SLS Problem: 560SEL is leaking badly, and lower on one side...

[johnathan1]

My car has been sitting a bit low in the rear, and is actually slightly lower on the driver's side...putting more weight in the car didn't seem to make the rear rise at all, either, it would just go lower. So I decided to get under the car, and adjust the SLS valve manually to verify that my pump and valve are even working. As I raised the valve, the rear of the car began to rise normally, but then I heard a noise from the front of the car, looked up and saw a large amount of hydraulic fluid GUSHING from what appeared to be the oil pan area...It has always had a small hydraulic fluid leak, but it was only a couple of drips, but for some reason, raising the rear made it get 10x worse.

So I lowered the valve back to where it's at normally (the valve didn't move smoothly, either. It was sort of "notchy" not sure if that's a problem or not...) and the leak went back to it's normal "drip". Is the hose that is leaking a difficult part to replace?? Can I get it from a major parts supplier, or is it dealer-only?

I really don't want this to destroy my engine, as I was talking to Jonathan White from MBCA, and he told me that if the hydraulic pump runs dry, it will seize and effectively destroy the motor, as it is run off of the timing chain. I have been topping up the reservoir, but it just threw up about a frisbee-sized puddle of fluid in my garage. I have also noticed a grinding-howling sound from the front of the engine. Please help.