Hey, I have a old car feel for my benz. When i hit a bump the car doesn't stop bouncing. People say to change the shocks but they are not regular shocks they have that hose coming out of the top of it.

Some people said to change a part in the shocks but I am new at this and have no idea where to start. I think it is just the rear shocks.

Thanks for the help

If the self leveling suspension (SLS) works, I've never heard of it feeling soft. The more common problem is the nitrogen spheres fail and the suspension is rock hard. Maybe what I read as '60s Lincoln wallowing is actually overly stiff suspension bouncing on the tires. Failure of the struts themselves will leave the wagon dragging its posterior. If you load the cargo area - call a few hefty buddies to sit on the rear bumper - with the engine off, does it rise to level when you run the engine?

Or the conventional front shocks are so worn that the whole car feels soft.

Sixto
83 300SD
98 E320 wagon

I would suspect the nitrogen spheres for your rear suspension. I changed them on my TD and it transformed the ride. Cured the exact problem you describe. http://www.pelicanparts.com/More_Info/1403280515.htm?pn=140-328-05-15-M36&catalog_description=Nitrogen%20Chamber%20%20%20%20%28Rear%20Left%20or%20Right%29%20%20&SVSVSI=3393


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1985 Euro 300TD Turbo

The rear axle doesn't have shocks in the conventional sense. The tubes you think are shocks are rams that adjust ride height. The "shocks" are two metal spheres located under a carpeted panel behind the back seat (item 4 in diagram). The spheres are installed from the inside of the car, but the hardware connects under the car.

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Check out the link below on the self leveling suspension's rear portion. It should give you a great place to start troubleshooting. Best of luck!

Mercedes-Benz W124 Rear Self Leveling Shock Replacement | 1986-1995 E-Class | Pelican Parts DIY Maintenance Article


-Dmitry

The accumulators aka nitrogen spheres are the wear elements and are usually the culprit when you have problems with the ride related to the rear suspension. I think a new set from MB will be about $120 or so? They last about 100k miles.

The system uses a special hydraulic fluid - either get it from MB or research on aftermarket fluids. Febi sells it.

The shocks RARELY got bad, and the most common failure mode is leaking. If they are not leaking, they would be among the last things to worry about.

If the rear end of the car sags or doesn't return to level when you load it up, you've got deeper problems, which may be as simple as a broken connecting rod on the level control valve or a faulty level control valve or a weak / dead hydraulic pump. On your car, the pump for the rear suspension is combined with the power steering pump (a dual circuit pump) and it can either be rebuilt or replaced with a good used pump or a rebuilt pump.

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Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

Peek under the car and make sure the dust boots on the rams are intact. Mine had failed and allowed the seals to fail.

I need new accumulators, it's on the project list.

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The OM 642/722.9 powered family
Still going strong
2014 ML350 Bluetec (wife's DD)
2013 E350 Bluetec (my DD)

both my kids cars went to junkyard in 2023
2008 ML320 CDI (Older son’s DD) fatal transmission failure, water soaked/fried rear SAM, numerous other issues, just too far gone to save (165k miles)
2008 E320 Bluetec (Younger son's DD) injector failed open and diluted oil with diesel, spun main bearings (240k miles)

1998 E300DT sold to TimFreeh
1987 300TD sold to vstech