Quote:
Originally Posted by johnathan1
I'm having trouble wrapping my brain around how the system works...
The accumulator absorbs shock, correct? What controls dampening? It seems like there must be a valve, or something that slows the fluid down as it moves with the suspension to dampen the movement, much like a conventional shock would. If there wasn't, and there were only nitrogen spheres, wouldn't the sphere just act as a "spring" and the car would just constantly bounce over bumps?
I've seen the SLS fail in two different modes...one is excessive bouncing at all times. (When the rear of the car is bounced manually, it keeps bouncing 6-7 times after you stop). The other failure mode is an ultra harsh ride...you can feel every bump, and imperfections in the road slam you into your seat, and/or make your head hit the roof! Can anyone explain why this happens?
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On the w123, the SLS works as a system. The dampening comes from the accumulators and coil springs working together with the SLS valve. The valve body has 3 valves inside: fill valve, release valve and a base pressure valve.
The actuators only control ride height based on the adjustment of the SLS valve linkage.
If you have an extra bouncy or hard ride*, you need to replace the accumulators.
*I believe this is also an indicator of the condition of your coil springs. If you have an extra bouncy ride with shot accumulators, the springs are doing their job. If you have a hard, jarring ride, the coil springs are worn.
On other SLS systems where they aren't self bleeding like the w123 and w124, I think the extra hard ride can be due to the fact that hydraulic fluid doesn't compress. When the bladders fail, the gas aerates/foams into the fluid, there is no more dampening/cushion and the ride becomes hard.
This is the way I understand the system after rebuilding the one on my wagon.