Pumping up the Hydragas by hand!

[Maphet]

Hi all.

Not after any advice this time, just a quick report on pumping up the hydragas using an (apparently home made) pump from ebay.

My new Midas was flat as a pancake at the back and the driver's side wheel was very occasionally catching on the wheel arch while cornering mildly on a bumpy surface. Looking at the wheel arch it was quite clear that this was not a new phenomenon and that the previous owner had been cornering with a little more enthusiasm than I had. Obviously this situation couldn't continue.

Trying to find garages that refilled hydragas in the local area rapidly demonstrated that there are few and most of them were either mythical, less than enthusiastic or quite expensive. Looking on ebay for a pump revealed this chap:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180858613818? ... 1439.l2649

The pump looked a bit Heath Robinson, but the feedback made it pretty clear that it worked, so I let the moths out of my wallet and bought one. It arrived today and turned out to be a very solidly made bit of kit that, while basic, is extremely well designed and works absolutely perfectly.

So, between April showers, I followed the extremely clear instructions (that had even more clearly been written by someone who has listened to feedback to try to produce instructions that are both foolproof and prepare the user for common problems). As they were so good and I know I am an ingenious fool, I almost followed them to the letter...

Everything went swimmingly until I got to the actual pumping stage and sat there, with the wheel in the air, cautiously pumping away while nothing (apparently) happened. After a rather a lot of pumps I went back to the instructions to notice the bit about putting all the wheels on the ground to get the height right.

There's nothing quite like the cold shower feeling of the sudden realisation that I hadn't followed the instructions - with predictably hilarious consequences.

I let the jack down and the car settled with the ride height quite high, but not as high as I had feared. Going back to the instructions I noticed that they also said that the pump only moved a small amount of fluid so to be patient. Fortunately my two gaffes cancelled out! After bouncing it about a bit and having a restorative cup of tea it seemed to have settled a little and so I took it out for a bit of a test drive.

It's a transformation - at least half the clunks and rattles have simply disappeared for a start! Even with only the back done, the car settles into corners calmly and is not remotely perturbed by bumps any more. throwing her moderately gently around a local roundabout system revealed that everything is much more composed and the rear wheels really do feel like they are pushing back; the effect inspires a degree of confidence that I haven't felt before. I have read in several places that the Gold 'corners like a go-cart'. Well, prior to pumping up the suspension that is precisely what it did - it was very stiff and very flat and you felt every thing about the surface. More to the point, just like a go-cart the wheels tended to skip over bumps and step out. I'll be honest, I assumed that the 'go-cart' description was basically true and that this was the nature of the car. However, whoever says it is like a go-cart is very wrong. Certainly it handles extremely well, but it does it without the coarseness you expect from a go-cart. So, if your Midas really handles like a go-cart then perhaps it's time to see to the fluid in the hydragas.

I still can't quite believe the difference! As a bonus, on my return, I noticed that the back end seems to have settled down to pretty well precisely the height I was aiming for. You couldn't really ask for more.

I hope this is helpful. any comments would be gratefully received.

[Hans Efde]

Don't forget that every time you play with the hydragas the headlights alignment may be out. Would be a pity to have this cause an MOT failure.

[Maphet]

Good point, Hopefully tomorrow I will pump up the front by about the same amount, but it's worth remembering. Right now the next MOT feels fairly remote and I suspect I'll be on springs by then, but headlight adjustment can be the difference between joy and misery on a night journey in my experience, so I will be sure to check it out before driving at night.

Cheers Hans.

[Moneypit]

Hi Matt

Thought about investing in one of those myself. Then I fell lucky with the local garage.

With the pump you've got , can you drain the suspension back into it if needs be?

Had a problem with the valve on my front drivers side. The thread had gone and the high pressure connector wouldn't stay on. Had to hold in on by hand whilst I pumped it up. Oh for coil overs!!

As for handling, mine is pretty good in the dry but gets a little twitchy in the wet. Tends to have a litle bit of oversteer.

Pleased your enjoying the Midas though or ' funny little car' as my Audi driving neighbour insists on refering to mine

[Maphet]

Hi Matt

Thought about investing in one of those myself. Then I fell lucky with the local garage.

With the pump you've got , can you drain the suspension back into it if needs be?

Had a problem with the valve on my front drivers side. The thread had gone and the high pressure connector wouldn't stay on. Had to hold in on by hand whilst I pumped it up. Oh for coil overs!!

As for handling, mine is pretty good in the dry but gets a little twitchy in the wet. Tends to have a litle bit of oversteer.

Pleased your enjoying the Midas though or ' funny little car' as my Audi driving neighbour insists on refering to mine

I'm very pleased with the pump, but I don't think it can drain. I would have assumed that draining (even moderately controlled draining would be fairly easy to achieve. Am I missing something?

I imagine a stripped hydragas thread would be a nightmare. I'm glad you were able to find a workaround.

As it stands I haven't even got around to experimenting with tyre pressures to see what suits. SInce pumping up it all feels pretty secure, and I'm used to a Scimitar which is a very predictable beastie.

My best comment so far was in a garage, the chap filling up opposite me said 'Jesus that's bright, what is it?'

[Maphet]

So, this morning I wrote:

I imagine a stripped hydragas thread would be a nightmare. I'm glad you were able to find a workaround.

Well, now after a few hours of trying to get the damn thing to work, I now know just what a nightmare a stripped hydragas thread is. Again, it's the driver's side and the front, but this time there's simply nothing I can do about it. All very frustrating, so now it's down to the breakers for a 'new' hydragas unit at the next opportunity. So that's my next little 'project'!

Mind you, the Midas doesn't seem to mind, it's low, but not that low and she whizzes around (unlike) a go-cart. However, there is a damn sight more bounce on the passenger side at the front, and so I assume that she will handle and ride even better once it is done!

[Moneypit]

Sorry to hear that .
I have seen them for sale on e-bay but it all depends on whether you can get the old one out ok.
Is there no way you can hold the adapter onto the valve while somebody pumps it for you?
This is what I did to get me by. You loose some fluid and at something like 400psi it's not the easiest but can be done.
I took the battery and tray out for better access.

[Maphet]

Sorry to hear that .
I have seen them for sale on e-bay but it all depends on whether you can get the old one out ok.
Is there no way you can hold the adapter onto the valve while somebody pumps it for you?
This is what I did to get me by. You loose some fluid and at something like 400psi it's not the easiest but can be done.
I took the battery and tray out for better access.

I already have a couple sized up from a local breakers. To be honest I wouldn't be keen on holding anything generating that sort of psi, I'd be scared of inadvertently forcing high pressure hydragas fluid under my skin. I had the battery out too, it's a quick job which, as you say, makes life much easier. I reckon that the hydrogas swap looks a fairly doable job and I'll get to practice at the breakers first. Fingers crossed...

[Rich]

I already have a couple sized up from a local breakers. To be honest I wouldn't be keen on holding anything generating that sort of psi, I'd be scared of inadvertently forcing high pressure hydragas fluid under my skin. I had the battery out too, it's a quick job which, as you say, makes life much easier. I reckon that the hydrogas swap looks a fairly doable job and I'll get to practice at the breakers first. Fingers crossed...

Swapping the spheres at the front is as easy as you suspect. Let the pressure out, unbolt the side plate and pull the sphere out. To make it eaven easier you could remove the valve core, fully compress the suspension and replace the core, the rod should remain retracted. The biggest problem is usually caused by the ball joint sticking in the sphere due to corrosion.

[Maphet]

Swapping the spheres at the front is as easy as you suspect. Let the pressure out, unbolt the side plate and pull the sphere out. To make it eaven easier you could remove the valve core, fully compress the suspension and replace the core, the rod should remain retracted. The biggest problem is usually caused by the ball joint sticking in the sphere due to corrosion.

That's good news, I thought it looked pretty simple, but you really can't tell until you have done it. Is letting the pressure out as exciting as I worry it might be or is it just a fairly predictable flood of fluid? I have to confess that given the number of pumps it took to get a partially pressurised system up to pressure I rather suspect that an unpressurised one may take all day...