incubus

My mechanic has asked me to raise the car (using the suspension rise button) before i park the car for the night or any time that its going to be parked for over 4-5 hours.. He say that if i dont it will effect the suspension.

is he cuckoo?

Jud Chapin

Never heard of that. I'd run in by several MB techs.

incubus

We don't really have too many qualified mechanics here for MB. Most of them have learned through experience. This guy used to work for the exclusive dealership here for MB so I'm assuming he knows something about MBs.

Try and run it buy your mechanics... i don't think anyone on the forum is doing this when parking...

calgary

What he means by "effecting the suspension" is the lowering of the ABC, which happens to cars with very high mileage. My 2001 CL500 has over 300000 km - and it happens to me, but not always. Weather temperature seems to effect it also??

m258

I have a 2001 CL500 with 97k miles, and this (car lowers) happens when I park for awhile without driving, especially in colder weather.

I'm gonna try to raise the car when parked for extended periods of time and see what happens. I was begining to think the suspension was getting ready to go out

Jud Chapin

There is a DTB out pertaining to CL's, dated 9/04/07, on this where temp variations can cause the lowering of the suspension due to "volume changes in the ABC oil within the suspension struts. The vehicle can lower up to 10 mm when the temp diff is 30 degreesC (ABC operating temp 20 deg.C/outside ambient temp -10deg.C."

The DTB then goes on with condition 2 as follows: "If a vehicle lowers only after being stationary (eng. off) for more than approx. a week, this is a characteristic of the hydraulic design and is not a complaint that requires a repair. The check valves in the front and rear axle valve blocks have a metal seat. The inherent design of this sealing method, required for system durability, permits a limited level of leakage which can result in the vehicle slowly lowering. If the vehicle does not lower significantly until after approx one week has passed, do not perform any repair attempts."

m258

Wow!

Thank You very much Jud!

beacham

thanks jud, a useful bit of info! mine is some times left for a week and it lowers itself (looks good) and some time it don't. if it does, i get a warning car to low press raise button, then back down and all is well. I'm glad this is normal.

Jud Chapin

You're welcome and glad I could help! BTW, beacham, mine does the same thing. If it sits for 3-4 weeks, the left front will drop what looks to be all the way. But after start up, it rises, the warning light goes off, and all is well.

Jay9722

Okay,
If I sit in the car, in park, with the engine running the car will drop really low. It does it all the time, everytime, after about ten minutes. I get no warning sounds or lights. I never have the car raised upusing the ABC...it stays in the standard mode. Is this normal? It sits in the garage quite a bit but I have never noticed a drop.

User110

now THATS a great question, I'm having the same issues with mine. gets really annoying when with the lady friend and it keeps doing it.




ALi

Jud Chapin

While this does not sound normal to me, it's interesting that 2 on the forum have the same problem. Perhaps a tech will help here. If not, I'd call MB and see what they have to say. Out of curiosity, when does the car go back to normal height as you say the drop happens all the time.

Jay9722

I never feel a dramatic "rise" back up like I feel the lowering feeling. And it is a dramatic drop...it looks great in the position...but I have no clue what the problem is, if it is a problem. It isn't a random thing either. I can expect, after about ten minutes sitting at idle, in park, the car will settle. It settles evenly at all corners.

User110

ditto, the car slowly rises up and i'm GUESSING that when the pumps reach a certain limit, they release the stored air. assuming.


try it out, might do the same to others.




ALi

Jud Chapin

As more then one wise man has said, "when all else fails, read the instruction manual". In doing so, my CL '02 states the follow pertaining to the "Level Control System", a switch for which is located in the center console where you also find the ABC switch. There are 4 positions on the switch (BTW, I never touched mine),
1 Raise vehicle chassis
2 Lower Vehicle chassis
3 indicator lamp
4 indicator lamp

It also states the following: "The vehicle chassis ride height is raised or lowered automatically according to the selected setting and to vehicle speed. This helps to increase vehicle handling safety and lowers fuel consumption. The selected setting is stored in memory, even with the electronic key removed from the starter switch". It explains more about it on the next page. It starts on page 283 in my operator's manual.
This may be what you guys are experiencing. Like I said, I've never touched mine but I think I will now. I've never taken the time to read my manuals but probably should. Keep me posted.

User110

thanks Jud, i think we already KNOW what it DOES, its what its doing thats NOT stated that I'm wondering about.




ALi

Jud Chapin

I don't understand what you are saying. I could be wrong but I think this does explain the raising and lower of your car which is based on the setting of the "Level Control" Switch. Did you read this section of your manual? It states, among other things, that when the "Lower Level" option II is selected (lower vehicle chassis), the car is lowered progressively by approx. 3/8 inch between 0 mph and 35 mph. If you want to test it, just switch it to the "normal" position (no lamps illuminated). If it doesn't drop as it is now doing, I'd say it's ok, especially since both of you guys are experiencing the same thing. I think you are wondering if this is a problem with the ABC system. I don't believe it is, nor do I believe it's a problem. Just my 2 cents.

Jay9722

I know all of this. The vehicle is settling when it isn't moving or in gear. When stopped, at idle, after about ten minutes it is almost "like a big sigh" and the car just drops two inches. I'm sure once I put the car in drive and start out it automatically raises itself (don't notice it). I can't imagine it is anything bad since it does it everytime...just another little quirk of the car.

User110

no no, all of that we know.

what we are TRYING to explain, is that if you sit in your car with the lower option selected(no lights), the car rises and falls over approx 10min intervals. so if your sitting in your driveway, with the car running, your car will rise to the Highest point, and once reached, it will drop to the lowest and start the process over again. the rise is Barely noticeable, but the Drop is VERY noticeable.


try it out Jud, wont hurt nothin more then Gas and time lol.




ALi

Jud Chapin

Sorry, guys, I missed the fact that it drops like a rock. As I said, I've not tried that and not sure I want to. In all seriousness, though, I sort of find it hard to imagine that MB would build a car that w/o warning would drop very suddenly and severely at idle considering that there are some fairly old people that drive the CL's. I would think it would scare the you know what out of them. Again, just my 2 cents. I will give it a try, though.

Jay9722

Wait, old people drive my car? I'm selling it.

calgary

The problem discussed earlier was the settling of the car BELOW the normal setting, after being parked. It is not a sudden drop.The red warning light might advise you:
DO NOT DRIVE or DRIVE SLOWLY. This is a problem, not an intended function, I am sure. As soon as the running engine creates enough pressure in the ABC system, it raises the suspension to the selected setting (of the three available) If it does not raise the car, you have a serious - and very expensive - problem.

Jay9722

Will somebody please go start your car and sit in it at idle for about 15 minutes and verify this. Keep the ABC on standard mode(no lights on). I'm telling you that this is not a problem...Goliath and I cannot have the same fault with our vehicles. And it isn't a drop...it's a very controlled settling...almost the same as if you set the car height to its highest and then pushed the ABC button to lower it. I have 20's on my car and there is no issue of rubbing whatsoever at anytime.

fatmike

The suspension settling below normal height should only happen after a length of time where the car has been parked. It should raise up upon start up or a short while thereafter. It is very common, when I picked up my CL it was dumped like this in the MB lot along with the 2 other CL's they had.

BlownV8

If the car is falling after being parked, it may be common but these cars can be plagued with ABC issues. There has got to be a leak in a control block or hydraulic shock for the car to "leak down." If you are under warranty, get it fixed because if you wait the problems will be very expensive to fix and will multiply like falling dominos.

Usually the system gets metal particles in the lines and control blocks from the pump. The little pieces of metal get caught around the seals and eventually the little pieces of metal will take out the pump. Once the pump fails, it will introduce a lot more metal into the system that is very hard to get out and will take multiple flushes to get the system clean, If the system is not completely clean, you will take out another pump and you will have all the other issues related to the failed pump.