"Bumpy" ride in my 1993 500E...

[Larwik]

Hello...This is my first post...I've allways loved the nice and firm ride in my 500E...however, it has gradually become more "bumpy" and "obnoxious" the last 6-8 months... It has ~122Km's and I have owned it for the last 6-8 years, it's stock w/o any mods to suspension etc, etc...initially I thought too high tire pressure but it's the same as always...I checked the struts/shocks for wear/leaks but seems to be OK visually...I also have some previous experience with MBZ wagons and I recognize the stiffness from when their nitrogen filled spherical "containers" fail/leak in the self-leveling rear suspension...Is there a similar system in this series of 500E?...apart from that, and the ever occurring but intermittant and bone-jarring "stumbles" at idle... I still love it and it runs like a champ!...appreciate any pointers... Thanks / Lars...

 

[gsxr]

Hello Lars,

You are correct - the 500E has the same self-leveling rear suspension as the wagons, with nitrogen filled spherical "containers". If the bumpy ride you are experiencing seems to be mostly in the rear, that is very likely the cause.

BTW - welcome to the forum!

 

[michel]

http://fotos.marktplaats.com/kopen/3/cb ... ecaA==.jpg

I also think these are your problem, i replaced them and it was gone.

i believe they are around 120 dollar

 

[Larwik]

Thank's Dave and Michel for the "welcome" and the instant response...I believe the "harshness" is also up front when hitting uneven spots/pot holes...but, I will pay specific attention to this from now-on...are 500E "shocks going bad" rougher with time/wear or (as I thought) becoming more "loosey-goosey" and undefined with age?...my car starts to feel "too solid" like a "bucket of hardened Cement"...and I'm loosing confidence when going into turns...still handles but not "tossable" like before...new Yokos last year and can't detect any play in the front/rear-end or weird noises anywhere...can't detect any sagging engine mounts either...but if they are sagging, will that show up in any detectable way handling-wise?...I'll look for those Nitrogen domes as well...(btw, can't believe I haven't noticed them yet)...Thanks / Lars...

 

[mb280sel1985]

I've got the same problem. No visual leaks. Hard and clunky as hell when hitting some overlapping asphalt for example.

Please, if anyone can describe a little bit about the rear suspension, what to look for, servicing, overhauling, things to look out for, replacements to expect and at what interval.

Anyone with some info is appreciated

 

[Glen]

Most likely is worn out accumulators (nitrogen cells). They are located in the spare tire well.

 

[mb280sel1985]

Is this the part Glen?

140 328 05 15
http://www.everythingbenz.com/z/part/1403280515-mercedes-accumulator

Are these nitrogen spheres difficult to replace?

 

[Glen]

Those are them.

I don't consider them difficult to replace but they can be a little messy. They are under high pressure so when you first open the lines, you will get a quite a bit of fluid draining out under the car. You will need to put the car up on stands or preferably, on a lift.

 

[gsxr]

The FSM procedure says to bleed off pressure using the bleeder screw on the SLS valve. You'll get about a half-quart of fluid out that way. But when you loosen the line at the accumulator, more fluid will come out. Just let each one drip until the flow stops, then proceed to remove the line completely and replace the sphere. See this PDF, note page 3:

http://www.w124-zone.com/downloads/MB CD/W124/w124CD2/Program/Chassis/32-0630.pdf