The accumulator is divided into two sections with nitrogen on one side and hydraulic fluid on the other. It provides the shock absorption. The shock is essentially just a hydraulic ram.
No evidence of a leak and evidence of continued shock absorption is odd. Does the system still go up and down as designed. Does it raise up when the start the car and level up when a load is put on the rear of the car?

Were the rear suspensions designed to tily like that so that the tires don't rub when loaded of traveling over undulating road conditions?

this post is right on.

i have replaced one of these on a 240d from rust. my daughter in law was driving the car and complained that the hubcap fell off. when i looked at it the top of the wheel was 2" in from the bottom.

i wouldnt drive it even around town until i examined the main suspension arm in the back for rust or cracks.

it is a large piece that is fabricated from relatively thin sheet metal. it derives its strength from its shape. the thinness allows it to be light weight to make for the famous mercedes ride and handling.

it still could be the accumulator or the strut i suppose but i wouldnt make any assumtions. and definately not a trip out of town.

tom w

all independent suspensions tilt as the springs are compressed, whether front or rear. this is so that when you corner, the compressed springs and tilted wheel cause the tire to keep perpindicular to the road for optimal traction.

in the early days of independent suspension this wasnt always true though. but that was back when most roads were dirt and tires werent much wider than a bicycle tire.

tom w

So it's happened to others as well....
 

Control Arm.....the big "V" shaped steel piece.....if yours is cracked as mine was, I would be very wary of driving it.......

SB

^LCA- me too, i replaced mine this spring- along with a all the rubber parts under there i could. used arms, everything else new.
also 2 new tires, as i ruined the other 2 driving around like that for a while. caused some pretty severe belt seperation in a pretty short time.
i had welded a new pan all across the entire bottom of the control arm out of 3/16 steel. but without removing the arm, i couldn't straighten it at all.

wouldn't recomend that to anyone, ;) but it did keep my DD rolling while i collected parts.

i got 2 LCA's for about $225, shipped from arkansas. i then wire wheeled them, coated with penetrol, and rattle-canned about 7 coats of primer and flat black. i had lots of time while i waited for wheel bearings and a socket. if you do need to order these, ask that they leave the hub assy's intact.:silly: , especially if they dont have the proper tools.
and may as well replace in pairs. when i got mine off, i took a 16 oz hammer to the other side. 2 swings and i had crushed the bottom in:eek:

overall, it costed me about a grand. new rotors,p brakes, wheel bearings, pretty much everything that was under there. and the tires. oh- i did it all myself, too.
heres a link to junkyrads nationwide.

good luck.

http://www.uneedapart.com/

i have replaced several of those arms. i paid from 75 to 200 for the used part and about 200 to 300 for my indie to install.

tom w

i have a 240 scrapper which is like that on the front, i know it is a bit simple , but the spring has sheared through about 2 coils from the top, completely snapped

"Does the system still go up and down as designed. Does it raise up when the start the car and level up when a load is put on the rear of the car?"
I have not put a load in the car to test the SLS. The car never raised after starting, if it did, my understand the system is loosing pressure and SL value might be bad.
This morning, when entering the driver door, my weight, 175 lbs, cause a steel tension sound ringing. It's like a spring under tension and suddenly the tension is released is the sound I heard. Making me think a broken spring causing the sag because the engine is off and weight cause a noise. Riding to and from work noticed the car bounce up and down on a bad rut in the road. I did a lot of zip-zags at low speed and up to 40 mph and the rear end did not force the direction of the car. The car feels safe to drive.
Tomorrow will look under the car for things suggested in this thread. Thanks for the help everyone.

Bill
1981 300 TD

Before I had the level control re-adjusted in mine, it made that same sound. After it was reset by a local indy to the proper height, the sound went away.