Mercedes 108/111 hydro compensator?

[rltorregrossa]

Saw this on
ebay

Anyone ever heard of this before?

[Arthur Dalton]

Sure
They are a hydo version of the compensating spring on swing axle differential.
the buy-it-now price is cheap

[rltorregrossa]

Worth it? I mean, is there any substantial difference in terms of handling?

[Tomguy]

This was standard on most 108s I believe, though some had just the spring version. If yours has failed (very low sitting rearend) then you should either put a spring in yours or get a compensator used if possible.

[JMela]

I swapped my spring unit out for one of these ebay compensators. Unless you haul heavy loads of stuff in your trunk, you're probably not going to notice too much difference. The compensators are supposed to pump themselves up under load.

I made the swap out of curiousity. It doesn't transform your 108/111 into a slaloming demon or anything. Try it out - if you don't like it you can always swap the springed unit back in.

[rltorregrossa]

Thanks all. Think I'll upgrade to bilsteins and new subframe mounts first

[Arthur Dalton]

Most swing axles that have bad hydro units get changed with a spring conversion.. mostly due to cost and very little difference in performance.
The late 113 SLs had them and the earlier spring ones actually handled better..so many change even if the hydo was still working..
The reason I mention the price was cheap is cuz they go for around $500, rebuilt..forget new.