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Front suspension down and pump not running, how to troubleshoot?
I have a 2006 E320 CDI and a pump usually runs for a few seconds when I open the door. Thinking this was a self leveling pump of sorts. I have springs on all four wheels so not an Airmatic (my GL was an airmatic and I replaced the bags on the rear). The front end is now down all the way and looks like a low rider. There are springs on the front end too but must be a bag to help level. I thought I read somewhere that this is a hydraulic system.
So what kind of system do I have? Where is the pump? Is there a relay to look for?
Thanks for your help.
Love my CDI....275K.
Your front suspension consists of a spring + shock to both sides. Need to check springs. If you want part #s to shop I need your VIN. The pump you hear is SBC brake system hydraulic unit pressurizing has nothing to do with your suspension.
Pulled off the front left and yes....broken spring. How hard to remove shock and replace the spring?
So need to order two springs and two shocks and should also do the rear shocks too.
Suggested vendor? FCP?
Pulled off the front left and yes....broken spring. How hard to remove shock and replace the spring?
So need to order two springs and two shocks and should also do the rear shocks too.
Suggested vendor? FCP?
I did the entire assembly but maybe that was a little overkill. You have to get the springs from MB as no one else makes them. You either go by the vin number or the number of dots on the spring. I used Bilstein for the struts which were cheaper than MB ones or Sachs which was the OEM maker for MB. Bilstein already has a lifetime warranty so it was cheaper for me to get it from Rockauto instead of FCPeuro. I got the bumper and cover from FCPeuro. I also got the strut mount and rubber insert/isolator from MB but maybe you can just reuse the rubber insert but just get a new mount. You will need a good spring compressor to compress the spring. If you don't have one, I suggest just taking it to a shop and have them do it, as others have mentioned, you really have to compress it down. If you do the rears, you can also do the shocks, they're not too bad either and not as involved as the front. Don't forget to set the height of the struts, by default, the Bilsteins come set at the highest ring but you need to lower them so that they're between the 2nd-4th ring depending on how you're counting them or whether you have sport/luxury/4matic/rwd.
FCP has spring kits and shock kits....to bad they are not assembled. Parts Geeks have an no name assembled front shock too but would like to find Bilstein or Sachs. When you set up the springs, how do you know which mount level to pick? Or can I see from the removed shocks?
FCP has spring kits and shock kits....to bad they are not assembled. Parts Geeks have an no name assembled front shock too but would like to find Bilstein or Sachs. When you set up the springs, how do you know which mount level to pick? Or can I see from the removed shocks?
For the 2008, FCP didn't have any spring kits, at least not for the front suspension. Part of the knock on those all in one suspension kits is that the spring is somewhat generic and not designed specifically for the car. But MB only made around 40-50k E classes a year and then you have a mix of RWD/4matic or Sport/luxury so I think there are 3 different springs that could have been used whereas on a volume car like a Honda or Toyota, they just made one so there's a much bigger market. Rockauto had the lowest price on Bilstein. You actually had to search for the right Bilstein part number, it didn't actually show up in the catalog but when I search for the Bilstein part number, it was there.
As for the mount level, take out the old strut and measure the length and set the ring height accordingly. Once it's set, you should put them next to each other to make sure the height matches up. I got all new parts so I didn't have to take apart the old strut. That meant buying the springs, struts, sleeve, bumper stop, mount and rubber isolator all separately. EPC is great at telling you exactly what part number you need and I got the parts from all over, some from FCP, some from Rockauto (Bilstein are lifetime warranty so didn't need to pay list at FCP) and some from an online MB dealer as no one carries any aftermarket springs, at least for the 2008. Plus getting factory springs means you get the spring rate that was designed for the car, not something close.
08-04-2020, 01:27 PM
