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Thanks guys. I cut the outer bag, just a protective cover I guess, then drilled a hole with a 1/16 bit and, psssssss... it deflated. Pried down from top, rotated and accessed the air fitting. Pics attached. The spring is out.
Done with one side. Oh yah! The next should go easier now that I know to drill the hole (thanks juanmor40 and amosfella). So much faster and easier than playing with wires and the 9v battery to deflate the spring. I like the idea of the long clamp he used in the video and will use it on the passenger side next weekend when I do that side if I can apply it. I know boats, but when it comes to cars, I'm a true amateur but so far so good and I can't thank everyone enough for the help as I'd never be able to do it without you all.
Done with one side. Oh yah! The next should go easier now that I know to drill the hole (thanks juanmor40 and amosfella). So much faster and easier than playing with wires and the 9v battery to deflate the spring. I like the idea of the long clamp he used in the video and will use it on the passenger side next weekend when I do that side if I can apply it. I know boats, but when it comes to cars, I'm a true amateur but so far so good and I can't thank everyone enough for the help as I'd never be able to do it without you all.
Glad you found what I wrote helpful. In reality, machines are very similar. So, if you have knowledge of one, the principles tend to carry over.
I have to do that job here soon. But I'm going to be replacing the suspension arms, bushings, etc.
Glad you found what I wrote helpful. In reality, machines are very similar. So, if you have knowledge of one, the principles tend to carry over.
I have to do that job here soon. But I'm going to be replacing the suspension arms, bushings, etc.
I don't know how I missed it in my research, but I found the following thread on the air springs from 2012 (Link below) which was quite extensive with lots of information and input from a number of different users with different experiences.
Being a wagon without full airmatic, my car is a little different but close enough. You sound much more experienced than me, but you might find it helpful. i.e. I wouldn't even know it was time to replace arms bushings etc?
Well, in my case it was obvious. The tires all around are having the inside inch of the corner blocks scrubbed off in a very short period of time. I think the damage was done in about 4000 miles.
So i finally finished replacing the air springs on the rear of my '09 e350 wagon. The second side went much faster, about 3 hours taking my time (getting older) with my 16-year-old son. Pics attached of the before and after. I haven't measured anything, but I swear the back sits lower than the front. Maybe it always did. Actually, I'm not sure exactly what I'd measure anyway.
Things I learned that may help others:
Drill a hole in the air spring after slicing away the outer rubber jacket and everything goes easier. Bolts slip out with minimal effort, and spring comes out with minimal-moderate effort.
-Either buy the tool that fits around the air hose to get out the Voss fitting, make one, or leave the air hose attached until you pry down the spring and rotate the spring toward you before removing it so you can access the Voss fitting. Sight s everything. On the first side I did that, and it was no biggie. I bought the tool for the 2nd side before I figured out to rotate the whole spring. The Arnott spring doesn't recess the air fitting like the original which makes it much easier to access in the future. I hope I don't have to.
-It's a 2-man job when it comes to seating the new spring. Having someone pull down on the control arm (I think that's what it is) is huge when you're trying to push up on the bottom of the spring when inserting it and trying not to bend over the clip up top.
-Definitely remove the plastic cover off the bottom of the control arm (again if that's what I'm referencing). I really help when realigning the shock for the bolt to go through because you can access it through the bottom to push up and rotate as necessary.
-if not familiar with small Voss fittings, after spinning it out from the spring just push the hose through so the little ring appears then gently break it off with a plyer then slip off the threaded part. I mangled the end but not too much luckily and was able to cut a small piece off the end. Phew.
- Make sure to push the electrical fitting in so it clips down. It didn't check for the click on the first side, and I didn't understand why it wasn't working. When I did the second side I pulled back and realized it wasn't in. I had to push the edge of the fitting hard with a flat screwdriver to get it to snap in. I went back to the 1st side and as suspected it wasn't secured. Same... pressed on the edge with a driver and it finally snapped in.
- I read 4 opinions on re-inflation of the springs.
1) Arnot instructions say ONLY a MB STAR can re-inflate the springs. Not true.
2) Inflate while on the stands
3) Drop the car and let it re-inflate.
4) Drop the car until the wheels touch then re-inflate.
I chose #4. Even then when I dropped the car it apparently still wasn't inflated, and I was worried. But given 10 minutes and the car running it came up. I guess given the hose is so small it takes time.
The compressor relay is set to only run for a minute at a time to keep from burning the compressor up. Compressor is like a 0.8CFM. It takes forever to inflate the car from sitting fully down. I was thinking about installing a T fitting between the compressor and the valve block with a hose that went somewhere easy to inflate with an air compressor.
With star, you measure the angle of the CV shafts, and it sets the height of the rear that way.
Ahhh... That the compressor only running a minute at a time explains everything. I nearly had a heart attack when it was sitting so low at first. Good tip for others to be aware of.
02-13-2022, 01:37 PM
. Keep us posted when you are done 
Finished
