installing Coilovers(need help)
12-25-2005, 09:34 PM
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A box on 4 wheels
installing Coilovers(need help)
I was wondering if there was a DIY for installing H&R Coilovers. I don't really want to purchase a Mercedes Manual just to find out the torque specs for my C230. I usually like doing everything myself, even if it takes longer, I usually get it done right and clean. I don't want a shop to install my coilovers as fast as they can and doing a slappy *** job for my money.
Any help will be appreciated
Any help will be appreciated
12-26-2005, 07:56 AM
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BLACK 05 C230SS
Do you have all the tools necessary to do the change? Air tools, Jacks, A long crow bar, Sockerts, Another person, etc?
If you have everything and maybe a lending hand, than go ahead and do it.
I've done my own coilover install on my past Nissan Maxima and it was easy with all the tools I had but the only problem I really had was setting the ride height which I could not do without a car lift. You have to count the number of threads on each side and figure out how much you want to lower in the front and back which means you need to lower the car and raise the car a few times to get perfection. Thats my experience. Other people might have an easier way but that was the first time I've done it. After I was done, I had to get the car aligned with a laser alignment. I had to do this twice because after the guy set it to factory specs I was not happy because I felt a little push to the right and they had to set it up again for me until it was dead center. I had to give the guy a $20 tip for going thru this hassle.
If you have everything and maybe a lending hand, than go ahead and do it.
I've done my own coilover install on my past Nissan Maxima and it was easy with all the tools I had but the only problem I really had was setting the ride height which I could not do without a car lift. You have to count the number of threads on each side and figure out how much you want to lower in the front and back which means you need to lower the car and raise the car a few times to get perfection. Thats my experience. Other people might have an easier way but that was the first time I've done it. After I was done, I had to get the car aligned with a laser alignment. I had to do this twice because after the guy set it to factory specs I was not happy because I felt a little push to the right and they had to set it up again for me until it was dead center. I had to give the guy a $20 tip for going thru this hassle.
12-26-2005, 01:15 PM
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Something Slow
DIY BY eerola
Changing the springs is not a very big deal. If you have good tools. Air tools are more-or-less a must, because the bolts are very tight. When doing the work first time, it took me some 4.5h to complete the work. Next time, I already knew what I was doing, and it took some 3 hours (including a good lunch break).
To be honest with you, I hate the front suspension in the newest Mercedes models. They have this McPherson setup, which requires removing the spring + shock package before you can remove the spring. It is simply time-consuming. In the rear they still have double-wishbone, which is so much easier. It takes me 45 min to complete one front spring. And 30 minutes to do both rear springs. :-)
Front springs go pretty much like this:
0) Make sure you have some brake fluid available.
1) Open the shock bolt in the engine compartment.
2) Jack your car up, and place it on secure stands.
3) Remove the tire.
4) Open sway bar bolt.
5) "Cut" the brake line.
6) Open the lower bolts that mount the McPherson "package" to the "brake thing" (don't know the name of the part in English :-) ).
7) Remove strut-spring package.
8) Take a strut spring compressor and compress the spring.
9) Unscrew the "rubber hat" on top of the strut-spring package.
10) Remove and uncompress the spring.
11) Compress the new spring and put everything back together.
12) Add some brake fluid and remove air from the brakes.
Rear springs go pretty much like this:
1) Jack your car up, and place it on secure stands.
2) Remove the plastic cover under lower arm.
3) Take a jack and place it under the bolt which connects the lower arm to the car. Lift up a little bit.
4) Remove the bolt.
5) Use the jack to let the lower arm come down slowly. And carefully.
6) Let the original spring fall out.
7) Place a new spring (and rubber pad (*, if you want to change it).
8) Put everything back together.
*) Both my cars had #4 pads in the rear. As far as I have understood, #4 pads are pretty common in US models. But there is a number of different shims, with thicknesses varying as follows:
1 - 5 mm
2 - 9 mm
3 - 13 mm
4 - 17 mm
__________
i removed my rear spring and shockjs my self its easy to my the the front was kinda hard but its all easy but u will surely need a hand/another person also a breaker bar is good if u don't have the air tools u may need the tool in the attach picture
oohh i don't think u might have to Cut any brake lines i didn't have to cut any lines when i install my coilovers
Changing the springs is not a very big deal. If you have good tools. Air tools are more-or-less a must, because the bolts are very tight. When doing the work first time, it took me some 4.5h to complete the work. Next time, I already knew what I was doing, and it took some 3 hours (including a good lunch break).
To be honest with you, I hate the front suspension in the newest Mercedes models. They have this McPherson setup, which requires removing the spring + shock package before you can remove the spring. It is simply time-consuming. In the rear they still have double-wishbone, which is so much easier. It takes me 45 min to complete one front spring. And 30 minutes to do both rear springs. :-)
Front springs go pretty much like this:
0) Make sure you have some brake fluid available.
1) Open the shock bolt in the engine compartment.
2) Jack your car up, and place it on secure stands.
3) Remove the tire.
4) Open sway bar bolt.
5) "Cut" the brake line.
6) Open the lower bolts that mount the McPherson "package" to the "brake thing" (don't know the name of the part in English :-) ).
7) Remove strut-spring package.
8) Take a strut spring compressor and compress the spring.
9) Unscrew the "rubber hat" on top of the strut-spring package.
10) Remove and uncompress the spring.
11) Compress the new spring and put everything back together.
12) Add some brake fluid and remove air from the brakes.
Rear springs go pretty much like this:
1) Jack your car up, and place it on secure stands.
2) Remove the plastic cover under lower arm.
3) Take a jack and place it under the bolt which connects the lower arm to the car. Lift up a little bit.
4) Remove the bolt.
5) Use the jack to let the lower arm come down slowly. And carefully.
6) Let the original spring fall out.
7) Place a new spring (and rubber pad (*, if you want to change it).
8) Put everything back together.
*) Both my cars had #4 pads in the rear. As far as I have understood, #4 pads are pretty common in US models. But there is a number of different shims, with thicknesses varying as follows:
1 - 5 mm
2 - 9 mm
3 - 13 mm
4 - 17 mm
__________
i removed my rear spring and shockjs my self its easy to my the the front was kinda hard but its all easy but u will surely need a hand/another person also a breaker bar is good if u don't have the air tools u may need the tool in the attach picture
oohh i don't think u might have to Cut any brake lines i didn't have to cut any lines when i install my coilovers
Last edited by WaveyKat; 05-17-2010 at 08:59 AM.
