Ok, I was busy today at the shop so a friend helped me reinstall my H&R springs.

Something went wrong. I think my friend just over tightened the little nut that holds the upper spring cap on. The result is that there is a 1/4 in. gap between the black metal strut clamp thing, and the strut housing.

Has anyone else had this happen, know the resolution?

Can anyone make the repair manual CD available online temporarily for me to take a look at?

Can anyone volunteer as a second set of hands tomorrow so I can fix it for my AutoX on Sunday?

Thomas

 

check your PM

 

Many thanks to Kwik. It seems the gap is normal, and I am ussuming that with such significantly shorter springs, the gap will be larger.

I still have the issue of the bracket (clamp) alignment tabs being broken off.

I took it for another test ride. It is making a similar noise to when my sway bar endlinks had worked themselves loose. I am going to go to my MB dealer and see what they have in stock, and when they can order it by. Then I am going to spend the rest of the day checking everything.

I was hoping to run in a CART Auto-X in Bristol, CT. I am going to be so p!ssed off if I can't.

If there is anyone that can get me the upper spring cap overnight or same day (tomorrow) Sat. I would really appreciate it.

 

 

Bracing myself-

 

Any good news?

 

7:30 am wake up
7:45 am leave for dealership 1
8:10 am get to dealership 1
9:30 am leave with torsion bar end links, but not the bearing
10:00 am Arrive at dealership 2
10:30 am Leave with part, torque numbers, new friend, and a job offer. <- cool
11:15 am Get back to my shop
03:00 pm torque last wheel, leave shop
Everything is fixed, working properly, and torqued properly.

Parts;
# 203-320-02-73 (1) Bearing (upper spring cap) $94.61
# 203-320-28-89 (2) Rod.Torsion (swaybar endlinks) $89.04

Tools for roadside repair kit (just in case)
1/2 Rachet, $19.99
12mm Hex driver, $22.48
19mm Deep socket, $6.99
21mm Combo wrench, $12.99
22/24mm Combo wrench $12.99
16mm Combo wrench, $8.99
7/9mm Combo wrench, $7.99
7mm Hex key, $12.99
12mm Hex key $8.99
Canvas bag for everything, $12.99
MB Strut tool, $freebie
MB Technical Manual for w203 $freebie

Still need the inverted torx E14 and another one I forget for the swaybar bushing clamps and rear sway endlinks.

Knowing if anything lossens up again I can fix it on the side of the road or at the course, priceless!

A technical team lead at Dealership 2 asked me to come in Monday to meet his boss. He wants to hire me. It isn't exactly on my career path (I was consulting as a business analyst/ project manager for technology companies), but considering I have been unemployed since Feb. 28, did I really have a path anymore? It pays half of what I used to make but half of that is better then nothing right? Maybe I can make up the diff in discounts and freebies?

Thanks Kwik, the Evosport crew, and the cool team lead at dealership 2 that "didn't give me any of this". Everything is cool now.

So Kwik, I am not p!ssed. Now I just need sleep.

 

Nuk, that's great to read (although i think you overpaid for the tools).

Lotsa people change paths, especially from computers, etc. wrt your salary, that's just starting. After a few years...

Hope you rest well, and then do well tomorrow.

 

I probably did overpay. I just needed them. It is about a 3.5 or 4 hour drive. I just went to Sears.

I only do things well when they are right now, a few years? What's that?

Thanks jpb. I will try to get pics. I hope this weather works itself out. Running in the rain will be good practice but...

Now, I just have to try to calculate my gas so that I'll have almost nothing left by the time I get there.

 

Did you install the rear springs yourself? Was it difficult? How much torque did you torque the nuts/bolts on the rear? I just got my Eibach springs and would like to install the rears. I think I’m going to take the car to a shop to install the fronts.

 

The rears are very easy. I don't remember the torque numbers I used. You basically just unbolt the bolt at the bottom of the strut, and press the assembly down, and you can replace the spring.

The instructions in Kineda's Eibach spring install how-to has really clear instructions for the rear. You can get that at www.csportcoupe.com.

The fronts aren't that bad, but they were harder to do then I anticipated. It got much easier the third time. Kineda's instructions are missing a step or something.

For the fronts you unbolt the sway bar endlink from the strut.
Then unbolt the 12mm hex key bolt.
Then the two 19mm bolt at the bottom of the strut. (TIP: To get at the bolts, turn the wheel)
Then the 21mm nut/ 7mm hex key top of the strut under the hood.
Remove the spring/strut assembly
Remove the Bearing nut WITH THE MB TOOL
Remove cap and spring, replace with new.

To put it back together.
Replace the spring/strut assemble
Replace the 12mm hex key bolt/ 22mm nut
Replace the two 19mm bolts at the bottom of the strut
Reconnect the swaybar endlink
Lower the car
Replace the black cap and 22mm nut over the 7mm hex key on the top of the Strut
Be VERY careful not to over tighten this. There are two tabs that allign the back hat and there are easy to tear off. That is part of how my friend F'ed up.

Honestly, when I went to the dealer ship asking for torque numbers, both dealership said they don't torque there, they just hit them with an air gun. I don't recommend this.

 

Glad to hear you got the spring install worked out.

But what's really interesting to me is that you picked up a maintenance book (presumably CD?) I've called Mercedes to buy a CD, and was told that the W203 CDs aren't out yet, and won't be available for another year.

Want to make a few bucks burning a copy?

Jerry

 

If it was a CD it would be freely online and available to you at no cost but time. I would have that thing online soooooo fast.

Sorry, luckily, a technical team lead actually gave me a printed copy. It's a great little book, literally everything is in there less TSBs, he printed those out for me. I was told it can be purchased through the parts department. Nothing on CD yet seemingly.

 

Do you have any torque numbers for the rear suspension in your little book? I bought a MB CD from Ebay with some info on C230 coupe, it's not very detailed altought it was designed for MB service people.

 

The book is at the shop...

The book isn't very detailed either... Self-locking nut for the bottom of the strut is 55nm off the top of my head. I really didn't look at the other numbers for the rear.

The book is probably the same infomation as on the CD, but in print.

 

did someone forget to wash up and brush up between 7:30AM and 7:45AM?

 

lol, yeah... I was too busy smoking crack and downing pots of coffee!

 

Im gonna bring this thread from the dead.... cuz ive gotta question.. better than starting a whole new thread.

Ive got the same gap that nukblazi talks about after installing coilovers, but ive only got the gap on ONE side (driver's side)...

Anyone got any ideas of whats up?

 

Are you sure that both sides are evened out?

 

i think the gap is normal from the last time when i had the tein Coilover i had a small space on the driver side but ... most people say it ok that u have that space.

 

Yea, Im pretty darn sure they are even, but ill go down and check it out again.

Wavey, I imagine that the bracket holds the damper up in the case that the car has a larger space of ground to fall..... I figured if the front wheel would fall too far of a distance, the whole thing would drop the distance of that gap. Im pretty sure I read a thread not too long ago about someone w/ this same issue and how it was making weird noises when going over bumps and what nots. I just find it funny that its only goofy on one side.

 

can u take some Pics ??

 

Just took it all apart... if i cant get it to sit right, ill take a couple pix..

Additional Questions:

Does the top end of the spring and the rubber seat it sits in have to be oriented in a specific way with the strut housing and the "hat"? I know the hat sits a specific way in the strut housing, but other than that.... :\

 

So here are some pix...

First, the passenger side - its on tight - its on tight(no gap) just a blurry pic, sorry


Here is the gap im talking about on the driver's side..


Hopefully those images work. I was able to put the car down on all fours and drive it around. Didnt seem like there were any issues. After driving around, i went around the car measuring to make sure everything was level. I found the following:

From the floor to the top of the wheel well.... on the front driver side was almost half an inch LOWER than the front passenger side. Furthermore, I found that the rear passenger side was half an inch lower than the rear driver side. I thought I had messed up how I set up the coilovers, but after adjusting them, I noticed that there was actually very little change in the ride height.... (i put the front passenger side way low and put the front driver side way high, in an attempt to have equal ride heights) Prior to this, i was absolutely certain that i set them the same height by counting threads. It makes sense to me that the front driver side is lower than the front passenger side because of the gap issue ive got, but what i dont get is why the rears differ.... Do the springs need to settle? is there a difference in the spring rates?

Any suggestions on either issue will be much appreciated.

Thanks