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rear deck looks nice. I've been meaning to remove mine to fix this annoying rattle that's coming from it. I just haven't figured out how to get the headrests off. I've tried a few times but they're not budging. :S
Thank you!
Mine were the same way. Its a tricky thing to pull the lever and push out on the unlocked headrest with the proper angle to free them. Due to the age and time they sit back there, I imagine the rods are dry and stuck/sticky. Perhaps spraying silicone via a straw tube onto the rods that lead into the lever device holding them is the best option. I know that when I reinstalled I cleaned and lubricated them and they slide on and off easily.
When reinstalling, pay attention to the placement. I think my headrests are reversed. L->R R-> L.
Good tip. I don't think I need to remove the boot? I printed out a DYI that I foudn online. I also purchased the same joint seaprator /fork that you have.
This should be fun.. add the front brake rotors front/rear and brake flush
Finally starting to see sun in Boston. Car has garaged for a few months now-
Armani
Originally Posted by Tall Giraffe
When I did my tie rods, I used a joint seperator fork kind. Probably could of just hit the top of the outer joint with a whack or two. If you have the tool go for it!
If you replace the boot the oem clamp is tricky to clamp back, heads up.
You might be able to get back in there if you have the right tool. IIRC, the size open end wrench or tie you need is 27mm. I have seen tools that help with this but I elected to replace the boot. The front tie rod twists pretty easily the back part you will need to get under the boot. Maybe you can accordion the boot back far enough. Hopefully your boot is tear free and flexible given its age.
**Edit: If you look at the boot it is narrower on one end held by a pinch clamp. The back has the trick clamp. I am not sure how you can get the inner out with out un latching the big clamp.
Brakes are my next major is all around with bleed.
Glad you guys are finally from underneath all that snow to do some DIY.
Last edited by Tall Giraffe; 03-16-2015 at 03:55 PM.
Now you have me thinking. I should just purchase the two boots? They aren't that expensive and I'm all about making the job easy.
Thoughts?
*thanks for the input BTW
Originally Posted by Tall Giraffe
You might be able to get back in there if you have the right tool. IIRC, the size open end wrench or tie you need is 27mm. I have seen tools that help with this but I elected to replace the boot. The front tie rod twists pretty easily the back part you will need to get under the boot. Maybe you can accordion the boot back far enough. Hopefully your boot is tear free and flexible given its age.
**Edit: If you look at the boot it is narrower on one end held by a pinch clamp. The back has the trick clamp. I am not sure how you can get the inner out with out un latching the big clamp.
Brakes are my next major is all around with bleed.
Glad you guys are finally from underneath all that snow to do some DIY.
If you look at the top of the clip you see the "hat". That part is clamped by the hook on the other end barely sticking out. The issue is that it unclamps easily, but you have to rehook and squeezing back that clip is the challenge. It will pop like a spring with a screw driver but you have to squeeze the hat on the sides once hooked so it will clamp back into place securely.
If you dont replace with a new rubber boot, it may not be an issue. The new boot is thicker and the old will be thinner thus easier to clamp probably.
My suggestion is to be ready to replace it with a large worm clamp or similar if you get stuck. That would be cheapest and easiest.
Hopefully your boot is in good shape and it will not need replacement. Also buy an OEM boot kit if you do. The one I bought was Febi and it did not fit. Inside the boot are a large O ring and it did not fit as well as the boots were different sizes.
You can peek underneath and see the boot condition.
My pleasure with the feedback.I have received a ton of help here so just paying it forward.
2002 F-350, 1999 E55 AMG, AMG Orphans Club International Member #118
What did I do to me E55 today.....I made a lens for the rhs fog light. Took a rock square in the middle earlier in the year, cracked it nicely (the only lens on the car that are still glass, go figure, lowest to the ground, closest to the rocks), and the chunk finally fell out. I bought a piece of 3/16" clear vinyl sheet, traced the lens diameter, cut it out, glued in place with E6000 glass glue and re-mounted on the car. Works great, unbreakable, optically clear. Oh, and also so not legal. But it will do until I get the new replacement in the first week of May.
I purchased this vehicle in October, 2014. This is the first time I have topped off the charge. I have the maintenance records from when it was new and there is no mention of any AC repairs besides a blower regulator, motor, cable and housing cover.. Just filter changes.
I know this feeling well. I wen through two sets of fog lamps and they are not cheap. What I did was and looks great I purchased 3M clear lens. Not the easiest thing to work with but it works. Problem is you need to heat the film with a heat gun while trying not to burn your fingertips and keeping it wet at the same time. Overall end result no air bubbles and my fogs plus retrofit Depo headlights are safe from rocks.
*I also added LED in the fogs doenst have a lot throw but looks nice w/my HID and LED inner lights. Gives it a "newer look"
Armani
Originally Posted by Tall Paul
What did I do to me E55 today.....I made a lens for the rhs fog light. Took a rock square in the middle earlier in the year, cracked it nicely (the only lens on the car that are still glass, go figure, lowest to the ground, closest to the rocks), and the chunk finally fell out. I bought a piece of 3/16" clear vinyl sheet, traced the lens diameter, cut it out, glued in place with E6000 glass glue and re-mounted on the car. Works great, unbreakable, optically clear. Oh, and also so not legal. But it will do until I get the new replacement in the first week of May.
Looks nice, Dino81! How do you like the ride? How many miles?
Thanks! Rides good! I'd say not much different than stock. I can tell a difference in height getting in and out of the car though. Lol. Never woulda thought I'd notice 40mm that much.
Only like 50 miles on the install, 120k on the car. I have an alignment appointment Friday so I could let the springs settle in a bit.
Thanks! Rides good! I'd say not much different than stock. I can tell a difference in height getting in and out of the car though. Lol. Never woulda thought I'd notice 40mm that much.
Only like 50 miles on the install, 120k on the car. I have an alignment appointment Friday so I could let the springs settle in a bit.
I need an alignment as well, but probably won't have time for another week or so. I have 250 miles on my Vogtlands. I feel like the camber is off, so I'm looking forward to getting it checked/corrected. Please let me know what they find during your alignment. Thanks.
I need an alignment as well, but probably won't have time for another week or so. I have 250 miles on my Vogtlands. I feel like the camber is off, so I'm looking forward to getting it checked/corrected. Please let me know what they find during your alignment. Thanks.
Camber always goes negative when u lower a car. unfortunately there is no camber adjustments for our cars, you would have to buy aftermarket arms to get adjustment. An alignment is basically going to consist of setting toe. Don't get too hung up on camber, it's the toe that chews thru tires and makes the car feel funny.
unfortunately there is no camber adjustments for our cars, you would have to buy aftermarket arms to get adjustment. An alignment is basically going to consist of setting toe. Don't get too hung up on camber, it's the toe that chews thru tires and makes the car feel funny.
Thanks for the information. I'll need to decide if I can live with the camber being less than ideal or not. Off to do some reading on camber adjustment kits......
Thanks for the information. I'll need to decide if I can live with the camber being less than ideal or not. Off to do some reading on camber adjustment kits......
I bought a rear kit off eBay. Top speed I believe, however I opted not to use it right now. I bought it because with my more aggressive wheels and now the drop, I wasn't sure I'd have rubbing issues or not. This isn't the first car I've done, so I'm pretty familiar with these issues. I ran my last car, an Acura TL, with -3 camber in the rear to clear the wider, more aggressive wheels. After 10k miles or so, inner wear was negligible. It really is the toe that kills it. Camber actually helps during cornering.
I bought a rear kit off eBay. Top speed I believe, however I opted not to use it right now. I bought it because with my more aggressive wheels and now the drop, I wasn't sure I'd have rubbing issues or not.
The rear kit looks like a simple installation. The fronts, more complex.
2002 F-350, 1999 E55 AMG, AMG Orphans Club International Member #118
I know this feeling well. I wen through two sets of fog lamps and they are not cheap. What I did was and looks great I purchased 3M clear lens. Not the easiest thing to work with but it works. Problem is you need to heat the film with a heat gun while trying not to burn your fingertips and keeping it wet at the same time. Overall end result no air bubbles and my fogs plus retrofit Depo headlights are safe from rocks.
*I also added LED in the fogs doenst have a lot throw but looks nice w/my HID and LED inner lights. Gives it a "newer look"
Armani
Where did you find this 3M product? Is it a covering or just a coating? After finding out that I have the Euro version lamps, I need something so this doesn't repeat itself. The vinyl is easy to work with, but I am afraid it may be too noticeable and draw some weird looks from people who know.
I need an alignment as well, but probably won't have time for another week or so. I have 250 miles on my Vogtlands. I feel like the camber is off, so I'm looking forward to getting it checked/corrected. Please let me know what they find during your alignment. Thanks.
My toe was just SLIGHTLY off, I don't remember the exact specs...but a small adjustment was made. My camber increased about 1/2 a degree all the way around. Not enough for me to worry about. I'll keep an eye on my tire wear, but in my experience since my toe is dead on now, that extra 1/2 degree of camber will show little to no extra wear.
Unless things have changed dramatically in the last few years, camber is a tire wearing angle.
Sorry, just read previous posts, and was not aware that there is no camber adjustments available. Things that make you go hmmmm!
No you are correct. Camber will wear tires, but the point was, if the toe is correct, the little bit of extra negative camber (1/2 degree) won't accelerate wear THAT much. TOE is the tire killer!
I believe MB spec was something like -1.75 and after the drop of 1.5 inches, my camber is now 2.0-2.25. I do have camber arms for the rear, but I'm not sure if I added that extra .5 degree by installing the arms, if my wheels would rub. It's a camber bolt that's needed for the front, it's fairly cheap. If my camber was way outta whack, say -3 or so, I'd install the arms and try to get it as close to spec as possible. But it's not so I'll just hold on to the arms in case anything changes.
My toe was just SLIGHTLY off, I don't remember the exact specs...but a small adjustment was made. My camber increased about 1/2 a degree all the way around. Not enough for me to worry about. I'll keep an eye on my tire wear, but in my experience since my toe is dead on now, that extra 1/2 degree of camber will show little to no extra wear.
Thanks for the feedback, Dino. I'm going to purchase and install a set of rear camber adjustment arms myself. I will probably have the front adjustment bolts installed when I take it in for the alignment. Unlike you, I don't think I will have any issues with rubbing since my rear wheels aren't very aggressive.
03-16-2015, 10:23 AM
