quote:
Originally posted by fz500sel:
Hi steve,
Talkin' with a couple of fellow MBshop members, we are all in agreement that YOU ARE ONE SHARP COOKIE! I think we will all learn alot from you in the future.
As for my question-I have a 1984 500SEL Euro with the hydropneumatic suspension on all four corners (unlike the US version). Is there a way to tell via the ride, if my accumulators are goin' or shot? I don't think they have ever been replaced. I am the 4th owner of this vehicle. I'm considering replacing them but I don't have the funds to just frivolously throw away, if in fact they are fine. Also how often should the hydraulic fluid and filter be replaced?
Thanks for sharing your valued wisdom and experience.
Frankie,
Thought this was interesting for your question, particularly the paragraph before last. This was a discussion on the Mercedes Realtime mailing list. I appologise for the cross posting but I do think it will help.
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Ken Tyler wrote:
>The pressure reservoirs are what Mr. Citroen would call spheres. My 6.9
>has 5, one for each corner and one central reservoir. There are no
>springs. The central reservoir is there to supply large volumes of fluid
>when wheel travel demands it. As I recall, the pump can supply only about
>0.4 litres per min at 2500 engine rpm.
Yes,
AFAIK the 6.9 was the only fully hydropneumatically suspended (i.e.
not air-suspended as in W100 limo or the W109) Mercedes-Benz sedan that
totally dispensed with springs, and so earns my utmost respect! They did
not cut corners on the 6.9's system. Unfortunately, the other models
(
AFAIK) all have a hydropneumatic strut/spring paired with a coil spring.
The logic in this escapes me, and if anyone knows why they did this I'd
appreciate hearing about it. I can't see how it could be cheaper to
manufacture, less complicated to maintain, or more reliable in the long
run. Also, if the only thing holding you up is the hydropneumatic system,
any problems are immediately noticed and rectified. With the spring combo
it's more difficult for most owners to notice problems and thus flattened
spheres beget toasted struts etc.
My understanding re: the central accumulator is that it also provides
residual pressure when the engine is not running. This means that when a
load is added to the car, it will attempt to return to proper height even
when it is turned off. It also stores pressure so that it can attempt to
maintain the vehicle's height if there is seepage past the struts into the
return lines. In a Citroen, the central accumulator also provides pressure
for the power steering, clutch control, and moves the selector forks in the
semi-automatic transmission. There is a further, separate accumulator for
the brakes that is normally fed by the central pump or, in case of pump
failure, by suspension pressure.
I'd love to take a 6.9 for a spin to see if it feels anything like a DS.
Any Torontonians want to swap your 6.9 for my 2CV for a few hours? Oh,
wait... how about AFTER the gas prices come down again!
D.