I searched but couldn't find anything...

I could be wrong, but it is black as pitch. I was near empty within the last couple months, and now it is full. Also, I did a flush within the last year, shouldn't be black by now with my reckoning... Thing is, operating pressure of the pump is higher than the pressure of engine oil, so how did this happen?


Just a matter of rebuilding the pump?

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1998 VW Cabrio
2001 Audi SomeRoad A/T (no air suspension)
2003 Audi DeadRoad M/T (no vroom, for later)
2002 Audi NoRoad A/T (nothing under the hood, being rebuilt)

Could engine oil be leaking into the suction side of the SLS pump?

Sixto
83 300SD
98 E320 wagon

There's no engine oil anywhere near the SLS system, unless you put it there. There can be cross contamination from the power steering system, though.
If the oil is black, my bet is on a failing component. How does it ride?

model and year? plenty of MB's over many years have SLS.

Self-Leveling-System - How it works, and troubleshooting the system

-Rog

Rogviler, your new nickname is King Friday, because you are correct, as usual. :-)

__________________
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1998 VW Cabrio
2001 Audi SomeRoad A/T (no air suspension)
2003 Audi DeadRoad M/T (no vroom, for later)
2002 Audi NoRoad A/T (nothing under the hood, being rebuilt)

I think this is the style of SLS pump that attaches to the front of the head and is driven by the camshaft (102, 617) vs a tandem PS pump (103/4, 603).

Sixto
83 300SD
98 E320 wagon

Yap, 617 ina 123.

__________________
---------------------------------------------------------------

1998 VW Cabrio
2001 Audi SomeRoad A/T (no air suspension)
2003 Audi DeadRoad M/T (no vroom, for later)
2002 Audi NoRoad A/T (nothing under the hood, being rebuilt)