read most all of the sls threads. pm'd the man for the o-rings.

from what i've read it should drop very little when unloaded even with sls in fail mode.

my car sits like a california low rider. shes bottomed out. so i'm guessing that the springs are shot.

i have 3 full sets of w123 springs. from sedans. will those fit under this car? realize they may not be as heavy duty as the wagon springs, but right now the wagon springs are zero's and the economics are tight.

what say yea. or can i pull a set say from a sdl/sel? would that work?

thanks all

... springs are not the problem, unless you are wanting to get rid of the sls altogether... not a good option.
odds are good that you have a leak in the shocks or the lines leading to them. before you hack up the car and put in the wrong parts in there, just get a look see at the system. is the fluid in the tank clear? is the tank full of fluid? are there little puddles everywhere you park in the back?

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

There's a fairly heated debate on here about what percentage of the load is carried by the springs and whether the hydraulic cylinders are designed to carry any load. I'm on the side that thinks the cylinders carry some of the load.
I would not condemn the springs without repairing the SLS system. Even with bad springs, a functioning SLS system would cause your car to ride level.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

you say you've read everything but what have you tried/checked ? accumulators are often bad, have to pull them to check them. fluid level ? checked for leaks ? when i first got mine its like the valve was stuck, i had to disconnect the lever from the linkage and move it far through its travel, then it started to respond. have you tried disconecting the lever and moving it by hand ? dont know about the springs though ?

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1996 E300 110,000
1985 300TD 212,000
1980 300D 238,000

I'll add the usual warning. Don't get under there and start working the lever without taking precautions not to drop the car on your noggin.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

I second what Kerry says.
I just got a SLS working for a guy and once you understand them, they are simple. First check the hose that goes from the fluid resivoir to the pump. It cracks at the pump inlet and the pump will not suck the oil from the resivoir. If that is ok then with the car running, open the bleeder on the SLS valve at the back of the car. If you have fluid pressure and flow there then the pump is working ok.
Next, with the back of the car on ramps, disconnect the connecting linkage from the SLS valve. Start the engine. raise the arm on the SLS valve and see if the car raises. If not , and you have fluid pressure, you need to rebuild the valve.
I lloked into eliminating the SLS on my wifes old '84 wagon and found out that sedan stuff won't fit under it.
use this link for a "how to" on the

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforu...d.php?t=195914

I used it and it worked. BE VERY CAREFUL OF THE SMALL BB CHECK BALLS IN IT. There are 2 of them and they want to "Fly out" when you are taking it apart.

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My Truck.. 2007 DODGE, 5.9 Cummins, 6spd stick, 4X4. My car..1977 240D, OTHER WHEELS...1955 VW Oval window bug, European Delivery (Holland) with a 1700cc, 2 barrel, Porsche drum brakes. 1939 WILLYS Pick-up. 1967 Triumph 200cc Tiger Cub. 1976 Honda 550F 4cyl Motor Cycle.

okay.
1 will the springs fit. this is a yes no question.

2 history (these are the facts as i've experienced not open to opinion either)

2 months ago, i replaced/had made the HP hose from the sls pump going to the hard pipe headed to the rear. i also had to replace the sls llvl control rod (plastic bitts disentidgrated valve opend wide while going down the road overpressurized system blew hose).

reset ride hieght and noticed that the valve itself would stick in the slightly open position till it went about 1/2 inch a past where it was to stop then it would pop shut. after a while it stopped doing that and now when i shut the car off she will slowly loose elevation till its bottomed out.

so my diagnosis is that the valve leaks by and when the pump is off it allows the pressure to bleed off and the car to fall.

while i was under the car i did a thurough visual inspection and found one leak at a conector which i tightened. no other leakage was found.

and yes most of this was done with car on ramps..

yes the resiviour is now full. the fluid is a little dark, and will be replaced shortly.

so now i don't want to take the sls out. i've ordered the o-ring set because i believe the valve is leaking by and want to do a clean and inspect on the internalls.

3 this is the part that i'll take opinions on.
i asked about springs because i see that some say the springs should bear some of the load. which makes mechanical sense.

so if the springs in the 2 cars have the same ID and OD and Hieght then why not use a strong set from a sedan to replace a worn out set from a wagon.

and if it's true that they don't bear any load (why are they there) and i replace them with a set that will, won't i get a much more stable ride, and in effect have the best of both worlds.

i will still have the sls for those days when it's a "truck" and the springs for when it's a "touring road car"

is that indeed truely hacking the job.