Mercedes w124 estate clonking from rear

[chester the dog]

Hi All

Im new to this site but use it regularly to carry out maintenance. Perhaps someone could point me in the right direction with a new problem.

Last week i changed the rear spheres on my 280 estate car, its a 1995 and has done 215k so i think it deserved them, particularly as the rear was rock hard over bumps.

I changed them with all the normal problems of skinning my knuckles and on and off two days later i fired her up. A test drive proved it to be the right thing to do, as the car was super smooth and suspension worked well. I left the car for the last 5 days and went out in it today and the suspension is smooth but the passenger side sphere is clonking like mad.

Also i am not sure if it worked before but the self leveling suspension does not level, i put the wife and kids in the rear facing seats and it stayed where it was. May be the little silver valve attached to the rear anti roll bar? when i did the spheres and jacked the rear up it sounded like a spring was catching with a creaking noise all the time until it was fully up?

Does anyone have any idears, if so all info is greatfully received.

Many thanks

Andrew

 

[grober]

The self levelling is operated by a valve which has an arm connected to the rear anti roll bar via an adjustable threaded link. As the roll bar rotates with car movement it operates the valve causing a self levelling effect. Sometimes the link can break thro corrosion or the plastic connecting rods at the end of the roll bar connected to the rear suspension arms can seize/snap either way the self levelling wont operate correctly. Sounds as if something broke/was displaced when you replaced the spheres?

 

[chester the dog]

Hi Graeme, thanks for taking the time to help. The linkage is all intact and conected, however its really stiff to move by hand and feels jamed but when i jack up the car or let it down it does make a noise and appears to move? Do these ever fail internally do you know or perhaps the pump in the power steering casing is defective?
I read another thread and they had air in the system, perhaps that could be the clunking noise? i plan to do some miles over the weekend so hopefully that will reveal more.
Thanks again
Andrew