[autocomman]

Questions on setting SLS height for a wagon

I'm curious about setting the SLS on a 95 w124 wagon. I know about the 4mm pin, the 'normalised position of the arm and the valve, but are you supposed to put weight in the car when setting? Is there a drop point to which the car should pick back up? I read conflicting things it seems and I wanna be sure I do it once and that's it. I read descrepencies about putting a little weight in the back then setting the normal position

 

[humblejoe]

I don't know of a factory procedure, but I'd think you set it empty. It will self adjust when you add weight, no?
Mine does with at least 80lbs (two kids)

 

[luckymike]

I believe the factory procedure requires very specialized tools to measure ride height so most of us go by appearance.

The rear ride height is determined by a combination of the spring/spring pad height and the 'basic' pressure in the sls system. If you get under the rear of the car and disconnect the link between the sls valve and the sway bar, you can manually operate the sls valve. Experiment with moving the lever all the way up with the engine running. The car will raise, thinking it has weight in it. Then lower the lever (past neutral) until the car stops dropping. This is your ride height.

If you like it, return the lever to the neutral position and check to see if the link fits back in the hole you took it out of without adjustment. Adjust it if necessary.

Drive the car a little and see if you're still happy with the height.

If it's too low, your options are to install thicker spring pads or longer springs. You can also raise the car by adjusting the sls link lever. Shortening it will add pressure to the system and raise the car.

If the car is too high, your only option is to reduce the length of the spring or install a thinner spring pad. You can't adjust the height below the basic pressure/spring combo. I've tried!