S210 spheres?

[welland99]

My S210 has made a thump from the rear end for a few months. It appeared to be after going over bumps, as if it was when the suspension was rebounding. Within the last week, it now appears to be a very hard ride and there is little to no travel in the rear suspension. But the ride height appears to be about right.

• The car is a 1999 facelifted model with 150k miles on the clock.

• The hydraulic fluid is at the correct level in the bottle and there are no apparent leaks anywhere.

1. Is it possible / likely that replacing the spheres will cure it?
2. Since the car is old, I like to consdider 2nd hand parts whenever possible. Is it possible to verify the condition of 2nd hand spheres with a visual inspection?
3. Anybody got good 2nd hand spheres for sale?

 

[nick mercedes]

I've got some £20 each, any help?

 

[welland99]

I've got some £20 each, any help?

Thanks. Yes, possibly. How old are they (how do you know they good?)?
Whereabouts are you? I'm in Worcestershire.

The first big issue is in the diagnosis, though. If I can be sure that changing the spheres will cure it, then I'm definitely interested.

 

[Charles Morgan]

I had this on my 210 estate. The spheres were changed and it did improve, but also it was found that the strut (what you think of as shock absorbers but aren't) was leaking, so we changed those too, and the ride was lovely. Check bushes too.

You should be able to get parts cheaply as 210s are being broken at a rate, spheres you are asking all the right questions.

 

[SilverSaloon]

I wouldnt fit 2nd hand spheres - i did this, hassle of a job to do and you find out you need to do it all over again....

they arnt that expensive from ebay/ECP. Try to get FEBI ones if you can. I have FEBI in one of my cars and a cheaper type in the other car. Both have been good for a while now...

 

[nick mercedes]

Thanks. Yes, possibly. How old are they (how do you know they good?)?

Car drove well, and only got stripped due to accident

Whereabouts are you? I'm in Worcestershire.

Haslemere, but post won't be fortunes.

The first big issue is in the diagnosis, though. If I can be sure that changing the spheres will cure it, then I'm definitely interested.

OK.

 

[welland99]

Just thinking through the possibilities of what else could cause my problems (Little or no travel in the suspension = very hard ride) and working out how to rule them out:

1) broken springs / collapsed spring perches. These issues should be easy to rule out with a simple visual inspection with the car off the ground (and probably wheels off).

2) seized hydraulic struts. If I jack up the car and the wheels lower from their current position, then this would indicate that the struts are not seized.

3) Self levelling system. I need some advice here. If I disconnect the actuator lever and operate it by hand, would the suspension still rise and fall if the spheres are shot?
Where exactly is this actuator? I have read that it's on the right rear - but in front or behind the wheel?

4) What about the actuator itself? I have not heard anybody mention a problem with these? Presumably if I move the actuator lever manually and the suspension does not rise and fall, then this would indicate a possible problem with the actuator valve?

5) Hydraulic pump. I understand that the same pump is used for the suspension and the power steering. The power steering is fine, so I rule out the pump.

6) Hydraulic fluid level is fine, so there aren't any leaks. I haven't read any comments that indicate that suspension problems have been caused by old fluid or blocked pipes, so I rule out this possibility.

Have I overlooked any other possibilities?

 

[hotrodder]

Yeah, disconnecting the linkage and moving it by hand should work the SLS. With the engine running moving the valve to the fill position should pump the back up while moving it the other way should let the back drop under gravity. Assuming the layout is very similar on the 210 as it is on an s124 the SLS valve is forward and to the right of the diff and driven by a linkage connected to a lever bolted to the anti roll bar. If you haven't got access to a 4 post lift be careful not to squash yourself!

On an early 210 (at least) i think it's the pump is the same/similar tandom pump set up as some 124 models i.e. one belt driven body with two seperate pumps in it? IIRC there's a shear pin in it so if one side seizes it doesn't kill the other but inoperative SLS shouldn't ruin the ride as such, just stop it from self levelling. Fluid is constantly pumped around when the engine is running and just diverted back to the resevoir until the SLS valve sends more to the struts to lift the back when necessary

If you've got a hard/bouncy ride then 99% of the time it'll be dead spheres and the other 1% of the time it's probably dead spheres + something else?
At 150K if there's no evidence of your spheres having been changed they're pretty much guarenteed to be on the way out at least
Part # should be A1403280215, Lemforder 11001 or FEBI 03277 i believe. When i changed the spheres on mine eurocraparts were one of the most expensive sources other than MB, both Lemforder? I got febi from Wunderpartz (are they still trading?) FWIW but googling the febi part number will get you someone having a 'real' sale on these at the moment. Still more than used ones which may have loads of life in them but might not.

 

[welland99]

Car drove well, and only got stripped due to accident.

I see. Have you any idea of the age or mileage on the spheres?
Have you still got the car, or any other parts?

 

[nick mercedes]

I see. Have you any idea of the age or mileage on the spheres?

No idea, but in the spirit of ebay and oldham based car breaking I can pretend that the car had done 30k miles and that they were new on last year.

But seriously it was a well maintained car that belonged to someone on a Mercedes forum who had paid quite a lot of money for it only a couple of years ago.

So I don't think there's anything wrong with the spheres.

Have you still got the car, or any other parts?

The shell is still here, but most parts have gone now, I do have another 100% complete one for breaking though.

 

[renault12ts]

I do have another 100% complete one for breaking though.

Nick, is this a facelift? If yes, is the high level brake light lens in good order with no splits etc? If yes...how much posted to Belfast?

 

[nick mercedes]

Nick, is this a facelift? If yes, is the high level brake light lens in good order with no splits etc? If yes...how much posted to Belfast?

It's this one:

https://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/2002-mercedes-e220-cdi-estate/1139639858

I'll have a look at the lens, always seem to break getting them out though.

 

[renault12ts]

It's this one:

https://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/2002-mercedes-e220-cdi-estate/1139639858

I'll have a look at the lens, always seem to break getting them out though.

Have a go please. Funny rear screen...it's from a pre facelift.

 

[nick mercedes]

Have a go please. Funny rear screen...it's from a pre facelift.

I think so, possibly an autowindscreens botch.

Rust free car though, which is why I gave it another chance to go back on the road, but only messers and loons have rung up.

 

[welland99]

Getting back to the main point about my suspension..........

I watched my wife drive it away today and there is definitely some movement in the suspension. I haven't jacked it up yet though, so haven't observed if the wheels drop as the body rises.

I have reversed it up onto ramps and:
a). Checked the springs and mounting points. Nothing appears broken here.
b) disconnected the actuator lever and moved it to both extremities by hand. There was no rise or fall in the suspension when the engine was held between 1500 and 2000 rpm.

So, assuming that the struts are not seized (I'll jack it up tomorrow to check), are my findings still consistent with expired spheres?

I suppose that I could check that there is hydraulic pressure in the pipe by loosening the bleed nipple and checking that fluid does out. But where is the bleed point (s)? Or is the system blked through the pipe joints?

 

[hotrodder]

There's a bleed nipple on the SLS valve (on 124s at least). Simple check for the pump is to see if any fluid is being pumped back into the resevoir via the return in it's cap

I know it's about the 124 and 201 but 32 Suspension covers the SLS system including an overview of how it works (32-0501) and while a 210 might have some detail differences it's exactly the same in principle?

A hard/bouncy ride still points to the spheres as they take care of virtually all the springing and damping, the coil springs set the basic ride height and the hydraulic struts allow the ride height to change

 

[welland99]

Just remembered something I was going to ask.........

What is the correct height of the rear suspension?
From this normal height, how much down and up movement should there be when the actuator moves to the extremities?

 

[welland99]

There's a bleed nipple on the SLS valve (on 124s at least). Simple check for the pump is to see if any fluid is being pumped back into the resevoir via the return in it's cap

I know it's about the 124 and 201 but 32 Suspension covers the SLS system including an overview of how it works (32-0501) and while a 210 might have some detail differences it's exactly the same in principle?

A hard/bouncy ride still points to the spheres as they take care of virtually all the springing and damping, the coil springs set the basic ride height and the hydraulic struts allow the ride height to change

thanks for the link. Às it happens, my 210 is different. The lever is attached to an electronic box not to the valve itself. I've hunted around the web and found that the w210 is like the 124, but I can't find a diagram of an s210 like mine.

I'll have another look underneath tomorrow.

 

[welland99]

Here are some photos of my electronic level detector (with the linkage disconnected).

 

[a111r]

Here are some photos of my electronic level detector (with the linkage disconnected).

Wrong one, that's for your Xenon headlights.

The SLS valve and linkage is on the same side (off side), right above the diff.
Hardly possible to be more inaccessible.