Hydrolastic

MGF. If I don't pump up my hydrolastic will I d o any damage (apart from the car riding a lot lower and me feeling every bump)?

At the age of even the newest f the system is outmoded.
The space between pump ups grows shorter with age, think of it as a reciprocal of an old blokes needing a piss, he wants a drain & your car needs a fill.
How far you can leave it between pump up depends on the condition of your system; is there a rule of thumb, I’m unaware of one, historically, it sags you get it pumped up.
Or if it won’t pump up get it repaired & these days that’s not as straightforward as in days of old, it’s also an investment.
When you come afresh to an f it’s one of the first things you have to come to terms with & that involves a tape measure & a search for someone with a dusty pump at the back of a long established garage.
So the next question is how far down is it? Then, is it on both sides? Is the banging about really bad? And then unfortunately, how much do you want to invest in your car?
M

Thanks for your reply. The car is getting a bit old and I guess I will have to live with fairly regular pump-ups. Luckily I have found a guy locally who has the pump - the original green one that I believe should ideally be used. He is going to do it on Friday.

If you’re in for the long run & I hope you are, do consider having your spheres reworked.
I’m fortunate as I have a pump & although I’ve a spare set of reworked spheres I’ve still not changed them over.
Note to self: pull your finger out when you get home & get the job done.
You are most probably aware about reworking your units however there are two approaches, the first & most popular is the welding on of a shrader fitting to recharge the top half with nitrogen, the second & the route I’ve taken is to have them filled just as they were when manufactured.
The chap who does this lives in Stockport & it won’t take you long to find him, it’s then up to you the route you choose.
Good luck & keep us posted.
M

HELLO Corky, The Hydragas spheres are in two parts, the top section is filled with Nitrogen Gas, which acts as a spring, the bottom part is filled with a water based fluid, this is pumped up to 400psi which should bring the car to the correct height (368mm from u/s wheel arch to wheel centre, measured at the front ONLY) the two parts are separated with a thick rubber membrane. the Nitrogen gas leaks out over time which is why the car sinks ( Dunlop, the manufacturer gave the units a life of 15 years) Leaving the rivet plug used to seal the top section can perforate the rubber membrane rendering the sphere SCRAP. the regular pumping up with fluid is only replacing the lost gas. I have a 1996 F and two years ago I had Ian & Dawn Kennedy (hahsltd.co.uk) fit re-gassed spheres to my car which absolutely transformed the ride, it is now a pleasure to drive. There was no gas left in the top section. The harsh bumpy ride is now gone, it glides like a ''Magic Carpet'' the test I was asked to do after fitting was to drive the car over road humps at 30mph, which it takes with ease. I have owned my F since 2007 and I now wish that I should have replaced the spheres earlier. I have a Liquid Levers pump which I bought from a MG dealership which had closed down. the earlier pumps were made by Churchill and were known as Darlek's - If you have any questions, just ask and I will try to help