Hi,
i have just bought a 1989 250TD and discovered the rear self-levelling suspension is shot. the car bounces when pushed down and thus i believe the dampers have failed.
i have heard that there is an upgrade that allows the original self levelling suspension to be bypassed thus allowing ordinary (read cheap!) shocks to be fitted.

just wondering if anyone can confirm this is the case on my model?

many thanks

stumbler

It's certainly not an "upgrade" and is basically infeasible.

Check your accumulators, which are usually the problem and are not very expensive.

__________________
Kent Christensen
Albuquerque
'07 GL320CDI, '10 CL550. '01 Porsche Boxster
Two BMW motorcycles

i have no experience of these suspension units so please bear with my ignorance, but i'm not sure what an accumulator is, just looking at my Haynes and wondering if the British equivalent might be the 'pressure reservoir'?
Once i have identified the accumulator, please could you tell me how to test them?
very many thanks in advance.
jb

Yes pressure reservoir is the item, the hydraulic struts are usually bullet proof unless they leak. The reservoirs are a spheres with a diaphram, one side is connected to the hydraulic oil side under pressure, the other filled with nitrogen. As the diaphram ruptures the gas escapes and as the spheres fill with oil it cant be compressed, in the early stages it is bouncy, it becomes hard as the system fills.
The good news the spheres are cheap, the bad news is the job is messy. The system works like this, oil is sent from a reservoir to a valve attached to the rear axle, and controlled via lever from the torshion bar. Oil in, rear rises, oil out it settles, the oil is constantly circulated.