2001 S210 E320 Wagon SLS very firm, Any Ideas why?
 

Hi, I just bought a 2001 E320 Wagon to add to the collection, I know that these have the Self Leveling Suspension and mine feels froze up, It rides at a normal level height, but it feels like its on the bump stops. I have never owned a wagon before so Im new to the SLS stuff. Any help on getting this sorted out would be of great appriciance.

The rear suspension of the wagon uses nitrogen/oil accumulators as part of the self leveling system. The nitrogen provides an air spring kind of functionality. Over time the nitrogen leaks out and you loose the springy-ness, resulting in the hard ride you are now experiencing. The fix is to replace the accumulators (there are two - one connected to each self leveling strut in the back).

It's medium difficulty for a DIY mechanic. No idea on the pricing of the parts, it's been too long since I shopped for these. Probably have them listed here on Peachparts.

Here are some pix
 

Who ever the P/O's where, they loved and cared for this car during its life so far. 123K miles. Tires are matching at about 85-90%

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I paid less than 4 for the car, I'm happy.

Okay, so that's the for sure problem in your opinion? that wont cause the rear of the car to loose any ride height? it will just make it stiff?
As you can see in the pix the ride height itself seems to be fine.

is it common for both rear corners to act like that? each side of the rear feel equally stiff

Nice wagon! I am also new to the SLS experience so I can't offer any help.

Well, thank you for the compliment either way. Every day offers something new to learn no matter the age.

Thanks for the reply, I looked them up, Not too terribly expensive, So I guess I will start there.

I don't know your car, but shocks come in different lengths. If yours has shocks, and if they look newish, you might see if they are bottoming out. You could take one of yours off and compare it's compressed length to a shock you know to be correct for your car. You might learn something if you just bounce the rear corners in your driveway.

I don't think the shocks are the problem for the simple fact that it wont go up or down, its like its fixed in a certain position, as if it had no suspension.

SLSs spheres fail as a function of time not use. Generally both fail roughly around the same time.

I see,,,, Thanks.