mlm

I know there has been a lot written on the ABC system. I'm new but I have a lift and tools. What I know so far is the car would sag on the left side after several days, then a hydraulic hose burst in the front of the car, front left I think. I'm gonna try and tackle this myself. I'm not in a hurry, don't need it for transportation, just miss being able to drive it. Its currently up on the lift, any info or help would be appreciated. Point me to the right thread if possible. Thanks

shardul

iTrader: (1)

the front hose costs about 250

after install raise and lower the car a couple of times and keep adding the hydraulic fluid until the level of the fluid is steady.

sorry to say but this will not be the last time a hose bursts.

pumpedTSI

The car actually sort of "tells" you it has an issue before it becomes an issue.....you just have to look for the signs and address them ASAP......sagging is the sign, you need to check the system/hoses immediately and replace the hose, it will usually be seeping or have a slight leak. You can either buy an oem hose or take the old one to a good hydraulic shop and have an upgraded (pressure wise) hose made to match the old one. It also never hurts to check everything periodically and keep fluids/filters changed on a regular basis as a PM schedule.

Welwynnick

Don't worry, there's lots you can do yourself; its only nuts and bolts after all.

https://mbworld.org/forums/m275-v12-...on-thread.html

https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...2003-s600.html

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?for...gspot.co.uk%2F

Nick

maw1124

You're educating me here. I'm starting to wonder if these aren't good items to do preventatively, given that the car is now 10 years old, which is "lifetime" in automotive parlance.

maw

Welwynnick

Yes, definitely. The hydraulics industry that supports building, farming and automation figured out some time ago that high pressure two-wire hydraulic hoses only have a shelf life of ten years, and an (intermittent duty cycle) service life of about five years.

So you have to plan to replace these hoses from time to time. That means you have to make them easy to access to inspect and replace, and they should all be the same size with industry standard fittings at each end of the hose (rather than having custom metal pipework).

Flexible brake hoses are rather like this, so what's really needed is a 3/8" version of brake hoses.

Its a complex system, but it would be OK if it was maintainable. Sadly we and Mercedes have been learning the hard way.

Nick

maw1124

Thanks, Nick. I just read your ABC suspension thread and related links. Lots of great reference material there, much of which I knew or suspected. Thanks again for that -- looks painstaking.

I haven't had much trouble out of mine. The car is gently used, mostly summer highway (ventilated, no stop and go), always garaged, fluid changed frequently and hoses inspected. They look good and you can generally tell what failing hoses start to look like. Yet I still wonder. I do need a pulsation damper though. Mine is the S55 with staggered 19"s on it, and I'm thinking of going to 255/40s up front and 285/35s out back. Do you think they will work within the system's parameters, or do you think I'll have to go outside the tire pressure specs to get the ride right? Also I wonder if you've run across (or whether MB has upgraded) the ABC filters? Thinking there is, if the filter was catching impurities in the fluid, why does it turn black from impurities so quickly? Finally, how important do you think it is to empty the struts of fluid?

Cheers,

maw