instruction on changing shocks
 

I have searched, but haven't found a tutorial, pictorial, etc on changing shocks on a 123.

Does anyone have a write up, advice, pics, or a guide to do this. What kind of skill do you need, tricks/tips etc....

I don't have a write up but it takes a low level of skill to replace shocks on a 123.You need to be able to remove wheels, remove the back seat and unscrew bolts and nuts. Nothing more complicated than that. If you've never done it before, allow 2 hrs for the first shock and an hour each for the remaining ones. Support the lower control arm when you do it.

Easy to do and doesn't take much mechanical skill.
For the fronts - remove the top nut first (you will have to hold the flattened part of the shock top with a small wrench or vice grips to allow you to loosen the top nuts), then remove the two bottom bolts and the shock will drop out - you may have to jack the car up a bit more to allow room for the shock to come down. Reverse the process to install.
To remove the rears, take out the bottom of the rear seat (two small red buttons along the forward botom edge of the seat will allow it to be removed), the nremove the seat back (three bolts, one on each side and one in the middle), lift it straight up then out (you have to clear the slots that the tabs on the top of the seat fit into.) On each side of the bulkhead behind the sound deadening is a plastic cover, remove it and you'll see the top of the rear shocks - same process to remove the top nuts. To remove the bottom of the shock is same process as the front - remove the bottom bolts and they will drop out - again, you may have to jack the car up farther to allow them to drop out.
The first time you do this, it will take some time - the next time you do it (in 80-90K miles), you can do all four in a couple of hours or less.

ok, I will chime in... Snap on makes a socket that fits the end of the front shocks... hold the nut with a box end wrench, put the socket on the end of the shock and drive it out with an impact wrench... both shocks out in 10 minutes. I think the rears can go out the same way, but I do not know... the shock is accessible from under the seat back.

Make sure when you change yours to take pics and write it up for a DIY.

John ;)

I believe you need a 12 point 10mm socket for the bottom nuts on the front shocks. MAKE SURE YOU SUPPORT THE CONTROL ARM ON THE FRONT. Can we say "Boing?"

sounds easy
 

I have already had the back seat out to inspect the rear passenger side... with the car on the ground the nuts weren't loose, but I guess if I jacked the rear off the ground maybe I would have found it was loose like some posters here have found... all i know is I am wiling to throw $150 at the rattle noise I seem to be getting from the rear shocks....(shock)

I have learned Bilstein 46-0713-HO are the comfort ones for my 85 300cd. I think... Bilstein.com lists it for up to the '81 300cd. Is there any change or difference after 81.....anyone?

got the bilstein rears
 

I am going to do this Sat. Need input

I know how to get my back seat out now. I have seen where the nuts are on the top of the rear shocks. Is this right...

1) Take off both top nuts from top of shock.
2) Take off bottom nuts (do I need a jack stand on under the control arm for the rear) My plan is to do one side at a time and have my hydraulic jack in front of the rear tire.

Do I have to make sure it doesn't rotate while doing top and bottom, or is that just for the front.

Also, is this just a matter of take of the nuts and the thing drops out, or will it still be hard to get out eventhought the weight of the car is off the shock.

As you can tell I have never fooled with it yet....

I would place the side you are working on up on a jackstand. Use your hydraulic jack to raise and lower control/trailing arm to remove shock.

It's the piston rod that you need to keep from rotating. It has flat sides you can put a wrench on.

Not hard to get out.

John

That's right. The main reason you want to support the control arm in the rear is that the shock drops out through the spring and you want to get as much clearance as possible between the bottom of the spring and and the ground in order to remove the shock. With the shock at full extension and the suspension hanging as low as possible it will be very difficult to get the shock out without digging a hole under the car. Since the shocks are old, compressing the shock to shorten it and get it out should not be a difficult issue. Putting the new shock back in is another issue. The shock needs to be compressed to fit back up in there. If your shock does not come compressed, compress it, and using light wire, hold it in the compressed position. Once the shock is inside the spring, reach in with a pair of cutters and cut the wire, allowing the shock to extend. But be aware that once you do this, that new extended shock will be very difficult to remove so make sure everything is correct and ready to go before cutting that wire.
If you do this on a lift, all these issues are irrelevant because you'd have plenty of space to drop the shock straight down.

If it still rattles after all that, you'll probably also want to do a pair of these:

http://catalog.worldpac.com/mercedesshop/sophio/wizard.jsp?partner=mercedesshop&clientid=catalog.mercedesshop&baseurl=http://catalog.peachparts.com/&cookieid=23W0K8UVH2BL0MFV3U&year=1983&make=MB&model=300-DT-001&category=L&part=Sway+Bar+Link

And allow time for the snapped lower shock bolts to be drilled out of the control arm. Ask how I know... :twak:

changing shocks
 

I think there is a pictorial on shock removal on diesel giant

Tie rods, but no shocks.

John

two ?'s
 

The shock needs to be compressed to fit back up in there. If your shock does not come compressed, compress it, and using light wire, hold it in the compressed position.

New bilsteins. Is my shock pre compressed? And if so after installing how do I uncompress it?

I dont mean to hijack this thread, but I just did my shocks with new blistens. The old front shocks from shock up were:
1. shock
2. large washer
3. rubber washer
4. car frame
5. ruber washer
6. large washer
7. top nut

With the blistens, number 2 was not in either shock package. It looked as if they were meant to go from the shock to the rubber washer then the frame.

I tried to re use the old washer but I could not get the top nut on with the extra washer, the shock was not long enough.

I installed without those washers, and I assume I did the install correctly and that the blistens are just different, but I wanted to make sure with everyone here.

To answer spugeddy, no they are not compressed when they come to you. I didnt even take off the wheels or support the control arm. I just turned the wheels all the way one way, took out the bolt, turned the other way, took out the other bolt, shock came right out.

To reinstall, I just simply put in the blisten the same way as removal, with the upper shock up in the wheel well. When it came time to put the top nut on, I just simply pushed down on the shock and compressed it myself, moved over to the frame hole, and let go. Very easy.

Yes, front shocks don't need to be compressed to install, only the rear ones and only if the car is not on a lift.

On the cars, 123's, you don't need to compress the rears either.

Unless the car is jacked up very high I believe the shock needs to be compressed in order to slide up into the hole in the lower control arm and up inside the spring. A fully extended shock is too long to make the turn.

On the front, the shocks bolted right in, rears too, straight out of the box.

Type in "China"
 

I was recently 'ooohing and aaahing' over the pixes of China's restoration. One of the images I remember seeing was how the owner removed and replaced his shocks...complete with pictures :rolleyes:...go have a look, lots of great pictures!

all done
 

All done... probably took me about 3 hours from seats out, to seats back in...

Not real hard, just took me awhile to get top nuts off the old shock (using wrong tools), and then the last shock, lower bolts, took me awhile to line up.

You really have to put the car up in the air, and jack the control arm up all the way so you can drop the old shock out of the spring opening.

Plus I did it all solo....

Now just one problem,.... I want new Bilsteins on the front.

Thanks all

From what I read you will love your new Bilsteins. China could really use some as I keep the trunk loaded with about 400-500 pounds of tools and parts.
The hardest part for me on the rear shock replacement was getting the two top nuts off of the shock and keep the piston shaft from rotating. Seems like it is 7mm, but a small wrench just can't hold it, so I had to use a slightly larger adjustable wrench.
Nice job and enjoy the shocks, and enjoy a successfully completed project. :)

I put new bils on my 77 W123, biggest challenge taking the wheels off. Still had a rattle, rear sway bar control arms, again biggest challenge, taking wheels off. If I were you, I would replace both when you put the shocks on, around $12 from Diesel Giant.
Ron

hope so
 

hope so... Kinda pricey, but after reading all the posts, I didn't want to be taking off cheap shocks after being diappointed and getting the Bilsteins.

The old ones that came off were BOGE (originals?) Car has 230 miles on it.

http://www.dieselbenz.info/wiki/index.php?title=Replacing_Front_%26_Rear_Shocks

check this link for a pretty good DIY...

Anyone have any comments on this issue?

hello
 

according to the bilstein insert in the box, there are different washer, rubber, nut, setups depending on the type of shock. The SD's looked to have a different shock style, and so whether or not you were supposed to have that second washer....???

Not to sound rude, but have you changed shocks before, and did you secure the top nut first. I put it on a jack stand from below to make sure it was "all the way up" through the body hole. It fit perfectly... although my new shocks only came with one top nut...

The issue was not the fact that it may have not been "all the way up". What I am saying is that the old shock had a longer rod, so that the extra washer would fit. With the blistens, the top washer, as well as the top and bottom rubber washer, all fit correctly. When I added the extra washer from the old shocks (lower washer that was on the old shocks but did not come with the new blistens), the rod was not long enough to add the extra washer and still be able to get the nut on top to grab onto the shock threads.

Kind of confusing to explain, am I describing the issue clearly enough?

yep
 

yeah, I am with you know. My bilstein was exactly the same size/length, etc...

It made it easier to get the old one to drop out and have enough clearance to insert the new.