Well, I took the plunge and replaced both accumulators tonight. Followed most of the DIY write-ups located here and at Mercedesshop.com. Pretty straight forward except there seems to be differing opinions on how or if you need to bleed the system after the procedure is complete.
We all know that your going to end up with an unholy mess when you remove the old accumulators. This time was no different. I even managed to lay my head in the drip pan! The rest was pretty painless.
I followed ALLDATADIY.com on the last step in the procedure. It calls for ensuring that there is adequate oil in the reservoir. So I poured about a half of a quart into the reservoir. Disconnected the level controller lever and moved it to the FILL (F) position. Started the car and and ran it for about a minute. Shut it down and checked the oil level again. It was way down. Added another quart to bring the level up into spec. I then moved the lever to the EMPTY(L) position. Heard a hissing sound followed by a squirting sound-followed by a dripping sound! (Car still off and still up on jack stands). Hustled around to the front of the car and saw hydraulic fluid squirting out of the top of the reservoir[:0]
Had to siphon out about 6oz to get the fluid level within spec. This is not counting the large oil stain on my garage wall.
What the hell happened?
After I cleaned up my mess I took the car for a spin. Rides much better now. Oil level is perfect.
Any comments?
Paul
PS Both accumulators had zero pressure- had a lot of "seafoam" when I removed the hyd lines on the old accumulators. Car has 95,000 miles on it.
We all know that your going to end up with an unholy mess when you remove the old accumulators. This time was no different. I even managed to lay my head in the drip pan! The rest was pretty painless.
I followed ALLDATADIY.com on the last step in the procedure. It calls for ensuring that there is adequate oil in the reservoir. So I poured about a half of a quart into the reservoir. Disconnected the level controller lever and moved it to the FILL (F) position. Started the car and and ran it for about a minute. Shut it down and checked the oil level again. It was way down. Added another quart to bring the level up into spec. I then moved the lever to the EMPTY(L) position. Heard a hissing sound followed by a squirting sound-followed by a dripping sound! (Car still off and still up on jack stands). Hustled around to the front of the car and saw hydraulic fluid squirting out of the top of the reservoir[:0]
Had to siphon out about 6oz to get the fluid level within spec. This is not counting the large oil stain on my garage wall.
What the hell happened?
After I cleaned up my mess I took the car for a spin. Rides much better now. Oil level is perfect.
Any comments?
Paul
PS Both accumulators had zero pressure- had a lot of "seafoam" when I removed the hyd lines on the old accumulators. Car has 95,000 miles on it.