We did have to undo the motor mounts and lift the motor a bit. The job is done, ran the rodeo, thanks to everyone for their tips and advice. Car is running beautifully. Thanks Eddy and Jairo.

 

Rodeo running

https://*******/photos/3cXhV4EMc4WzTKTi8

Goo dot gl

 

Replaced both valve blocks. The old o rings were like jelly, but I wanted the reengineered valve blocks because they have improved damping control.

 

I wish I could find somebody or an independent with a Romess so I can set the ride heights using the factory procedure.

 

​​​​​​well, the valves are done, now waiting for the pump. I started to lose pressure as many predicted after idling in traffic under very hot conditions. During rodeo, pressure drops very rapidly from 189 bar to 99. Ordered two new front struts as well to go with the rears that were replaced just before I got the car. So that is every ABC hydraulic component. Sheesh.

 

Sucks, but now your system should be perfect for years. Much nicer to enjoy it when it's all working, than worry about a failure or delete it and have a car that feels too heavy and unbalanced.

 

Well I do love this car an awful lot and I drive 25K miles a year. So I'm looking forward to it.

 

I bought a reman pump from an outfit in So Cal. But I just couldn't bring myself to install it in the car. It just didn't feel right with the rest of the German parts assembled in iso 9000 or whatever factories. I got an OEM pump for 1551 from the dealer. The struts were 2K for the pair. Arnott wanted 650 each and I didn't think it was worth it for the delta.

 

Throwing a picture of the car in !

 

I replaced my ABC pump with an AC Delco reman that cost me about $230. I couldn't bring myself to spend that kind of money on a simple hydraulic pump. If it lasts 5 years i'll happily replace it again for $250 and not $2k. I can't argue with OEM quality, but on a car that cost me $13k, spending that much to rebuild the suspension is just impossible for me.

Great pic, car is gorgeous as always. Not my choice of interior color but still a classic design that still looks amazing. I get compliments on my car all the time.

 

Thanks and I hear you about the pump. I was vacillating for a while, the Delco reman units weren't in stock and I just didn't feel I could trust some random rebuilder.

 

New pump, new front struts, and ABC magnetic filter

She's close to perfect now. The ride and damping is so far from when I got her, it's hard to believe how much wear this system develops. And it's all about dirty fluid.

So, if there is anything I've learnt -> Change your fluid, change your filter. The mag filter housing let's me see the condition of the fluid. If it 'aint nice and green, flush it.

I'm fighting one last problem which I think is a bad yaw rate sensor.

And no, don't ask me the total amount spent.

 

Hi Shiv

That's a pretty amazing piece of work.

Can I ask which hose blew? Rough location? Was it in the engine bay, where they all get hot?

Was it a rubber hose itself that blew, or was it a crimped joint that failed, where the hose is pulled out of the joint?

Finally, when you replaced the rear hoses, did you actually remove the rear subframe, or did you just lower it? It's pretty tight and tangled in there.

Thanks, Nick

 

Shiv, this an incredible thread. Thanks very much for it. It is admirable that you want to keep the car stock. I personally agree with that and your car looks beautiful. Also since the car is incredibly engineered I am sure that it handles far better with a fully functioning ABC system than some replacement aftermarket coil over system. May you drive it long and prosper!

 

My "hose to nowhere" blew. Yes, it was in the hot zone. I did have two other hoses weeping from the crimp joints.

The rear subframe was not removed, it was just lowered after removing the exhaust.

 

Thank you Ron

 

Thanks. Reason for my interest is that I had another ABC hose fail. My first one was also the hose to nowhere, and since then I replaced all the flexible hoses in the engine compartment, and wrapped them in foil heat shield. The reasoning was that hoses exposed to heat fail first.

However, I just had a rear hose fail, which surprised me. None of the rear hoses had been showing any sign of seeping, but in fact it was the hose itself that burst, rather than the crimped joint.
Fortunately it failed in the drive, just after the whole family came back from holiday, driving all over the Peak District, England.

UNfortunately, the failed hose fed the left rear strut. The rear valve body is on the left as well, BUT the hose winds its way across to the other side of the car, before doing another one of those annoying U-turns, and winding it's way back to the strut. At the factory, all the fuel, brake and ABC pipes are obviously fitted to the body before the subframe is fitted, making them impossible to get at.

I just spent a week trying to remove the pipe without removing the subframe, and failed. Then tonight I dropped the subframe, and feel obliged to let everyone else know how easy it can be, in case they're faced with the same misfortune. It's not a job for a novice, but it's not too bad if you have some experience.

I've spent the last couple of years telling people how easy the "impossible" jobs in the engine compartment are, if you drop the front subframe. However, I'd fought shy of doing the same at the rear, until tonight.

What was surprising was how much you DON'T have to remove. However, I ALWAYS do things the hard way, then figure out how easy it could have been afterwards. In this case I removed loads of stuff, lowered the subframe onto stands, then put all the stuff back in again!

So - if you get a left rear ABC hose fail and are worried about tackling it yourself - don't waste any time - get the subframe out of the way. There's absolutely no other way of replacing that pipe (unless you cut the hoses, and then you'll never get it back in again).

So these are the things you need to disconnect:

1. Park brake cables
2. ABS speed sensor wires
3. Brake pad sensor wire
4. Four Torx head subframe bolts
5. Propshaft

The following things can all stay put if you're careful with the trolley jack:

1. Exhaust (allows 2 inch subframe drop)
2. Brake calipers
3. Suspension struts
4. Suspension level sensors
5. Suspension pipes
6. Brake pipes
7. Fuel pipes

But if you do remove 1, 2, 3 & 4, then you can remove the subframe completely, but just lowering it is enough to see and access the remarkably large number of ABC pipe clamps. They're a beast to get at otherwise.

hope that helps someone.

Nick

 

I just had a rear abc hose fail on my cl500, the one with a long metal section and two rubber sections that connects to the rear accumulator

$500 parts and labor for my Indy to change

 

It sure does, I loved the ABC when it was working.
I guess the best way is to renew it all, but it needs a lot of patience and money
not worth doing that on a CL500 or CL600, but on a AMG yes
When it works, ABC is the absolute best

compliments again for that amazing job

 

Why would it not be worth doing on a 600? The 600 is rarer and was more expensive than the 55.

 

Agreed.

A 55 is the perfect candidate for a coilover conversion, as it's meant to be more of a sport car anyway. ABC is amazing for the character of a CL and I wouldn't want to drive one without it's active functions, but a 600 is worth as much/more than a 55 and is far more "luxury", and ABC is the best of the best in that world, a suspension that does active damping, level adjustment, roll control, etc. Fits a flagship V12 coupe perfectly.

I wouldn't even own a CL500, no offense to the owners here, but it's just not even worth having the car with so many failing, overly complicated systems and just a piddly little V8 when there is such an amazing V12 available in the same car.

 

I think you have that backwards , it's the cl600 that had the extra problems (coil pack , voltage transformer , and oil cooler in early cars) whereas the cl500 is bulletproof (aside from the abc suspension which is its only weakness )

I've got both a cl500 and cl600

if you do a yellowspeed conversion on a cl500 the car is bulletproof

 

I'd prefer a set of coils and a voltage transformer over sacrificing 200hp and 300lb/ft.

The rest of the car is the weakness, not the engine. That's my point. If you're gonna have a car with PSE systems that break, hydraulic suspensions, tons of (old now) high tech stuff, might as well have the flagship.

Also, the interior trim on the 500 looks cheap to me. I'm too used to seeing the suede headliners and all leather door panels and trims. The cloth parts on the 500 looks like a C class comparatively. Right now, the price point is so close, go for the big dog. New there was a very large difference, but now spend the extra 5k and enjoy a truly special car for cheap.

 

The 500's are nice cars, but you need good reasons to put up with ABC grief. I think the NA 55 & 600 provided some of those reasons, and the 600TT adds another big reason.

In fact I would argue that the 600TT has the best case for persevering with ABC, because the combination of that engine and that chassis is the iron fist in a velvet glove - supercar capability in a luxury car. Nothing else does that quite as well, and ABC is a pre-requisite.


Nick

 

I'm just counting, the whole new ABC cost a lot
and you can get CL600's for 10.000 over here

I think doing that on a AMG might worth it as the AMG's prices are going up now here

maybe i'm wrong but the CL600 is a nice cheap crazy toy but I doubt prices will raise for a whle

I'm fine and happy enough without ABC