W124 TE sls conversion?

[Tony66_au]

Grrrrr

Driving the kids to the bus stop this morning I noticed that the rear suspension has gone rock solid AGAIN!

This will be the 2nd set of SLS pods to have died in a little over 12 months and its really beginning to irk me.

First set were shot when i bought the car and it was the left side that went kaput.

35'000 km later (This morning) it seems it has failed yet again and looking at the bum of the car it is the left side sitting high again.

The set I bought last time i purchased from MB themselves as i needed them in a hurry and they were brand spanking new units.

I have the urge to replace them with adjustable units but which units?

The other option is to send the hydraulic struts to Pedders to get them to rebuild them as normal shock absorbers but I suspect I will need to change the damping and spring rate on the rear coils as well.

I don't tow with the car, nor do i load the rear end up and the heaviest thing carried in the back is 2 primary school kids and the weeks shopping.

Or do I just burn the thing and concentrate on my 450?

Cheers,
Tony

 

[Michel]

Grrrrr
Or do I just burn the thing and concentrate on my 450?
Cheers,
Tony

'Burn' is an acceptable option

 

[WGB]

It sounds mighty strange to me that a sphere would pack up that quickly.

Presumably it is only one that has failed and if it is that new maybe replacing just one would be an option.

Failing that have you still got the old ones - if one is any good it would be worthwhile swapping the new bad for the old good and see what happens.

Bill

 

[Tony66_au]

It sounds mighty strange to me that a sphere would pack up that quickly.

Presumably it is only one that has failed and if it is that new maybe replacing just one would be an option.

Failing that have you still got the old ones - if one is any good it would be worthwhile swapping the new bad for the old good and see what happens.

Bill

I had the same thought and went looking for the old "Good" unit but I suspect I may have added it to the scrap bin last time i tidied up.

Its the left Sphere thats gone yet again Bill and to be brutal the highway here is bloody awful and has more patches than Nannas undies.

Might see if I can find a 2nd hand single somewhere for the time being because its not really a safe ride as it is.

Tony

 

[Tony66_au]

'Burn' is an acceptable option

I was close Michel, very close............

 

[Styria]

Hi Tony, I am somewhat confused - are you talking about the Air Cell or the shock absorbers ? If it is the Air Cell, forget Pedders as there is nothing that they would be able to do - plus, I don't think that they would be a particularly cheap option, no matter what service they'd provide.

Those AirCells are not expensive - if you like, why not contact abl567 or Fotografa, or if you so wish I can get you a quote from an after market supplier. Let us know how you get on. Regards Styria

 

[Tony66_au]

The Nitrogen cell or SLS "Pod" is what I refer to Styria.

And one small issue with importing the spheres is they wont send them airfreight.

Im going to source a second hand sphere today to replace the buggered unit only, I have been told that the Lemfeorder units are my best bet.

 

[Tony66_au]

Well it seems our troubles are over.

A truely great man name of Allen posted this link for me and has set the purists aflame with hatred lol

View topic - W124 Wagon SLS Strut to shock conversion DIY | THE Mercedes-Benz & AMG Forum for and by the Enthusiasts | MyMBonline.com

I must say that this is fairly simple and straight forward and the use of Air shocks did cross my mind to get the damping rate correct as I too had noticed that the hydraulic SLS struts were fairly short.

Id also go so far as to suggest that an enterprising fellow might make this into a kit for general sale............

Once again Id like to state that although I am retrofitting a Non Benz system to my wagon it is more through what i believe to be necessity than any dislike of the factory system.

Cheers,
Tony

 

[Tony66_au]

Oh and after chatting to Jenn last night she gave the okie dokie to start looking into replacing the 230TE with a W123 280TE or other TE if they exist.

More in keeping in the 116 spirit and the Wagon I should have bought in the first place.

 

[Michel]

What don't you seriously look at a newer and prettier version

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/1999-MERCEDE...=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27b927384f

 

[Tony66_au]

I dont know about "Prettier" Michel but I ran this model past Jenn and she didnt like them even after I took her to see one in Melbourne that was for sale.

Considering it is basically her car she has to have some attachment to it as ive seen what happens to cars out partners are forced to drive but have no empathy for lol.

On the same car lot Jenn saw a Volvo 850 turbo wagon with a manual box and she lit up like a kid in a toy shop and did the oh goody jumpy up and down dance complete with "Gimme gimme gimme"..............

So we left.

 

[260ebenz]

I dont know about "Prettier" Michel but I ran this model past Jenn and she didnt like them even after I took her to see one in Melbourne that was for sale.

Considering it is basically her car she has to have some attachment to it as ive seen what happens to cars out partners are forced to drive but have no empathy for lol.

On the same car lot Jenn saw a Volvo 850 turbo wagon with a manual box and she lit up like a kid in a toy shop and did the oh goody jumpy up and down dance complete with "Gimme gimme gimme"..............

So we left.

Good decision Tony passing on the Volvo!

 

[Tony66_au]

Good decision Tony passing on the Volvo!

LOL Ive had a few 200 series Volvo's in my life thus far and although I do like the look of the 850 wagon id now own a Mercedes before owning another Volvo.

Then again my taste is sus as I quite like old Skoda's

 

[Michel]

I dont know about "Prettier" Michel but I ran this model past Jenn and she didnt like them even after I took her to see one in Melbourne that was for sale.

Tony
The W210 is a larger car (physically) than the w124 and that might have been a factor in Jenn's 'dislike'.
However, maybe a drive would change her mind.
They are like chalk and cheese between the two models with the W210 a pleasure to drive and ride.

But then again, women have their own taste (Volvo, huh? arghhhhhhh)

 

[Tony66_au]

Yeah the Volvo thing was my fault for letting her play with an intercooled turbo manual 2.3 wagon for a few weeks, after the first week she said it was alright but she preferred the V8 Wagon so I popped the boost up to 38 PSI and let her at it again........

They are a fun car to drive but as i keep explaining to her Mercedes put stuff into their cars that no other bugger had even thought of and years before many car makers and to this end she now agrees that we are a Benz Family so olong as I get her a Hard top 107 in a very dark blue with a nice big V8.

 

[Tony66_au]

Now a question, Can anyone help me with the physical dimensions of the rear springs in a W124 wagon?

length unloaded, coil diameter top, mid and bottom. And by coil diameter I mean the thickness of the coil not the diameter of the whole spring.

Im going to try get this from my wagon without removing the spring but if someone has one handy out of a vehicle id really appreciate the specs and a few pics if possible.

Im not 100% sold on the conversion shown above and have someone who does this professionally looking for a more common sense approach using whats already there.