rockoosi1

I recently purchased an 02 CL500. The car had been sitting for 8 months and was flat on the ground. We put a battery in the car and started it up. Within minutes the car was at normal ride height. I'm getting the ABC warning on the dash which disables the button on the dash.

If I disconnect the battery to reset the computer the suspension will raise and lower until the code sets again. The car has remained at normal ride height for the past few days. I just reset the computer again and raised it to the max height to see how long it will stay up. Where is a good place to start checking to see what is causing the code to set? Thanks in advance!

norpcom

Are there any leaks underneath the car?

rockoosi1

Originally there was. I topped off the fluid this weekend and the abc warning light has now gone out. The problem now is, I can't find where the leak was. I've had the car up on ramps for the past two days and not a drop! I start the car every few hours and cycle the suspension 5-10 times and so far nothing.

dons107

Had similar case recently. My CL 500 01 (13,000 Miles) has been sitting for 5 months or so. Earlier I found fluid leak beneath the car,the front right suspension wont lift and off course the ABC warning appeared . Went to independent Mercedes mechanic and checked the car with star diagnostic. Computer said the ABC pressure was too low. My mechanic checked the ABC socket (cmiiw), ABC pump and the hose. Turns out it was the hose got loose due to aging. Change the hose and flush all the fluid and refill (and reset). Runs like a new now. Hopefully forever. Finger cross

awiner

Drop the plastic under body pans. The pans can hold 8 quarts of fluid and you won't see all the areas without them removed.

rockoosi1

It's up on ramps as we speak for that very reason. I'll keep you guys posted.

rockoosi1

Okay, here is what I've found so far. There has been an obvious leak goingon (not sure how long though) because just inside the driver's front tirethings are wet. My guess is that is/was a slow leak eventually causing the ABCwarning light to come on. Once that happened I think the previous owner justthrew his hands up decided he had spent enough money and parked the car. Ithink he then tried adding too much fluid to the reservoir and it spewed out onthe day I picked the car up.

I got the car home, saw where it was dripping fluid and figured this shouldbe pretty easy to find even though the fluid level looked full with the caroff. After doing a little more research I decided to check the fluid level withthe car running and bingo!!! the level was so low it didn’t even register onthe dipstick. I think I them made the exact same mistake as the PO and addedtoo much fluid at once and it cam spewing out again! After cleaning things upand cycling the suspension at least thirty times, now the level is correct andI've seen maybe 1 drop of fluid over the past three days (but I can’t see whereit’s coming from). Sooooo before tearing into this thing and spending a bunchof money I'm going to monitor for leaks and functionality (keeping a bottle offluid in the car of course).

Does this sound reasonable to you folks? I'm open to input. Thanks!

awiner

There are two notches on the ABC dip stick. The lower one is when the engine is running, the upper is when the engine is off. When checking make sure no one is sitting in the car as they are calibrated for unloaded weight.

Where you noticed the fluid points to a few possible things.

#1, simple fluid overflow from the blow hole on top of the rubber dip stick cap.

#2, pump leak as the pump sits above that area

#3, front valve block leak

You need to clean and then visually inspect all these areas to see what is happening.

rockoosi1

I believe #1 was/is what I saw spewing out because since saturday I haven't seen anymore leaks. And like I said, I start the car up every few hours and cycle the suspension maybe 10 times and check. My next plan is to take it down and drive it for the next few days and keep checking my fluid level. I'm not foolish enough to think there is no leak at all but I do think it is a small one...we shall see.

biker349

some guys have found leaks on the hose that is behind the wheel well. unfortunately you have to disassemble the wheel well to check it.

rockoosi1

Okay, here is the verdict. For the past few days I've been leaving the car at it's highest position. with my limited understanding of these cars I assumed this would tax the system the most. In anticipation of taking down off the ramps, I lowered it to normal ride height last night. Well, imagine my surprise when I checked this afternoon and the leak was back. After further investigation I realized what is happening is the car is dropping and pushing fluid through the weep/overflow hole in the dipstick. Soooo my conclusion is this, the "system" will isolated the various zones at anything other than normal ride height. But when I lower the car down and let it sit, there is something that isn't holding and allowing fluid to be pushed back to the reservoir and then overflow. Does my logic make sense? With that being said (assuming I'm right) would you bother to chase this or just park the car with it lifted and watch the fluid levels?

biker349

could be accumulators. let others more knowledgeable chime in.

TheSaint

Check this video for the accumulators

rockoosi1

Wow!!! that sounds like my exact problem!!. With that being said, do you know how many there are? (looks like 3 maybe) and if they operate independent of one another according to ride height setting? Also if changing one, is it recommended to change them all? (assuming there's more than one)

I'm also going to do some more research on the subject.

gaazmon

Ya we had our pump changed out on our 02 CL500 about half a year ago. The pump had spewed out a bunch of fluid onto the side of the engine and there was some slight burning smell. Last week we just had the valve blocks changed as well since there was something off about the level and the ABC messages kept popping up. After those two repairs the car drives like it did before either of those problems surfaced.

Interesting as well, my MB indy told us to drive on the highest height setting when bringing the car over and not to drive on any lower settings so I can see from your post why he said that now. I also assumed that would "tax the system" the most as you had done.

Also best to check hoses, especially in cases where the car has been sitting for quite some time. They get old and crack if fluid hasn't been running through them. These girls don't like to be ignored

rockoosi1

Well it turns out the culprit seems to be the accumulator. I just took mine off and it did just like the video. I will have a video for you guys shortly. Thanks!!

rockoosi1

Can the accumulator be purchased separately or do you have to buy the entire valve block?

awiner

You can purchase the accumulators separately. Part for the front and rear accumulators (You need two) is: A220-327-01-15

Be advised there are two other nitrogen spheres in the system as well. One is mounted to the pressure relief valve (Part #A220-327-02-15) which is found in the front right side of the vehicle.

The other is a small nitrogen chamber (Called an Air Cell) that sits near the fuel pump in the driver side mid/center of the vehicle, (Part #A220-320-04-15).

It is my feeling that if your spheres are original and you need to replace one of these spheres, replace them all as they will all be in roughly the same condition. Over time, it is normal for the nitrogen pressure to reduce due to use/leaks. If one of the rubber internal diagrams have broken, the others may be close as well.

gaazmon

yup that was it for us. we had all 4 changed out

rockoosi1

I was thinking along those lines. So far the one that I've located is right in front of the driver's front tire.

rockoosi1

I would like to order at least two of these right away. Can anybody recommend a good parts supplier? In the Washington DC area would be even better. Thanks!

awiner

Parts.com

TheSaint

This parts shop have quite some parts for Mercedes Cl 500

Link to self leveling suspension parts for a 2001 Cl500
http://www.carpartsdiscount.com/auto...html?3594=2235

rockoosi1

I found a spot on Ebay earlier today that seem to have even lower prices. They quoted me $633.00 for all four parts. What do you guys think?

http://www.new-part.com/product-list...=220-327-01-15

TheSaint

I would by the parts at ebay because of the price

It does not look like the original Mercedes parts is any better than non original parts so..