don't ruin your SLS valve
 

like a dumda$$ i think i stripped the threads on my SLS valve:mad:. those damn hard lines are way too short to work with and no room above the axle.

One fitting was going in a little tighter than the other but I assumed it was because the line was so short and bend so tight that it was kinda rubbing on the fitting as I was tightening it. guess it was the threads going in cross-ways.

It's the real short line from the pax air cell to the valve right below. I think I'm gonna get a new, much longer line and make the connection with a wide curve so there is more flex and free play to align the fitting with the hole.

got my new air cells installed and now i've got hyd fluid shooting out one of the valve fittings. I guess that valve body is soft alloy?

be warned if you are working with your SLS valve.

Can you tap the valve body for a larger thread, make a line with a larger fitting on the valve end?

I did the same thing on mine years ago. I was able to make it work though. I too the line off the accumulator so I had more wiggle, put it on the valve and then put it back on the accumulator.

I have an extra valve if you need a replacement. Let me know. Oops just noticed you have an 87 in the signature, so my valve is no good for you.

Teflon tape may be your friend. I''d try the yellow kind used for gas lines.

I'll take a look at possibly tapping new threads, but then the bigger line won't match the air cell...

i don't think teflon tape will hold the PSI. tape is for low pressure fittings i think. gas and water.

I might be able to heli coil the valve port. i don't know. those brake line type fittings are precision i think.

I'll prob have to bit the bullet and order a new valve.

i'm mostly just pissed at the self inflicted wound....

Worst kind.

Thanks for sharing. I am about to embark upon SLS repairs on both my W123 and W124.

Wish me luck.

Let me know if you need o-rings for your 123 valve. More info in the link in my signature.

Odie
If it turns out that you cannot save your old control valve,i would gladly pay shipping and a couple of $ for packing/ handling. i really want to see whats in there and what it would take to reseal one as MB says they are not repairable.Let me know. Don

http://www.fedhillusa.com/

I've mentioned this many times before, check these guys and their products out. The line is cost comparable with lines from the dealer. But more importantly when you get to the points where there is difficulty these soft lines are worth every penny and more! The time and frustration factor are significantly reduced that value alone is worth it. When it comes to installing short lines in tight spaces like there is around the leveling valve this makes things infinitely easier.

If the OP had used these lines he would not have been struggling to align things at the valve and could have very well avoided what will now be extra hours, fluid, parts and dollars,

Fedhill now sells shorter lengths of line so you don’t need an entire roll, they also have all the fittings, although you can by the fittings at Auto Zone in a bag of 10 for less than a dollar each to have nice new clean parts. This Cunifer line is also extremely easy to flair even with a cheap tool.

They used to sell although I didn’t try looking for it a 6000 PSI compression splice fitting that could be used to repair the SLS lines when they suffer the “wear through” failure at the mounting clip areas due to abrasion and rust.

Good luck!

u can have the old one if it's junk. I wont have a chance to remove it until monday to take a closer look at it.

you could tap the valve for an inch size bushing, then use the original m10 size lines. might not be enough meat in the valve, not sure.

i re/re'd the valve twice on our 124 wagon and had similar problems. no stripped threads but it's very tight quarters and there are so many fittings to get started it's not easy at all. the second time i did i had the small lines free at the other end and this helped a great deal.

you could helicoil it, and use the original threads then.

helicoil might be a possibility it the housing has enough metal around it. I've been outta town all weeeknd but I'll be pulling the valve after work today and see what I see. no fun having the wagon stuck in the driveway.

Sombody once said..."If your gona drive an old car, have lots of em" ;)

and i do have lots and lots of them...

When you screw in a thread crooked, as long as you don't actually strip the thread right out, there is a lot of the original thread left, and usually enough to hold a fitting. I guess you're taking the sls valve right off this time, so you can carefully thread in a fitting, absolutely straight, and see if it holds. My guess is it will, and I have successfully done this with a steering rack line that my friendly local garage had cross-threaded.
Good Luck! I know that job is very tricky.

got the valve pulled off and yes indeed...one of the holes has messed up threads. not sure if I can re-tap the threads or not but a lot of the original thread seems to be there.

the funny thing is the valve has two different 123 series part numbers but it's a 124 car?????

123 328 0531 and 123 320 0258.

what's with that???

Probably shares similar components from the SLS system on 123 126 and 124, there's very likely little change to the system between makes and models

It's pretty common to find parts on one chassis with part number from other chassis. I've see 115 and 126 part number on 123 parts. A lot of parts are interchangable across several chassis. The 124 and 123 valves aren't interchangable, but probably have some of the same parts that comprise the valve.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...pictureid=2527

here is the valve off my wagon...it's been cleaned up BTW....as you can see, the hard line that I cross-threaded is way too short. i guess it caused me to not get the fitting started perfectly straight with the hole. not any "flex" room.

I'll be getting a longer line and make a wider bend with it.

used my trusty 10mm tap and cleaned up the threads. I put the short line back on and tightened it up STRAIGHT. I'll leave that end attached and put the valve back in and attach the other lines today afterwork and see if the fitting holds pressure.

got it all put back together. looking like re-threading it with a 10mm? tap did the trick:) now with my used "ebay special" air cells i'm ridin smooth again:D

Right on. It always nice when you can fix it simply and not have to spend a bunch of time and money to fix a silly mistake. I hate cross threading stuff. It's a great way to ruin your day.

are you supposed to hear the air cells working? i have not put the flooring back down and i can hear what sounds like the air cells making "squishy" noises when i go over bumps and such.

It will take a while for the air to work its way out I suspect, ... try lifting the rear of the car off of the ground with the engine idling.

I've never noticed the aforementioned "squishy" noises, but have never driven without the flooring.

If I have a load in my wagon (ie-passengers in the back seat), when I stop and the load is removed, I can hear a hiss as the pressure readjusts to lower the rear end. I've never heard the sound when driving but it could simply be drowned out by road noise.

I never noticed any noises from my SLS in my wagon.

i never had noise either on any of my wagons...but again, the flooring is still removed so the tops of the air cells are exposed. just an observation, as the sls does seems to be functioning correctly.

Will do. Thanks.



Thanks for the info. I will check them out. I may have to replace the lines if I cant get them apart.

W123 SLS Valve thread question
 

What are the threads for the upper two smaller SLS connections on the W123 SLS Valve? I want to attempt with a proper size tap to clean them up before I buy another valve. I cross threaded a little bit, but have hopes of salvaging.