the streets. I have some problems with the front end that I just can't figure out and need some help.

1. When I accelerate and the front end jumps up I get an incredible shudder in the drivers side front wheel, to the point that car start to jump over the road!

2. During normal driving the drivers side front sometimes squeals as if it is out of alignmnet.

3. Under acceleration when the front is up it doesen't drop quickly if I change gear. I'm running hydrolastic with shocks in the front.

Any ideas???

Do you have shocks in the rear?
Noise sounds like wheel bearing.
Just initial thoughts though.

And welcome to kaos!

Thanks for the reply Harley. I don't have shocks in the rear. I have replaced the front wheel bearings on both sides as well as rotors and bushes. I'm not so much bothered about the squealing noise, but I am concerned about the shudder under heavy accel as it makes the car jump about too much. I'm used to a little lift in the front end, but not this much.

jack the car up and safely fit jack stands so the car cannot move

Try looking at the driveshaft from the gearbox out
ie - start with the uni joint - is it partially seized ? are some nuts missing. Is there movement in it ??
then check the CV - is it seized ??? Has the cage in the CV collapsed. Make sure the lock nut on the out side of the disc holding the CV is done up properly.
Then (while the car is in neutral rotate the whole wheel asembly to make sure the wheel bearings have not seized.
Give the whole drivers side assembly a shake to see if there is any movement as in worn ball joints etc. If it is worn it will move regardless of the hydro or shockies.

As far as the nose going up - that happens and the shocks damp out the sense of it going back down.

Just things to try

Thanks Mike. It looks like I'm going to have another fun weekend crawling around the car. (Apart from watching the racing of course!)

It feels like when the front end lifts I am getting some sort of alignment problem and the camber is out of whack. Whether that is being caused by ball joints or CVs or anything else is anyone's guess. I'll post an update once I've had a chance to check it thoroughly.

G'Day,
Check the rubber bushes on the bottom suspension arm have not been chopped out also the rubber bushes to the front tie-rod are OK.
Maybe if you can get an observer to look at the front wheel while (using the wheel arch to judge clearances) you have the back wheels chocked by a brick (and the handbrake ) and gently let the clutch engage in first gear, see if the wheel is trying to drive off without the rest of the car

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Over 1,000,000Km, but now my retirement restoration project

sounds very much like an alignement (&/or Play) problem

try to source the play (if any) but also get your car to an Aligner & see what happens when jacking it up, most of the hydro minis have this probelm(if they have power) & they will tend to toe out under hard accel, as the steering arms have to drop lots with the wheel assy as the car rises, also check the shock bushes & the top & bottom shock mounts (braket to body on the top & pin to arm on the bottom) play here can make the wheel shudder as in tramp if the hydro bag has lost it`s valving & then relying on the shock as it`s main dampening & if there`s a tad of play there then it will want to jump around

What shocks have you fitted to the front? you can try to use some really good race type shocks like Koni or spax to help stop/reduce the exccessive lift & lurch (pitch & dive) & also add some restrictors in-line in the hydro pipe fittings to help restrict the flow of fluid from front to rear, this will lessen the effects of the pitch & dive factor somewhat.

have fun , hope you find the problem

Oh!!! also check the steering arms are tight, 2 bolts ontop of the wheel assy/hub & if unsure then rip them out & check for movement or broken dowels in there, sometimes hard to notice the movement, so it`s best to rip the arms off & have a gork, normally will leave witness marks around the base of the arm/hub mounting area tho.

after all is done, have it wheel aligned again.

cheers

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No offence intended here but--> anyone writing a book about minis 30 years ago may not have experienced such worn or stuffed-with components as we are finding these days.

You should put your heart & soul into everything you do.

Had the same problem with my deluxe on hydro. Matt has given you a few things to look at . The problem with mine was the hydro pressure was slightly high but the main cause was in the universal. The bolts had worn a rut in the fittings, mainly on the diff side so I replaced these with good ones and new needle bearing universals. Problem solved. Replaced tie bar and lower control arm bushes at the same time just to do it all at the same time. Less downtime. Wheel alignment done after satisfied problem cured.

FInally sorted it out. When I checked the hub the main nut at the end of the driveshaft was loose. I guess I didn't check all the nuts well enough when I put it back together.

THanks to everyone for their suggestions. It is good to see a friendly and responsive forum.