self-levelling suspension: the easy part
 

okay, so since my '80 300 TD sags a couple inches all the time, i've been reading posts about the self-levelling suspension for an hour now.

she's been constantly saggy ever since the turnbuckle linkage thingy popped off when i hit a bump flyin' down the highway. she started bucking like a bronco, and i pulled off an exit, barely crawled myself under her low rear, and pushed the linkage back on with a pair of pliers. she raised up immediately, but seems to never have gone back to full height. i wonder if the turnbuckle just screwed or unscrewed a bit, and just needs to be adjusted to get her back up to right.

while i'm at it, i wanna change fluid + filter, b/c i have no knowledge of it being done in her past...

reading all these posts is interesting, BUT i still don't know the answer to a simpler question:

1. what is the fluid capacity of the system when you want to change the fluid and filter?
2. how do you drain the fluid? from the bleeder screw? which is where?
3. how do you bleed the system? vacuum pump or no? car running or no?

anybody?
 

pls advise...

Post this in the Tech Help Forum just above this one.

My 500Es SLS is different I'm guessing, so I won't steer you (maybe) the wrong way to do it. :rolleyes2

I don't know the capacities and procedures for your car. If the turnbuckle deal flew off, it's possible that the bushing was old and cracked and is now gone. When you re-attached it, if the bushing was gone, it will contact the lever that controls the level of the rear at a different spot. That may account for the different ride height.
Don't get under there to fix it without jackstands at the rear.
You don't want the reverse of your roadside fix to happen while you are underneath.
My car has self leveling and it lowered enough to drag the muffler.
The bushings were not available separately for my car, I had to buy the whole turnbuckle thing.
My roadside fix involved taking the top of my fountain pen (I guess Mont Blancs are metric) and sticking it through the hole in the turnbuckle. The cap fit the ball on the level control lever perfectly.