190E 2.6 front spring part numbers

[chrisd87]

Hi all. Is anyone able to advise as to whether I've been supplied the correct front springs for my 190E 2.6, which has the 650 (sports chassis with 15-hole alloy wheels) option code? I've been supplied p/n A201 321 23 04. The car has an automatic gearbox and no air con.

The story...

One of the front springs on my car had fractured near the bottom, so I decided to replace both front springs and shocks. Having seen some old Mercs with new aftermarket springs riding way too high, I decided to go with genuine springs from my local (very helpful) MB dealer. I gave them the chassis number and made them aware of the presence of the 650 option code on the data card. I bought Sachs 115 070 aftermarket shocks, which are listed as being correct for the 190E 2.6 with sports chassis.

The dealer supplied springs with the part number A201 321 23 04, along with matching rubber buffers. When I got the old springs out, I noticed that they're much shorter than the new spring. With the respective rubber buffers fitted, the new springs are about 35mm longer than the (unbroken) old one. Thinking this was probably just down to sag, I fitted the new springs and shocks. Unfortunately the ride height is much higher than before - nearly a 5cm bigger wheelarch-to-tyre gap. The ride height looks similar to my 190D 2.5, which has standard suspension. I've driven the car about 50 miles and it hasn't settled significantly.

I phoned the dealer to explain and got them to double-check the part number they'd supplied, and they were certain it was correct. I'm not so sure, so wondered if anyone was able to confirm? Thanks.

 

[neilrr]

Post your VIN.

 

[Will]

It’s likely as you mention, the old springs had sagged quite a bit with age. Are the spring pads the same thickness as before (number of nibs) - you could always opt for the thinnest pad anyway to minimise the ride height.

But what I was going to mention, is that you’ve replaced the springs at the same time as fitting new shocks. Those Sachs 115 070 shocks, have quite a bit of pressure in them and self-extend which supports some of the vehicle weight. They will definitely increase the ride height a bit versus the old dampers (even if you hadn’t changed the springs)

Post a picture side on to show the ride height if you have one?

 

[optimusprime]

Post your vin number

 

[grober]

Post your Vin number----number of pips on your front spring pads----and the colour codes on the new springs----spring height----- and coil cross-section diameter.
At that time many MB springs of the same rating came with 2 forms---- long/blueflash or short/red flash

SPRINGS AND SUSPENSION,FRONT MERCEDES 190 E 2.6 AUSTRALIA (201029)

Parts for unit SPRINGS AND SUSPENSION,FRONT MERCEDES 190 E 2.6 AUSTRALIA (201029)

www.ilcats.ru

http://web1.carparts-cat.com/default.aspx?230=1&1271=48&1272=6fcd468b-7ae3-4e74-9ef1-28c0e2f2a9e7&1273=1&34=0,100011,100113&36=188&35=0&32=347&14=4&1220=1&10=7123068694E4465C87B9F5ACBE230834014004&12=130

http://web1.carparts-cat.com/defaul...7123068694E4465C87B9F5ACBE230834014004&12=130

looks like A201 321 3804 is your part no?

 

[grober]

 

[chrisd87]

Thanks for the replies. I'll send the VIN privately to those who have asked for it.

The springs themselves have a red paint mark, along with one green and four yellow dots. The part number has "RBW A 14/03" next to it. The new rubber buffers are much thinner than the old ones. The old buffers had three 'nibs', whereas there is only one 'nib' on the new parts. I've attached a picture of the new spring, along with a comparison showing the length of the old and new.

The point about the shock absorbers is a good one that I hadn't considered. The old shocks were really finished with - when you press the rod down and release it, they don't come back up at all of their own accord. The new ones come back up strongly and smoothly. Perhaps they are helping the spring sag less under the weight of the car? It must be said that the rear of the car (still on the old springs and shocks) sags very easily. When fully loaded it is not far from the bump stops when stationary.

 

[grober]

SPRINGS AND SUSPENSION,FRONT MERCEDES 190 [Car] [CHASSIS] (EUROPA)

SPRINGS AND SUSPENSION,FRONT MERCEDES 190 [Car] [CHASSIS] (EUROPA)

mercedes.7zap.com

 

[optimusprime]

Your specs

 

[optimusprime]

Spring number is derived from items that came with the model from new like auto box is 4 points and so on .. even the steel engine cover as a number .. and all the other main items that make up the car about 6 in total all add up to a number that points to the right springs you need .

 

[optimusprime]

like this

 

[optimusprime]

Any good ?

 

[Will]

The point about the shock absorbers is a good one that I hadn't considered. The old shocks were really finished with - when you press the rod down and release it, they don't come back up at all of their own accord. The new ones come back up strongly and smoothly. Perhaps they are helping the spring sag less under the weight of the car? It must be said that the rear of the car (still on the old springs and shocks) sags very easily. When fully loaded it is not far from the bump stops when stationary.

I looked into this in quite some depth a few years back when I installed an identical set of these dampers to a W201.

I remember finding it surprising just how much pressure there was in the dampers to self extend, and I recall they also increased the ride height on the vehicle to which they were installed by quite some margin.

I tested the damper off the car and it supported quite a large amount of weight, something like 10-20kg before it would even begin to drop/compress.

So it had the same effect as lightening the front of the car by 20-40kg or pulling upwards on the car by the same amount of force.

I suspect that a significant amount of the increased ride height will be from the new dampers, and likewise some from those springs. Hence the effect of both being replaced at the same time is more pronounced. Clearly on 30+ year old springs (one broken) and dampers the car will have been far lower than it should have been. Do you have a picture to show the ride of the car currently?

Out of interest, did you replace the top mounts at all?

 

[optimusprime]

And more

 

[chrisd87]

Thank you to Grober and Optimusprime for the information. Everything points to the correct spring being either A201 321 37 04 or 38 04. Bizarre that the MB dealer is adamant that 23 04 is correct. When I next get the opportunity to park it on flat ground, I will take a picture of how the car sits. It does have a noticeable 'nose up' attitude, with quite a gap between the wheel arch and tyre at the front, whereas the rear sits very low.

I didn't replace the strut top mounts at the same time as the shocks. I replaced them about 40,000 miles ago in 2017 so didn't think it necessary.

I will have to have a word with the MB dealer about the springs. Hopefully they will accept they have supplied the wrong ones, once they see how the car is sitting.

 

[optimusprime]

Chris not only springs change the hight but the rubber cushions the spring sits in ...have these been changed at the same time ? With a large M103 engine i would think it would sit lower on the front .Most cars run nose down .

 

[optimusprime]

Road hight of 260E

 

[optimusprime]

The dimensions of the 190E

 

[chrisd87]

An update on this - I visited the MB dealer again today and discussed the issue. They now accept they supplied the wrong part number. We added up the points and the correct spring is A201 321 37 04..... which is no longer available! The dealer has ordered 38 04, which we are going to compare to the length of the originals, which I still have. I'm slightly concerned that these springs might also result in an excessive ride height or an excessively firm ride. We may be able to adjust the former using different rubber buffers. Complicating matters is that 37 04 is still available on the aftermarket from the likes of Sachs. I'm not sure whether to go with the 38 04 genuine springs or aftermarket 37 04s. Thoughts anyone?

Thanks.

 

[optimusprime]

chrisd Why not message Sachs and ask them .