w210 Rear levelling shocks

[ShinyF1]

Is this the fault indicated by 'Steering Gear Oil' on the display?

 

[proser]

Rather than actually faulty the valve could well be stuck up with debris as the MB hydraulic system isn't a recirculating one and nobody changes the oil.

That surprises me, as the layout of pipes give the impression that it does recirculate. So how does it return fluid to drop the back when a load has been taken off ?

Try holding it in the raise position for several seconds with the engine running and see if that works, alternatively disconnect the output to the rams pipe and operate it then, it should gush fluid out.
It's worth stripping and cleaning the valve if it won't work.

I did undo the bleed nipple and allow an amount of fluid to flow out and seemed to have a bit of air in it.

If you can get it to deliver some fluid change the oil but add half a cup full of diesel/paraffin/turps to flush the system out. Run like that for a few weeks using the self leveling as much as possible then change the oil again.

I may well do that before Monday, as we are going away in the caravan, and this will give it a work out


Update: I took it for a drive this afternoon and the back has come down and it looks level with the front now but will know on Monday if it going to level off with the caravan on

 

[proser]

Is this the fault indicated by 'Steering Gear Oil' on the display?

I would say so - fluid is low in the reservoir.

 

[ShinyF1]

Mine occasionally reports the fault with a full boot, and heavy roof load.

 

[Dieselman]

That surprises me, as the layout of pipes give the impression that it does recirculate. So how does it return fluid to drop the back when a load has been taken off ?

It does recirculate when the height alters, but most of the time it doesn't do that due to the springs holding the car up, unlike a Citroen where the whole weight of the car is supported by the fluid.


There shouldn't be air in the system as it should self bleed when it does recirculate.
It sounds like the valve was blocked.

 

[bennesspipers]

Pleased you put this post up,i was looking at mine today & wondering what did what. Which type of hydraulic oil should be used ?

 

[proser]

Pleased you put this post up,i was looking at mine today & wondering what did what. Which type of hydraulic oil should be used ?

I would only use MB fluid in this.

MB part # A0009899103

BUT EPC also shows

A0019892003 - ZENTRALHYDRAULIK W210

It's a bout £12 a Litre

Did find some one selling it on Ebay at £8.25 a litre delivered.

 

[proser]

There shouldn't be air in the system as it should self bleed when it does recirculate.
It sounds like the valve was blocked.

I was reading an article on the workings, last night, and it said

"Don't be surprised if the oil is very dark and foamy (not unlike Guinness beer). In fact, it's a good sign that the accumulators are bad. "

And this was the type of fluid that was coming out of the valve bleed screw.
So it seems that I need to get a pair of accumulators

 

[Number_Cruncher]

I have adjusted the lever to make it sit lower but no movement

There are two points to note.

First, the pump for the SLS is a very small displacement pump, and there isn't much fluid flow. The suspension only moves very slowly, don't expect it to move visibly or quickly.

Second, there are two things which limit how low the suspension will go, namely the coil springs, and the so-called "basic pressure" which the levelling valve always holds in the system.

From what has been said so far in this thread, I'm not actually sure that there's a fault on this SLS to be fixed.

 

[proser]

Did put an update further up, that the rear has lowered down after a drive . I have put Avangarde spec springs on to give it a better look with the 18" alloys as that was the purpose of getting the rear adjusted. But I think that the spheres are leaking as per my post above about the Guinness beer

I'll post some pics up over the weekend of a before and after