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  #1  
Old 12-12-2001, 03:24 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Dallas, Texas
Posts: 218
W126 300SD sits high in front

I changed the sub frame supports in Blanche. I have to feel that I'm better for doing it, however I will NEVER do that job again. Wish I would have had a video of my 73 year old mother out in high heels and a long skirt out working the hydraulic jack with me cursing the bolt.
Now the ride height is better in the rear. I'm going to replace the differential support this weekend which should help further. The front still sits REAL high, or it looks high when I park it next to other 126 cars. The front end feels real "tippy" at speed and vibrates between 60-70, but just sporadically. I am going to assume this is tires, which I will replace soon. Can the alignment affect this? As I said, it seems better after the sub frame replacement, but it looks like it sits too high. The previous owner installed Monroe shocks...they will be replaced SOON, but I wouldn't think they would make it sit higher. I'm taking it on a couple of trips during the holidays, so I'd like to get it driving right.

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88 BMW E32 735i (make it go away)
95 Volvo 960 "Inga" (valve problems)
95 Nissan Maxima (the indestructible)
89 Ford Ranger XLT (ugliest truck in the South)
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  #2  
Old 12-12-2001, 05:52 PM
PaulC
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If the front is sitting higher than the rear at highway speeds, the airflow under the body will be different than anticipated by the factory. You may be getting a slight "lift" effect as a result, which will make the front end feel light, twitchy. Steering geometry may also be affected by the high front/low back, same twitchy result. If you don't have the factory manuals, I'm betting someone on this board has posted the appropriate front/rear ride heights for this model.
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  #3  
Old 12-12-2001, 10:48 PM
dieselicious
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SDL ride height

My 86 126 300SDL also really bothers me in this regard -- I have 4.5" (we're talking ML here!!!) FENDER GAP (from tire to fender) in front and 2.5" in back. Some W126s do not look as bad, but I swear every SDL is raised higher than SELs! And I also have seen SDs and do agree they, too, look raised. What can I do about this?

Springs is one possibility, albeit an expensive one... and even if it says it will lower an inch or an inch and a half, that still leaves me with 3" gap?!?! I dunno if its even worth it.


Larry Ferguson
86 300SDL 150K
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  #4  
Old 12-13-2001, 10:57 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Dallas, Texas
Posts: 218
I stopped at a light this morning. What should pull up but the near EXACT twin to my car. Same chrome trim, same dealer tag, same colour and year, even the same tarnished antique brass license frame. And, yes, it sat almost the same as mine. The back looked about right, and the front looked like it was "nose up". The lady in the car just looked at my car several times and smiled. Mine is in MUCH better condition than the other car, but how strange. Guess it was a popular color in Dallas that year.
Could it be that the springs are the same as the gas cars and were meant for the heavier motor? I would think that the aluminum engines wouldn't be AS heavy as the diesel, but maybe I'm mistaken on that one. When I installed a cheap brand of shocks on Mother's Volvo, it not only rode like a truck (she said it just kind of shook her liver) but the ride height in the rear was higher. Could these Monroe shocks with the wrong valving have some kind of "push" to them to make the front higher?
It pulls to the right pretty bad. The records show that the alignment was done less than 2K miles ago, but it has been sitting for quite a while. May have that done too this weekend.
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R Talley
88 BMW E32 735i (make it go away)
95 Volvo 960 "Inga" (valve problems)
95 Nissan Maxima (the indestructible)
89 Ford Ranger XLT (ugliest truck in the South)
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  #5  
Old 12-14-2001, 02:15 AM
dieselicious
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I doubt it has to do with the shocks, since my car has almost new (only few thousand miles, purchased when I got the car) Bilstein comfort shocks. I was thinking that maybe with new shocks it seemed super high because they were new (?!?) but obviously this could not be true when we look at nearly ALL the other models and they look the same, regardless of shock life.
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  #6  
Old 12-14-2001, 09:09 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Evansville, Indiana
Posts: 8,150
Get new tires pronto -- sounds like the steel belts are coming out of them.

When the belts separate, they often come loose on one side first and "lift" off the radial body at speed. This makes the car pull since the tire is effectively larger on one side than the other, and greatly reduces tire patch, with resulting light steering (there is very little tire on the road!).

Needless to say, this isn't safe!

You usually get some vibration, too, but I had one on the old Dodge that just pulled hard left. It finally wore the edge of the tire enough for me to tell what was going on, and I replaced it. No more pull!

Peter
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  #7  
Old 12-14-2001, 11:31 PM
Patrick L.
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There are a bunch of aftermarket ways of adjusting ride height. In your case you could raise the rear some more (1") with a rubber donut (universal) that can be placed on the top or bottom spring seats, wherever it sits safely. I've also used a nasty little gismo that fits around two turns of the springs and pulls them closer together.Bothh these solutions can alter the steering and suspension geometry and should only be used to correct bagged springs or major mods. If the problem is bushings etc adress the problem. You can get the above mentioned widgits at generic autoparts stores.
These suggestions presume that you know what you're doing and that you will proceed with caution.

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