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New to the forum, but I wanted to update this thread, as I too had tremendous difficulty getting the air springs out of the cup in the lower arm. In the end, I too won, but it wasn't easy! My W212 E350 4Matic Wagon was sinking in the rear with regularity. 114K miles, so it was time... If I can do this job, anyone can!
These are the Suncore Industries replacement springs
I was able to get the old springs compressed by removing the left and right fittings at the air solenoid valve underneath the rear bumper, which allowed plenty of room to remove them without dropping any suspension parts, control arms, etc. I quickly realized that like MOCKBA above, my springs were stuck in the cups. I tried beating on them with a hammer from the bottom, they didn't move. I tried pounding on them with a 5lb sledgehammer and a 24" length of pipe and they didn't budge. I tried pry bars up to 24" in length and no luck. I even lowered the car onto a 15" length of pipe that was aligned with the bottom of the spring, and I couldn't believe that the spring didn't budge. The pipe and stuck spring actually held the car up in air above my jack stand. Unbelievable.
Eventually, what worked was this... I placed a bottle jack under the spring, cut a 7.5" length of 2x4 and placed it between the control arm and the top air spring pad to stop the upward motion of the suspension. There's a flat part of the control arm to the inboard rear of the air spring that lines up with the top pad. If the air is out of the spring, you can pull the top aside to fit the 2x4 in. I raised the bottle jack, and alternated between applying heat and beating the spring with a short length of pipe on the accessible bottom lip. Here's what it looked like -
Shortly thereafter - Victory!
Another quick tip - to get more space, if you need it, use a irwin clamp turned into a spreader to drop the suspension and increase the amount of room to remove the old spring and insert the new one.
New to the forum, but I wanted to update this thread, as I too had tremendous difficulty getting the air springs out of the cup in the lower arm. In the end, I too won, but it wasn't easy! My W212 E350 4Matic Wagon was sinking in the rear with regularity. 114K miles, so it was time... If I can do this job, anyone can!
These are the Suncore Industries replacement springs
I was able to get the old springs compressed by removing the left and right fittings at the air solenoid valve underneath the rear bumper, which allowed plenty of room to remove them without dropping any suspension parts, control arms, etc. I quickly realized that like MOCKBA above, my springs were stuck in the cups. I tried beating on them with a hammer from the bottom, they didn't move. I tried pounding on them with a 5lb sledgehammer and a 24" length of pipe and they didn't budge. I tried pry bars up to 24" in length and no luck. I even lowered the car onto a 15" length of pipe that was aligned with the bottom of the spring, and I couldn't believe that the spring didn't budge. The pipe and stuck spring actually held the car up in air above my jack stand. Unbelievable.
Eventually, what worked was this... I placed a bottle jack under the spring, cut a 7.5" length of 2x4 and placed it between the control arm and the top air spring pad to stop the upward motion of the suspension. There's a flat part of the control arm to the inboard rear of the air spring that lines up with the top pad. If the air is out of the spring, you can pull the top aside to fit the 2x4 in. I raised the bottle jack, and alternated between applying heat and beating the spring with a short length of pipe on the accessible bottom lip. Here's what it looked like -
Shortly thereafter - Victory!
Another quick tip - to get more space, if you need it, use a irwin clamp turned into a spreader to drop the suspension and increase the amount of room to remove the old spring and insert the new one.
I guess I was lucky with mine as I was able to beat them springs out with just a hammer.
There is one thing I don’t like in what you did for removing the old spring(s). You used heat on the lower control arm. Depending on steel Mercedes use for these parts heating them could weaken the parts.
The maximum bending force on the lower control arm is right where the spring is located so your “heat treatment” was in the critical stress area on the control arm(s).
I may be over cautious with this but I would never put any heat on any suspension part. In this case I would use a puller to push the spring out thru that hole in the arm instead.
I guess I was lucky with mine as I was able to beat them springs out with just a hammer.
There is one thing I don’t like in what you did for removing the old spring(s). You used heat on the lower control arm. Depending on steel Mercedes use for these parts heating them could weaken the parts.
The maximum bending force on the lower control arm is right where the spring is located so your “heat treatment” was in the critical stress area on the control arm(s).
I may be over cautious with this but I would never put any heat on any suspension part. In this case I would use a puller to push the spring out thru that hole in the arm instead.
Hopefully, I never have to do it again! However, if I do, I’ll try the puller idea. I’m afraid I would have needed heat anyways though. The car is a daily driver in Maine and exposed to more salt, ice and sand than any Mercedes deserves.
Hopefully, I never have to do it again! However, if I do, I’ll try the puller idea. I’m afraid I would have needed heat anyways though. The car is a daily driver in Maine and exposed to more salt, ice and sand than any Mercedes deserves.
jr
Went thru same rigamarole with my E550 which spent time in MA... took a little beating to get the springs out. That rust jacking definitely had its hold.... I cleaned up the pocket in the control arm with a needle scaler and applied some protection wax.
I wouldn't worry about doing it again, the rest of the car won't make it most likey...
Hopefully, I never have to do it again! However, if I do, I’ll try the puller idea. I’m afraid I would have needed heat anyways though. The car is a daily driver in Maine and exposed to more salt, ice and sand than any Mercedes deserves.
jr
Your new springs have plastic bottom so they will not rust together with the control arm.
The factory ones are plastic as well... the rust/expansion just grips the circumference of the lower spring end caps.
My original springs definitely had steel bottom part that sit in the control arm. It was tight fit to beat it out but I was able to do so. My car is in south and never sees salt etc, on roads so corrosion is minimal.
Just wanted to chime in and say thanks to everyone that contributed to this thread. All the info was really useful in helping me complete my air spring replacement, which I did yesterday. The entire procedure took me a little over 2 hours to do, which was much faster than I imagined it would take. I was fearful that my old air springs would be a pain to remove but to my surprise and relief, they came out with just a simple tap of the bottom mounts with a hammer. I count myself lucky. I replaced the originals with ones made by Arnott.
Some quick tips from my experience. I hope they can help someone else with their repair.
1) I bought the "FastCap Jack Of All Trades" (https://www.fastcap.com/product/jack-of-all-trades) that was shown being used by the one guy on YouTube to help push down and extend the shocks and it really helped big time being that I was working solo. It provided the space to get the air springs in and out of the cramped space. You still need to wrestle with the springs but it wasn't bad with the extra space.
2) My wagon also did not have the electrical plug in the shocks, so if you have a wagon you can skip the step of unplugging it.
3) I chose to drill out the old air spring since it's going to get trashed anyway. Once I broke through the first layer of plastic, no air escaped so I thought my spring was already empty. I found out that I needed to drill deeper into the spring's housing and when I did, a whoosh of air came out escaping. Drill until you hit air!
4) I compressed the new air spring and plugged its hole with some putty, I'm sure chewing gum would work too. This kept the air spring plugged up, compressed and as compact as possible for the installation. I highly recommend doing this. Be careful not to clog up the fitting's hole though. The Arnott spring has a white plastic plug (that has an air hole) that fits into the brass fitting. I jammed putty into that plastic plug to plug up that air hole. This kept it from filling with air until I removed the plug after it was the springs were in place.
5) I jacked the car up on the diff using a floor jack and 2 pieces of 2x4 wood stacked on it. I don't have one of those super low and long floor jacks, just a standard cheapy one I bought at the auto parts store, but I was able to get the clearance the jack needed by driving the car on to a pair of ramps (super useful, I highly suggest these) that I have (https://amzn.to/2S73SnI). I secured the side jacking points with a pair of 3 ton jack stands.
6) This last one is not a tip, but an observation. There's a black plastic fastener that's located at the top of where the air springs sit. They're threaded onto a bolt that protrudes downwards into the top of the stock air spring. Both of mine were damaged when I removed the old air springs. I didn't have any replacements so I just went ahead with the install without replacing them. Not sure if it matters but I thought I'd point that out.
Last edited by pacrimguru; 04-27-2021 at 01:01 PM.
Interesting. Thanks for the info. Neither of mine came with them. The baggy only held 2 pieces of paper, one was installation instructions and the other was a legal disclaimer. No clips.
Interesting. Thanks for the info. Neither of mine came with them. The baggy only held 2 pieces of paper, one was installation instructions and the other was a legal disclaimer. No clips.
Mine did not have clips either. The clips may be just for W211. My springs installed in a recess that had like O-ring around to keep the top in.
Are we talking about W212s? I find it interesting Arrie, that your experience in many ways (various subjects in this subforum) is different. Was the 2010 MY W212 that much different than later 2011 thru pre-facelift?
The OP has a 2010 E550 and you can see the pale yellow-green nylon end cap of the spring (MB P/N sticker, I'd go on a limb and say original) and the black plastic nub in the center of the upper perch. There's no o-ring and only a thin, high-density, firm, foam-rubber pad.
Are we talking about W212s? I find it interesting Arrie, that your experience in many ways (various subjects in this subforum) is different. Was the 2010 MY W212 that much different than later 2011 thru pre-facelift?
The OP has a 2010 E550 and you can see the pale yellow-green nylon end cap of the spring (MB P/N sticker, I'd go on a limb and say original) and the black plastic nub in the center of the upper perch. There's no o-ring and only a thin, high-density, firm, foam-rubber pad.
Interesting or not but my rear springs did not have a clip and it installed in a recess with a half moon cut-out where the air connection is placed. And if I remember it correctly the top went in place kind of snug. There was some sort of white material in it but I did not need to touch that at all.
I also point out that some people say the spring is the same part for both sides but in my car it definitely is not. Left and right are different parts.
What comes to other stuff I can only tell how my car is and it seems MB changed to lesser quality after 2010 MY, like brakes, for example.
Let’s not hi-jack this thread from its original topic but I can tell you I met a German guy just before the COVID pandemic started and when I told him I drive an E550 he immediately said my brakes are not as good as they are in cars in Germany. I did not agree and asked him to go check and so he comes back from my car and admitted I have the same strong big brakes as they sell them in his home country. I don’t think this is the case anymore.
The PN can’t be the same because of the relationship of the teardrop shape protrusion on the end cap and the air line fitting. The airline would point forwards if you swapped it and the lower cap was properly aligned. Unless a supplier is not molding the end cap in similar fashion to MB.
Mine did not have clips either. The clips may be just for W211. My springs installed in a recess that had like O-ring around to keep the top in.
Thanks for the confirmation. I double checked the Arnott packaging today and verified that both left and right air springs that I got did not come with clips.
The PN can’t be the same because of the relationship of the teardrop shape protrusion on the end cap and the air line fitting. The airline would point forwards if you swapped it and the lower cap was properly aligned. Unless a supplier is not molding the end cap in similar fashion to MB.
Exactly what I have said long time ago already.
But they may have changed this for later models. I think I saw somewhere a video where the air connection was pointing to the side toward the wheel. This would make the air spring symmetric to fit same part in both sides.
I did my RR air spring a few days ago. It took about 30 minutes.
I used the Arnott one from a local autoparts store for $232 + tax.
A few days before that I installed an Arnott valve block,.. but the solenoid for the left rear wheel was failed, in it,... and it just made loud clicking noises. That put a lot of pressure on the right rear spring,.. which was then trying to lift 1/2 the car. Suddenly I had a loud air-leak noise from the Right Rear spring.
That was probably my issue all along (occasional malfunction light,... and a scan tool would show long pump run times).
So I ended up calling the local dealer, and they had a couple in stock for $480.
In the end it was the air spring. Mine had a leak right in the top,... where the recess is in the white plastic for the locating plug that keeps it centered in the chassis.
I only removed the wheel and the wire to the shock to get it out. Would be even easier if I had undone the anti-swaybar link. I know that bar has a huge upward pull. With both links disconnected it's relly hard to get it down enough to re-connect them.
I did my RR air spring a few days ago. It took about 30 minutes.
I used the Arnott one from a local autoparts store for $232 + tax.
A few days before that I installed an Arnott valve block,.. but the solenoid for the left rear wheel was failed, in it,... and it just made loud clicking noises. That put a lot of pressure on the right rear spring,.. which was then trying to lift 1/2 the car. Suddenly I had a loud air-leak noise from the Right Rear spring.
That was probably my issue all along (occasional malfunction light,... and a scan tool would show long pump run times).
So I ended up calling the local dealer, and they had a couple in stock for $480.
In the end it was the air spring. Mine had a leak right in the top,... where the recess is in the white plastic for the locating plug that keeps it centered in the chassis.
I only removed the wheel and the wire to the shock to get it out. Would be even easier if I had undone the anti-swaybar link. I know that bar has a huge upward pull. With both links disconnected it's relly hard to get it down enough to re-connect them.
Should replace the other rear spring, if not already... I replaced the leaking units on my '11 E550 with Arnotts along with a MB valve body. The valve bodies fit many models and have a few P/Ns, visually they look similar. Arnott couldn't confirm their valve body would work my car, yet RMT says the P/Ns are interchangeable... go figure. I needed a new bracket anyway for the valve body, so a new MB did just fine ~$300.
Just swapped out my rear springs for Arnotts, installation was a breeze. I’ve triple checked all my connections, Voss fittings and electrical and my bags won’t inflate. Any ideas ? Compressor kicks on and lifts the front with the “raise vehicle” button every time but neither of the new bags are inflating. They both worked fine prior to the swap just didn’t hold for more than a day or two.
So the car's sat on the ground and nothing has changed with the height sensors, and I'm assuming there's no hissing. It sounds as though it thinks the rears are at the correct height. I'd consider switching the tubes at the valve block to route the air from what you know works (the front) to the rear but I'd be ready to disconnect the battery as it will not know when to stop.
So the car's sat on the ground and nothing has changed with the height sensors, and I'm assuming there's no hissing. It sounds as though it thinks the rears are at the correct height. I'd consider switching the tubes at the valve block to route the air from what you know works (the front) to the rear but I'd be ready to disconnect the battery as it will not know when to stop.
Peter
I cannot find the rear height sensor for the life of me. Just spent 30 minutes under the car and can’t find it.
Will add my feedback to this, as I replaced both rear bags on my W212 (S212) wagon this weekend (2015 E400... stock suspension... just the rear bags, which were sagging).
First, thanks to the OP and other contributors - in the grand scheme of things... this is a pretty easy job for anyone that does any work on their vehicles.
My corroborations & lessons learned:
I did one side at a time, just jacking up the side (didn't bother trying to get the whole rear off the ground). My car was "aired up" (the old bags would hold air for hours to days), so getting a jack under wasn't an issue. Put something under the car as a safeguard against jack failure.
Undoing the clips for the lower A-arm cover was the most frustrating part of the job (and I'm not even kidding... not a big deal, but you just don't expect it to be a "deal" at all!)... flathead screwdrivers some needle nose pliers and flexy hands get it done.
With a pair of angled long-reach needle nose pliers, it was very easy to unscrew the air line - no need to drill a hole in the bag or other fighting to get the bag completely deflated. Turn the line connector clockwise (tighten) just a touch to loosen things, and then back it out... after a full rotation or so, fingers are all you need. The bag will deflate as you unscrew... don't be alarmed, but also be aware that the damper may/will compress a bit as the air escapes and the suspension relaxes into a resting position which is *smaller* than when under air pressure.
No doubt the no snow states are able to just pop-out the bags with a tap on the exposed plastic "button" under the lower A-arm... like others have noted, they wouldn't budge for me, after multiple blows with a dead blow hammer. I positioned something (<cough>dead blow hammer</cough> under the plastic button, and *VERY GENTLY* lowered the jack onto it... that loosed it up enough that a few more whacks and a bit of careful prying with a large flathead got it out of the bottom mount. Once out of the car, it's obvious that it basically becomes seized with years of compressed mud & road debris. Thoroughly clean the bottom mount to make sure the new bags drop in nicely.
Definitely remove the caliper... need the brake line out of the way. Getting the old bags out isn't a big deal (you can compress the bags easily by hand, and get them out).
Installing the new bags... I used an available teenager to apply some leverage to force the hub and lower A-arm down, and it didn't take much finagling to get the bag installed. Once roughly in, there is plenty of space and slack to get it properly aligned at top (with the body notch where the air line connects) and bottom (so it drops into the bottom mount). You won't get it seated all the way... just make sure it is properly aligned, and it will pop into place when it airs up. No drama.
Lower the car slowly... with the unpressurized bag, the car will bottom out on the jack.
I think that was it... I was less than 1.5 hours to do both sides, including putting tools away (the job ain't done until the tools are away!).
Thanks for adding to the thread, it'll be helpful for me someday as I'm also in the northeast and will no doubt experience the same complications with rust.
I'm curious how your issue presented itself and how you narrowed it down to the air springs. I had two occasions in the past few months where the rear was sagging (but not bottomed out), but came back up once I started the car and held. I monitored the heights and the "compressor run minutes" for several weeks and it hasn't returned. I'm wondering if this started out similarly with you and and gradually got worse or if it was all or nothing. I'd rather address it proactively and not get stranded somewhere, but trying to diagnose an intermittent issue is frustrating at the least.
On another topic, I notice your rear brake hard lines look like mine. I'm wondering how much time we have before these need to be replaced.
Thanks for adding to the thread, it'll be helpful for me someday as I'm also in the northeast and will no doubt experience the same complications with rust.
I'm curious how your issue presented itself and how you narrowed it down to the air springs. I had two occasions in the past few months where the rear was sagging (but not bottomed out), but came back up once I started the car and held. I monitored the heights and the "compressor run minutes" for several weeks and it hasn't returned. I'm wondering if this started out similarly with you and and gradually got worse or if it was all or nothing. I'd rather address it proactively and not get stranded somewhere, but trying to diagnose an intermittent issue is frustrating at the least.
On another topic, I notice your rear brake hard lines look like mine. I'm wondering how much time we have before these need to be replaced.
Not too worried about the brake lines... certainly I'm not going to do anything about them proactively. Not sure what the future holds for the car... have been eyeing E53 wagons for a while now...
04-25-2021, 01:34 PM
under the plastic button, and *VERY GENTLY* lowered the jack onto it... that loosed it up enough that a few more whacks and a bit of careful prying with a large flathead got it out of the bottom mount. Once out of the car, it's obvious that it basically becomes seized with years of compressed mud & road debris. Thoroughly clean the bottom mount to make sure the new bags drop in nicely.
