Hey comrades..
Here is my story of how I bypassed the Self Leveling Suspension and installed "normal" Bilsten rear shocks on my S320.
A few months back I uploaded a pic of my car to this forum, and one member pointed out to me that the back of my car is "sagging" very low.
Upon further inspection, I too had to agree something was not right with the rear suspension. It was even sagging more one side than the other! lol
After many months of learning about the W140 on this forum and other resources, I thought it could be the "Spheres" or "accumulators" as they are also known.
One thing that also bothered me about my S320 is that the ride at the back was very rough, and you would feel every bump. To make things even worse, there would be a loud "Clunk" when going over even small bumps. I guess ignored this for a long time by just putting the music louder lol..
But enough was enough..
So I bought two used "Spheres" at my local breakers for $100. I printed out the DIY guide on V12Uberalles about replacing these spheres.
I read through it multiple times untill I understood how the SLS hydraulic system works completely. It made me feel confident that I could do this job by myself... lol, oh how wrong was I..
It was almost impossible for me to loosen any bolts on the accumulators, even though I sprayed some "Q10" to loosen them up. I did call a mechanic to do the repair, but the prices that he quoted me were unsatisfactory. Not to mention, there were no guarantees that the system would work after replacing only the "spheres."
Im glad that all of that happened, because I remembered that the white S320 LWB which was brought into the breakers about 3 weeks ago had normal rear shocks, which were in great condition.
So my best move, (which I dont regret at all) I took the spheres back to the breakers and swapped them out for the "normal" Bilsten rear shocks from the S320 LWB in the yard. All I had to do was add an extra $30, and both shocks were mine That means I got 2 Great condition Bilsten shocks for only $130!!
Saturday came, and I decided I was going to tackle this job. I have replaced rear shocks on my ex-BMW 3-series, so it did not seem so daunting at all.
You will need:
1 x Jack
1 x average car jack (from a toyota or chev)
1 x Car stand (2 Ton +)
2 x Bilsten shocks (or what ever brand you prefer)
2 x 19" spanners + sockets and rachet
1 x 17" spanner
1 x allan key (forgot the size)
2 x 13" (spanner size) bolts
2 x small coins
1 x roll of plumbing tape
Step 1:
Jack up the car, secure it on the stand right below the jack point. (A piece of wood to buffer between the car and stand is a good idea)
Remove the wheel.
Step 2:
Loosen the nut and bolt that hold the shock / strut at the bottom. (2 x 19" spanner / sockets)
Step 3:
Open the trunk, remove the carpet on the sides, untill you can see the bolt that holds the top of the shock / strut to the body.
loosen, and remove the nut completely. (A good idea is to lay inside the trunk while you removing the nut, more comfortable that way)
The shock / strut should drop out of the top. If not, a light tap with a hammer should do the trick lol..
Step 4:
Loosen and remove the nut and bolt that hold the shock / strut at the bottom. The shock / strut should be completely free now.
Step 5:
Using a 19" and an 17" spanner, loosen the hose connection at the point where the hydraulic cable on the strut connects to the next hose. (HAVE A CONTAINER
TO CATCH THE HYDRAULIC FLUID, BE CAREFUL THIS IS A VERY MESSY STEP) Disconnect the hose completely and let it drain into the container.
Step 6:
This is the step where I had to get a little creative. How to block the hydraulic line, and bypass the SLS system completely.
At this step others may do it differently, but this is how I did mine.
I cut of the head of the hydraulic line from the strut. I then screwed in a thick bolt (13" spanner size) into the piece of rubber hose
that is on the head. Some plumbing tape also was used.
Then I took a 1c coin. Held it with a pair of pliers and filed it down untill it could fit into the hole of the head. ( I had to dig into
my coin collection because they dont make these anymore lol, but I have quite a few of these)
I then connected this head back onto the hydraulic line, and tightend the bolts as far as they would go.
Hydraulic line now completely sealed off. No leaks.
Step 7:
Install the replacement shock, (slide behind the brake line) and connect it loosely at the top.
Use the average car jack to lift the hub so that the holes align at the bottom of the shock. (you can NOT use a Mercedes jack for this step)
Insert the bolt and nut at the bottom of the shock and tighten it as best as you can.
Then go to the truck and tighten that nut as best as you can. (You might need an allen key here to hold the bolt from turning)
Once everything is tight, ONLY then you may lower and remove the average car jack from the hub.
Check that all bolts are tight as they can be.
Step 8:
Fit the wheel back on, and remove the car from the stand.
Step 9: Start the car, run the engine for a minute or two, then while reving it up to 1500RPM, turn the steering gently left and right multiple times. This should excersize the hydraulic system.
Turn the engine off, and check both the Hydraulic tank, and the power steering resivor. Top up with recommended hydraulic fluid if needed.
Now repeat all the same steps on the other side, and then CONGRATULATIONS! No more SLS headaches lol!
Side note:
Thank God that I decided not to repair my SLS, and rather install these normal shocks. When I removed the struts from my car,
The liquid was milky (indicating the spheres have definitely gone bad) and BOTH struts were damaged and would have needed to have been
replaced anyway! So on top of the money I spent for the spheres, I would still have had to buy BOTH hydraulic struts! I dont even want to know how much that would have cost me if I went that road. And even if I did replace those parts, there still would be no guarantee that the rear suspension would be back to normal, maybe another part of the system has also failed and would also need
more cash to been thrown at lol..
(Not that I will miss the SLS on the car, My S500 has also got SLS so I can enjoy when I drive that car. My S320 does not need it)
So now I am completely happy with ride quality of my S320 All it cost me was $130 and one Saturday morning to eradicate this problem.
I saved alot of money on this repair, especially since I did it myself. And you can too!
Here is my story of how I bypassed the Self Leveling Suspension and installed "normal" Bilsten rear shocks on my S320.
A few months back I uploaded a pic of my car to this forum, and one member pointed out to me that the back of my car is "sagging" very low.
Upon further inspection, I too had to agree something was not right with the rear suspension. It was even sagging more one side than the other! lol
After many months of learning about the W140 on this forum and other resources, I thought it could be the "Spheres" or "accumulators" as they are also known.
One thing that also bothered me about my S320 is that the ride at the back was very rough, and you would feel every bump. To make things even worse, there would be a loud "Clunk" when going over even small bumps. I guess ignored this for a long time by just putting the music louder lol..
But enough was enough..
So I bought two used "Spheres" at my local breakers for $100. I printed out the DIY guide on V12Uberalles about replacing these spheres.
I read through it multiple times untill I understood how the SLS hydraulic system works completely. It made me feel confident that I could do this job by myself... lol, oh how wrong was I..
It was almost impossible for me to loosen any bolts on the accumulators, even though I sprayed some "Q10" to loosen them up. I did call a mechanic to do the repair, but the prices that he quoted me were unsatisfactory. Not to mention, there were no guarantees that the system would work after replacing only the "spheres."
Im glad that all of that happened, because I remembered that the white S320 LWB which was brought into the breakers about 3 weeks ago had normal rear shocks, which were in great condition.
So my best move, (which I dont regret at all) I took the spheres back to the breakers and swapped them out for the "normal" Bilsten rear shocks from the S320 LWB in the yard. All I had to do was add an extra $30, and both shocks were mine That means I got 2 Great condition Bilsten shocks for only $130!!
Saturday came, and I decided I was going to tackle this job. I have replaced rear shocks on my ex-BMW 3-series, so it did not seem so daunting at all.
You will need:
1 x Jack
1 x average car jack (from a toyota or chev)
1 x Car stand (2 Ton +)
2 x Bilsten shocks (or what ever brand you prefer)
2 x 19" spanners + sockets and rachet
1 x 17" spanner
1 x allan key (forgot the size)
2 x 13" (spanner size) bolts
2 x small coins
1 x roll of plumbing tape
Step 1:
Jack up the car, secure it on the stand right below the jack point. (A piece of wood to buffer between the car and stand is a good idea)
Remove the wheel.
Step 2:
Loosen the nut and bolt that hold the shock / strut at the bottom. (2 x 19" spanner / sockets)
Step 3:
Open the trunk, remove the carpet on the sides, untill you can see the bolt that holds the top of the shock / strut to the body.
loosen, and remove the nut completely. (A good idea is to lay inside the trunk while you removing the nut, more comfortable that way)
The shock / strut should drop out of the top. If not, a light tap with a hammer should do the trick lol..
Step 4:
Loosen and remove the nut and bolt that hold the shock / strut at the bottom. The shock / strut should be completely free now.
Step 5:
Using a 19" and an 17" spanner, loosen the hose connection at the point where the hydraulic cable on the strut connects to the next hose. (HAVE A CONTAINER
TO CATCH THE HYDRAULIC FLUID, BE CAREFUL THIS IS A VERY MESSY STEP) Disconnect the hose completely and let it drain into the container.
Step 6:
This is the step where I had to get a little creative. How to block the hydraulic line, and bypass the SLS system completely.
At this step others may do it differently, but this is how I did mine.
I cut of the head of the hydraulic line from the strut. I then screwed in a thick bolt (13" spanner size) into the piece of rubber hose
that is on the head. Some plumbing tape also was used.
Then I took a 1c coin. Held it with a pair of pliers and filed it down untill it could fit into the hole of the head. ( I had to dig into
my coin collection because they dont make these anymore lol, but I have quite a few of these)
I then connected this head back onto the hydraulic line, and tightend the bolts as far as they would go.
Hydraulic line now completely sealed off. No leaks.
Step 7:
Install the replacement shock, (slide behind the brake line) and connect it loosely at the top.
Use the average car jack to lift the hub so that the holes align at the bottom of the shock. (you can NOT use a Mercedes jack for this step)
Insert the bolt and nut at the bottom of the shock and tighten it as best as you can.
Then go to the truck and tighten that nut as best as you can. (You might need an allen key here to hold the bolt from turning)
Once everything is tight, ONLY then you may lower and remove the average car jack from the hub.
Check that all bolts are tight as they can be.
Step 8:
Fit the wheel back on, and remove the car from the stand.
Step 9: Start the car, run the engine for a minute or two, then while reving it up to 1500RPM, turn the steering gently left and right multiple times. This should excersize the hydraulic system.
Turn the engine off, and check both the Hydraulic tank, and the power steering resivor. Top up with recommended hydraulic fluid if needed.
Now repeat all the same steps on the other side, and then CONGRATULATIONS! No more SLS headaches lol!
Side note:
Thank God that I decided not to repair my SLS, and rather install these normal shocks. When I removed the struts from my car,
The liquid was milky (indicating the spheres have definitely gone bad) and BOTH struts were damaged and would have needed to have been
replaced anyway! So on top of the money I spent for the spheres, I would still have had to buy BOTH hydraulic struts! I dont even want to know how much that would have cost me if I went that road. And even if I did replace those parts, there still would be no guarantee that the rear suspension would be back to normal, maybe another part of the system has also failed and would also need
more cash to been thrown at lol..
(Not that I will miss the SLS on the car, My S500 has also got SLS so I can enjoy when I drive that car. My S320 does not need it)
So now I am completely happy with ride quality of my S320 All it cost me was $130 and one Saturday morning to eradicate this problem.
I saved alot of money on this repair, especially since I did it myself. And you can too!