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Front Wheel Has Play - Help

8K views 7 replies 3 participants last post by  Leuk 
#1 ·
Good evening all.

Yet another problem has arisen regarding my '02 MINI.

Last month, the water pump. Did the labour myself saving $1800.

Now, the front left wheel has some play in it.
While stationary on the ground, the wheel can be rotated a worrying amount (about a half inch to an inch) both forward (towards the front bumper) and backward (towards the rear of the car) with a relatively gentle push with my foot.

Observations: a rough jolt felt through the steering wheel if I drive over bumps/dips in the road, a feeling of the wheel lunging immediately followed by a "thud" when I apply the brakes. This is my first experience with this problem.

Side note: the front RIGHT wheel hub/bearing assembly was changed about 6 months ago because of the dreaded wheel bearing "hum/whirring" noise. I have another hub/bearing in my possession so I am hoping that's the issue regarding the left wheel.

If a video would provide more clarity I can record and post one tomorrow.
Any advice/knowledge on the issue would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Luke
 
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#4 ·
Update: replaced the bearing yesterday but the problem is still there. I pulled on the lower control arm and it moved a significant amount and this caused the wheel to rock backwards and forward. From what I can tell there are two ball joints and a bushing that are attached to the control arm. The movement came from the bushing area that is bracketed onto the chassis of the car.

I intend on purchasing the bushing for both front wheels asap. Can i get them individually or must i buy the entire control arm?
Any suggestions on where to buy would be greatly appreciated. Special thanks to Milpol for the suggestion on diagnosis.
 
#5 ·
Leuk, if your replacing the LCA bushing you have several options, the easiest is to replace with Poly bushing (jump in here Sean) as its a straight forward swap. The next option is to by the brackets with the bushing pre installed and the 3rd is to just replace the bushing with OEM ones. The big caution when replacing with OEM is that there are guide marks in the Bracket and Bushing so you reinstall OEM ones correctly or you will never get the control arms back into the correct position (doesn't matter with the after market poly bushing).

Look at this link and pay attention to marking the LCA bushing housing if you choose just the replace the OEM bushing.

MINI Cooper Control Arm Bushing and Ball Joint Replacement (R50/R52/R53 2001-2006) | Pelican Parts DIY Maintenance Article

*****Pay attention to the image Fig.6 if you replace with OEM bushing*****
 
#7 ·
Thanks a lot Milpol. I would've probably never noticed those markings on the bushing. I was considering buying the OEM bushing from my local parts dealer at $50 USD but now after reading the advantages of poly bushings I think I rather get them instead Sean. Unfortunately, the poly bushings aren't sold here in Barbados so I'd have to ship them in. I think it will be worth the wait though. I'll use the sawzall method to remove the old bushings since I don't have a torch.

I can't wait to install these things and no longer have the feeling that my wheel is going to fly off of the car every time I hit a bump or press the brakes.

Thanks guys. You've been a great help.
 
#8 ·
Soooo....

Those control arm bushings were a pain in the ass to remove. I was unable to get the reciprocating saw blades and so I had to drop the sub-frame. I then removed the bolts holding the bracket to the car and took out the entire control arm still attached to the bushing. This took about 4-5 hours as I had never gone this in depth into the car and plus some of the bolts were rusted in. I then had to find a guy with a 20-ton hydraulic press to remove the bushing from the bracket. This was hard because I was doing this on Sunday when most people are sleeping.

After installing the new bushings, I went for a test drive. The car was feeling amazing, and then disaster struck. My power steering pump failed in mid-drive and I nearly wrecked the car. The pump had been making that whining sound for the past 3 years but never once failed me until now. It briefly started back working but when I started up the car on Monday morning the pump seemed totally dead. It has not come back to life since then. I constantly feel like I'm driving an 18-wheeler, but hey, who needs a gym when you could just drive a car without power steering?

Additionally, I've noticed a clunking noise which appears to be correlated with steering angle. I'm assuming the whole steering system is just taking the **** and either the steering rack/column needs some attention along with the pump. The fan for the pump still works just fine though. Yay.

Also, the tire pressure and ABS lights on the dash have been on for the whole week.

Judging from the costs of the power steering pump and steering rack online, I think I may be on the verge of euthanizing the Mini and investing in a vehicle that is mechanically sound. This thing drives me crazier than my ex-girlfriend. Don't get me wrong, I love this little car, but not to death.

Luke
 
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