When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Maduro, that is a lot of rust you had on the control arm. I live in New York and my control arms didn't look that rusty and they use a lot of salt and brine the roads here as soon as their is any snow accumulations. Where are you located?
Winnipeg MB....hopefully for the last winter (we're eyeing warmer climates). The car is 2012 so technically over 10 years old, I'm the second owner, only has 80 000km (50k miles), car has been in Winnipeg all it's life.
sooooooooo, still have the issue after replacing both bags.
Very slow, takes a few days, but the car will start to slightly sag on the rear right hand side and eventually the entire rear of the car will hunker down low with the rear right remaining lower than the other side.
Any clues where I should look next? I'm thinking the valve block (which appears fine from the outside) or the line itself somewhere along the run?
Question, could a bad strut itself be the culprit in this situation? ie can the strut slowly compress if it's bad?
sooooooooo, still have the issue after replacing both bags.
Very slow, takes a few days, but the car will start to slightly sag on the rear right hand side and eventually the entire rear of the car will hunker down low with the rear right remaining lower than the other side.
Any clues where I should look next? I'm thinking the valve block (which appears fine from the outside) or the line itself somewhere along the run?
Question, could a bad strut itself be the culprit in this situation? ie can the strut slowly compress if it's bad?
ugh ... maybe you can catch it in the act of being a total pain ... soapy water spray on air bag valve and hose and associated componentry When I did mine, I had real concerns that the Arnott 3rd party non-oem valve connection @ the airbag was sufficient to do the job -- you just push the hose into the new fitting and call it a day omitting the collett fitting that was there from the factory that is to day, it's just a hose going into a fitting w/ Arnott, no factory collet, so some sort of 'colleting mechanism' must be integrated into Arnott valve fitting give them a call and see I bet they can help ... the pressure in the bag must be pressing in connection @ valve to hose all the time ... the valve needs to seal just right (Didn't help that I took one of them off w a small wrench when it said right on the thing 'don't remove this valve' duh ... put it back on very quickly while no one was looking, and haven't had a problem praise the Lord ) soap it up if you haven't already -- I'd think even a tiny pinhole leak you'll see something... peace, wishing you well
I think the fitting onto the Arnott bag is exactly the same as the OEM, the brass collet fitting is already installed in the bag, once you've pushed the hose/line in it creates the same connection as before.
I've already done soapy water on the valve block and don't see any bubbles, only thing I haven't done is follow the entire line from valve to bag and sprayed it. Otherwise could the problem be inside the valve block? Or the strut?
I think the fitting onto the Arnott bag is exactly the same as the OEM, the brass collet fitting is already installed in the bag, once you've pushed the hose/line in it creates the same connection as before.
I've already done soapy water on the valve block and don't see any bubbles, only thing I haven't done is follow the entire line from valve to bag and sprayed it. Otherwise could the problem be inside the valve block? Or the strut?
Have you scanned the vehicle for any codes? Maybe one of the height sensors is faulty or you have a pinhole leak on one of the air lines somewhere on their runs... hopefully the former not the latter.
Basic scan (OBDII) don't show me any messages but if you're referring to the more advanced diagnostic scan system (STAR?) I don't have that.
Not necessarily a Star but a MB specific scan tool like the Launch MB version or iCarsoft MB that would scan all the modules. Hopefully it's not one of the individual air lines because they would be a pita to locate an air leak especially when the lines snake through the back of the vehicle by the subframe.
I had an issue with the brand new Arnott front struts on W212. I bought remanufactured ones to save the full factory functionality of the air suspension. After installing the struts, the car started tilting to the right side. Arnott replaced the pair with the new struts that worked as intended. I did check the lines and all other components to elemenate other potential issues. So, hypothetically, it could be an issue with the bags, but I would recommend scanning the car and performing some tests via Xentry to determine if it's the cause of the issue.
Not necessarily a Star but a MB specific scan tool like the Launch MB version or iCarsoft MB that would scan all the modules. Hopefully it's not one of the individual air lines because they would be a pita to locate an air leak especially when the lines snake through the back of the vehicle by the subframe.
Thanks I've got some googling to do as I'm not familiar with those. Are they affordable and attainable by a regular consumer?
can you swap the connections rear.left and rear.right and see if the issue has 'mobility' (like you do when testing ignition coils) ...
That's an excellent idea. As long as there is enough play in those lines to be in a slightly different position then they were built for I don't see why not. I might give this a shot, thanks.
Thanks I've got some googling to do as I'm not familiar with those. Are they affordable and attainable by a regular consumer?
I just received a Launch Creader Elite for Benz, that was recommended by S. Prihadi on one of his posts, from my kids for Christmas. They are @$150 on Amazon and the iCarsoft MB specific version 3 are just a little cheaper. You're going to need a MB specific scan tool as opposed to generic scan tool so that you can get at values of the suspension sensors to rule out a problem with them. My suggestion would be to start a new thread with your recent problems and see what the consensus is here from our colleagues.
That was on the 218 board. Start one on the 212 board but preface it with that you're not getting any input on your previous thread and that's why you're posting here.
That was on the 218 board. Start one on the 212 board but preface it with that you're not getting any input on your previous thread and that's why you're posting here.
I just received a Launch Creader Elite for Benz, that was recommended by S. Prihadi on one of his posts, from my kids for Christmas. They are @$150 on Amazon and the iCarsoft MB specific version 3 are just a little cheaper.
Lots of versions come up here, which one did you end up with? -->
This is the version I have... Launch Creader Elite for Mercedes.
This screen grab is from Amazon US...
Ya after posting I did some more digging and ordered that exact one from the US site as they'll ship it to me in Canada for a measly $10 bucks. After the $50 discount and shipping cost it came out to $145US total which includes duties/taxes. Kind of an impulse buy as I usually do a lot more research first but for that price (and a couple of youtube vids) I figured it's worth a shot.
Ya after posting I did some more digging and ordered that exact one from the US site as they'll ship it to me in Canada for a measly $10 bucks. After the $50 discount and shipping cost it came out to $145US total which includes duties/taxes. Kind of an impulse buy as I usually do a lot more research first but for that price (and a couple of youtube vids) I figured it's worth a shot.
I was also on the fence on which ones I wanted to be gifted from my kids but S. Prihadi who is one of the members in this group recommended it after his thorough research.
Sprinter, red sports car, agate grey sports car, e350 Wagon
Originally Posted by mockba
Sometimes removal of the rear springs can as painful as this:
Passenger side Drivers side
None of the springs came out easily for me. I removed the lower control arm from the passenger side and knocked out the spring with a hammer. But the driver side was way more difficult to deal with as the rear bolt that holds the control arm seized and I couldn't remove it. I tried to burn the spring, used penetration oil, hammer, chisel, Dremel, saw, jacks and everything I could think of. The spring is made of very strong plastic and rubber. A flat screwdriver, knife, saw and hammer and almost 9 hours of work helped me to win. I probably could try to unscrew the middle portion of the spring (see the ring with a thread) and didn't have to break it piece by piece. The last picture shows what parts the spring is made of.
Just bumping this old thread.
I ran across the same issue with the bottom cup being rusted in to the pocket on the lower control arm.
Before I attack the other side, has anyone found a good way to remove the lower spring seat from the arm?
The Sawzall and big *** chisel method wears you out.
11-24-2022, 11:24 PM
