MGB281

I suggest that you Jack the car up one corner at a time and using a pry bar check for any movement or soft bushes. I replaced every bush and ball joint during refurbishment and it was still very noisy, a second four wheel alignment vastly reduced the knocking noise. New polybushes for the engine mounts because the exhaust down pipe knocks the subframe on severe bumps.

digcot65 wrote:

Sorry made a real prat of myself looking at the wrong master cylinder Good job there is a forum to correct stupid mistakes Len

Always remember that the person who never made a mistake never made anything

If it has a KMaps upgrade it could have the pops and bangs addition, I didn’t want it on ours.
Over fifty years ago I used to drive a petrol LandRover to go to social events. Coming home late at night we would turn off the ignition while driving through the small villages for a couple of seconds then back on again which resulted in an almighty bang. I have now grown up a little.

I would take it back and get them to get the rear camber correctly adjusted. Yours being a 2003 car has adjustable lower links, that is unless you have fitted the later fixed length ones. The adjustable links could be rusted solid which may explain why they haven’t done it though. It’s a bit of a pfaff to get it right because adjusting the camber alters the toe in so they have to adjust both simultaneously. If you set the toe then the camber the toe will be incorrect again, it’s a case of keeping making small adjustments until both are correct. Having said that I don’t think the rear camber would have such an affect on the stability of the car, I am sure that you have play some where.
A few years ago my middle son who bought a Ford Ka to flip, the seller told him that he had hit a kerb and bent the front suspension. All new parts were fitted but the car was just like you describe, the seller gave up and my son bought it with the defect. The first thing he did was to get the tracking done but there was no improvement, he had the tracking done a second time and still no improvement. Neither establishment could offer an explanation. One day he brought it over to me and I jacked the front end up and using a pry bar found one of the bushes was perished. I presume the shock of hitting the kerb was transferred from the offside to near side which caused it to fail. A new bush cured the problem, I suggest doing the same with a pry bar to see if you have any play.

Front camber and caster isn’t adjustable, due to manufacturing tolerances on old jigs not many TF’s would be exactly correct. If it’s not far out you will have to accept it. All early TF’s had adjustable rear camber but later ones didn’t. Has the wandering changed and the light steering?

You might be interested in reading this, it’s really more about installing a sound deadening kit than the engine cover though.

https://www.mgexp.com/forum/modern-mg-forum.54/soundproofing-kit-for-mgf-mgtf.4774080/

In case anyone thinks that I made an error I can confirm they used two degrees toe in at the rear. The “technician” said that the equipment comes already programmed and they only select from a menu. Presumably every place using that equipment is using the wrong data which is why I am convinced that any TF owner complaining of poor or worse handling has either tracking or tyre issues.
Interestingly the place where I wanted the tracking done (they have a 3 or 4 week waiting list) told me that most places in Taunton don’t do it correctly.

What is quite astonishing is that ATS couldn’t put the correct data into the tracking equipment’s database. They had to use the incorrect data and adjust the geometry to an “incorrect “ setting to get it adjusted correctly. I am on the other side of the world at the moment but IIRC they were using two degrees rear toe in. They also claimed that they don’t adjust camber as part of the alignment. If you watch yours being done you see the camber alters with the toe adjustment.

As EllisoJo states I had problems with ATS, I had replaced every ball joint front and rear,autobushes all round and the Bilstein kit. The tyres are Falkens which were all made the same week. After fitting all those new parts I took it to ATS for a four wheel alignment check and when it came back it was truly awful even to the point of being dangerous on bumpy corners. I checked the print out from ATS and IIRC the rear tracking was set at four degrees toe in and the camber was set differently each side.
They reluctantly agreed to re do it FOC but would not accept any problems linked to a “wrong alignment setting” when I got it back a quick drive over the Quantock Hills showed that the handling had been transformed. The crashing noises from the suspension that I put down to the autobushes had gone and the ride was improved. This improvement was solely down to the rear alignment, the front had been done properly the first time.
I am now quite convinced that anyone complaining of handling problems should get the rear alignment checked but take the correct figures with you.
A great road to try out your handling are those on Exmoor in a triangle between Exford, Porlock and Lynmouth.

One bit of advice is to buy a hand pallet truck, I bought one off eBay for about £35. You also need a strong pallet the size of the subframe. It make the job so much easier than trying to wheel the subframe out on the road wheels. When it comes to reinstalling you find it ridiculously easy.