1991 420SEL W126 Suspension question
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Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2006
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From: McAllen, Texas
2017 E400 CAB 2007 BMW 650i CONV
1991 420SEL W126 Suspension question
can anyone let me know of most common issues with front suspension?
I am thinking of rebuilding the whole front suspension with a kit , any recommendations?
or is it wiser just to replace the parts that are damaged.
I have not seen my car in over 8 months so I don't know how she is doing today, any help will be appreciated.
thank you
I am thinking of rebuilding the whole front suspension with a kit , any recommendations?
or is it wiser just to replace the parts that are damaged.
I have not seen my car in over 8 months so I don't know how she is doing today, any help will be appreciated.
thank you
Last edited by raycanales; Mar 16, 2017 at 03:02 AM.
Member
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 196
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From: Chicago suburbs
2019 C43 Coupe, 2017 GLE63, 2007 CL600, 2001 E430, 2002 S500, 2006 E350, 1985 SEC560, 2015 FIAT 500
My SEC560 has 140K. The only issue I had was a bushing replacement on the passenger side. My main issue was replacing the reservoir bladders in the rear suspension.
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Joined: Oct 2018
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From: Melbourne, Australia
1984 280SE W126, 1982 280E W123
I was super hesitant to tackle the job myself as I'm not a mechanic ..... just a home DIY'er/Enthusiast but once I looked at how the system works as a whole, it seemed quite straightforward. The difficult part for e was working out when I needed to have just the car jacked/how high and when I needed to support the Semi-Trailing Arm as well.
If enough people on here are interested, I'm happy to write up a step by step tutorial.
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Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,175
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From: NY
2010 C63 2019 GLA45
I had a 420 SEL, with close to 200 K miles.
Nothing was really needed other than shocks. The 420 SEL, at least US market doesn't have the hydro self leveling rear suspension that the 560 has.
So the best idea there was to replace the front shocks.
We are not discussing here the steering gearbox, that's a completely different story.
The front suspension is not McPherson, so the shock can come out without touching the spring. I think it's called Panhard.
Anyway, there are available Koni shocks for this car, the Red model. So that is the best repair/upgrade for the car, for the suspension. I thiknk I recall that the Red are adjustable, but only 3 steps of adjustment and you have to pre-select the step at installation. I chose the most rigid one and it was fine.
Nothing was really needed other than shocks. The 420 SEL, at least US market doesn't have the hydro self leveling rear suspension that the 560 has.
So the best idea there was to replace the front shocks.
We are not discussing here the steering gearbox, that's a completely different story.
The front suspension is not McPherson, so the shock can come out without touching the spring. I think it's called Panhard.
Anyway, there are available Koni shocks for this car, the Red model. So that is the best repair/upgrade for the car, for the suspension. I thiknk I recall that the Red are adjustable, but only 3 steps of adjustment and you have to pre-select the step at installation. I chose the most rigid one and it was fine.
