HD Shock Questions...
 

...so, attacking the next issue on my lovely 300TD.
I whitewater kayak a lot, and if any of you are familier with this sport it isn't the most car friendly. I regularly have 2-3 35lb boats on my roof racks, sometimes up to 5 on shuttle runs. Then, if there are 5 boats, there's a good chance there's 4-5 people inside. Lots 'o weight. My rear end sags horribly. Now, when I fill the hyraulic fluid, it leaks out of the rear end about as fast as it goes in :eek: . The Mech. said just to let it run out, and he thought the struts would need to be replaced. I've looked at it, and it isn't the struts that's leaking at all, it's coming from somewhere near the accululator. Anyways, I could try and fix the SLS, or I could get some of those non-SLS HD Bilsteins I just saw on discountmbparts.com. Does anyone have any experience with these? I'm not concerned with my car riding like a truck, if that would solve the problem and support all the extra weight a little better. I know most people are going to be like, just stick with SLS, it's better. But I'd rather just ditch it and have a rougher riding car that can handle the weight. Any input?
Will

This has been addressed ad nausaeum in earlier posts. I suggest you search on "SLS", "hydropneumatic", "accumulators" and "struts" ...lots of good information.

thanks, will do. couldn't find anythign earlier but I'll check again...

Sounds like you really need the self leveling. Here's an article on fixing it.

http://body.articles.mbz.org/level/

Cool, thanks. Actually, in looking at it today, I think my only problem is one of the lines (return or main I don't know) is leaking. When I fill the car with oil and let it run, I can see where it drips out, and it's before it even gets to the spheres. I think everythign is all right because the car doesn't ride rough or anything, it just sags baddly. Any tips on fixing that line? It's really hard to get at because it's behind some piece of the suspension. Do you think if I took it to a brake place they could replace it? I've had that done with blown brake lines before...
will

bump...

Those lines can only be acessed by removing a cover panel in the cargo area that is just behind the rear seat (search the forum and read, it's all in here). I would not trust a brake shop with that system or, for that matter, the interior of my car.

BTW, if your ride is good but the rear sags, you probably have a positioning valve issue. If the linkage or connection to the positioning valve is loose or adrift, the ride height will not be adjusted properly but the ride quality will probably be OK.

Once again, do the searches, read the content. It's all here.

The lines running under the car? Hmm, I'll look at it.
Will

No, the connection from those lines to the struts is accessible from that panel.

Or get a set of sedan rear springs and the Bilstein HD's and get rid of that stuff entirely! Mine rides great. Much firmer than my friend's waggin with the SLS intact, but that's the way I like it... the car handles MUCH better. I'm still searching for some overload coils to make it ride stiffer.

Jay.

You are the ONLY person on this forum who seems to have been successful in doing this conversion.

I'm actually surprised that the sedan springs do any good since despite being approximately 1/2" longer, they have a softer spring rate than some of the wagon springs.

From the FSM:
123.123 (sedan) rear spring:
PN: 123-324-14-04
Length: 355mm
Rate: 18.45mm/1000N

123.123 (sedan) rear spring:
PN: 123-324-06-04
Length: 359mm
Rate: 18.45mm/1000N

123.193 (T-wagon) rear spring:
PN: 123-324-29-04
Length: 336mm
Rate: 18.2mm/1000N

123.193 (T-wagon) rear spring:
PN: 123-324-41-04
Length: 347mm
Rate: 18.8mm/1000N

If the line is leaking it should be fixed. Without looking at it, it's hard to give exact directions. Maybe it needs to be tightened if the leak is at the fitting (unlikely). More likely, the line is rusty and needs to be replaced. If the other lines are rusty and flaky they need to be replaced too. The new lines do not have to follow the exact path the factory used as long as they get there. But from what others are saying, you can get access to them thru a removable panel.

A leaky line will let all the pressure out and cause the rear of the car to sag. Chances are curing the leak will fix your problem.

Ok. From what I can tell, the line has a crack/hole in it, most likely due to rust. It is leaking from the middle of the line, near a bracket just in front of the wheel, before it gets to the acculmulators or struts. I just don't know how to replace/repair the lines. I assume that it's a standard line, as in brake line, and you just cut to length and replace. This is because I havn't had any luck in finding "suspension lines" anywhere. So, is this something that's fairly straight forward, or should I just head to the mechanic? Would it be worth checking salvage yards or is it potentially something a brake person could do? What can I say, I'm a poor college student who's already paying $3.00 for fuel and just bought a new alternator so my car budget is starting to have this -$ in front of it, haha. Again, thanks for all the help. I really have searched and can't find anything pertaining to this.
Will

It won't be "just cut to length and replace". It will be either a flared brake line type or a hydraulic type fitting. The system operates at over 1800 PSI (pounds per square inch).

You would be better off to take it to a garage if you are not familiar with brake work and hydraulic work.

A good mechanic should be able to make new lines, it should not be necessary to order new ones from Mercedes Benz. A "good ol' boy" mechanic who is used to working on farm tractors snow plows and dump trucks will have no problem with hydraulics.