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.
I am replacing my front air strut for my 2012 GL450. Left side air spring was leaking and I replaced it a week ago and everything is good. Since these are usually replaced in pairs I am replacing the right side today. When I am putting everything back, I noticed that I damaged the ball joint rubber boot, the metal collar and the tension ring of the boot were separated from the boot itself.
The first picture shows the left side, whose rubber boot is in good shape. The second picture shows the right side, which shows the problem. I think it happened when I used the ball joint separator, the separator must was clamped on the bottom flange of the metal collar, so when the ball joint popped out, they got separated. The picture shows clearly the problem.
I tried very hard to put the pieces back into their position but failed, During the process, I also kind of damaged the rubber boot's bottom part (the little rubber flange below the groove, torn a section of the flange (1/4" to 1/2" long).
Anyone has any suggestion how to fix it or what tool to use to fix it?
Or better yet, is it possible to buy the boot and just replace it? Where to buy it and what's the part number? I tried to search but can only find the whole upper control arm for sale (Is it called upper control arm?)
I had this exact same thing happen to me. I had to use two small 90 degree angle pick tools 180 degrees apart on the spring pulling outwards and then slipped it back over the rubber like an elastic band.
As far as I know, you have to replace the entire upper control arm. You can't just buy the balljoint. The same thing happened to me with both upper control arms when changed the airstrut assembly. The part numbers are 251-330-25 and 251-330-26. The passenger's side is easy to do, but the driver's side, which I haven't done yet, seems to be a real pain to get to the nuts.
Well, I finally figured out how to get the driver's side front upper control arm off. As I said, you can get to the front nut from the engine bay, but you cannot even see the rear nut, let alone get to it. I tried from underneath, but there is no access because the wheel well is welded. I checked everywhere, including with the manufacturer of the control arms, paid for the online repair manuals, but no information at all. What you need is an inspection camera, and a skinny teenage son with long arms. We used the inspection camera and he was able to get a box wrench on it while I unscrewed the bolt from below. He could see the bolt on the camera and was able to retrieve it without issue. We'll be installing the new one, which should go pretty smoothly now, but the only issue I can see is torquing it from below once the strut is in place. I don't imagine my torque wrench will like that, but I'll post an update.
Well, I finally figured out how to get the driver's side front upper control arm off. As I said, you can get to the front nut from the engine bay, but you cannot even see the rear nut, let alone get to it. I tried from underneath, but there is no access because the wheel well is welded. I checked everywhere, including with the manufacturer of the control arms, paid for the online repair manuals, but no information at all. What you need is an inspection camera, and a skinny teenage son with long arms. We used the inspection camera and he was able to get a box wrench on it while I unscrewed the bolt from below. He could see the bolt on the camera and was able to retrieve it without issue. We'll be installing the new one, which should go pretty smoothly now, but the only issue I can see is torquing it from below once the strut is in place. I don't imagine my torque wrench will like that, but I'll post an update.
WIS says the upper control arm bolts must be held by an assistant when tightening, confirming your experience of a two-person operation.
WIS says the upper control arm bolts must be held by an assistant when tightening, confirming your experience of a two-person operation.
It's definitely a 2 person operation, no question. But that's not the issue. The passenger's side is also a 2 person operation, but it's easy because the nuts are so accessible. The problem on the driver's side is accessibility. The manual says nothing about the difficulty of accessibility. It simply says the assistant has to counterhold the bolt. We managed to install the driver's side tonight but it would have been a lot easier if Mercedes would have welded the nuts onto wheel well. Then accessibility wouldn't be an issue, and you wouldn't need a 2nd person to counterhold. It makes a simple job nearly impossible.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
