Quote:
Originally Posted by johninva
well i went out there and adjusted the linkage, i had to adjust nbboth ends to their maximum making it the shortest possible bar it could be, tightened everything up. started it up and it came up and then settled a little bit, the neighboor lady was walking by and i had her sit in the back and it came back up - neat-o, but i still think somethings wrong having to adjust it so much and it still looks saggy in the rear, cant see top of tire. but it does seem to raise up to that level when loaded now ??? again i defer to those who know more.
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Very very very rarely is the linkage the problem, and almost always, when you adjust the linkage, you CAUSE problems (like control valve failure).
The correct height (when all the rear suspension rubber is in good condition) is 13.75 inches plus or minus 0.5 inches, measured from the very center of the rear wheel (where the point of the star in the little hub cover is) straight up to the fender lip; hold a measure tape tight between these points, and where the tape touches the outer curve of the fender lip is where you should read 13.75 plus or minus 0.5 inches.
It sounds to me like either your control valve is failing or your hydraulic pump is weak, or your rear torsion rod (runs between rear wheels and is what the other end of the control linkage is attached to) has come loose from a mooring or two, and is not providing the correct twisting signal to the control valve.
I highly recommend you set the rod back to where it was (or as close as you can) and read up on procedure 32-501 in the MB service manual, which provides detailed info on how the system works. Very few mechanics understand it or are willing to spend the time learning, so you probably will be on your own (with help here of course) in solving the problem.
If the original rod setting is lost, try this: with engine running, disconnect rod and move the lever to the neutral position (stick a pin through the hole in the arm to the matching hole in valve body). Measure the wheel-to-fender height as described above to verify it is correct. Lengthen the arm as needed and connect. This is a very rough setting that will get you in the ball park. Note: if the ride height is incorrect with the arm held in neutral position and with engine running, this is a clear indication that you've got deeper problems that need to be fixed; adjusting the control rod to get a height increase is simply a bandaid that will almost certainly lead to control valve failure.