Me and my father just replaced one of the leaking struts on our 2003 sl500 that had been giving us a red abc drive carefully message. we got one from arnott and installed it ourselves (it was actually much easier than the stealership prices would have you think). However we have a few oddities with the system now...

Occasionally we get a white abc error on the dashboard on startup (which I guess means air in the system (or what else could this mean)? Also, the weird part is that the car stays raised even when cycling the button for the three settings. BUT, the car will raise and lower via the buttons IF the abc sport mode is enabled (although slower than usual).

Our question is, could air in the system be causing this issue? We checked the level of fluid and its good, we also bleed it via the bleeder valve on the affected strut. And we heard that continual driving and cycling of the button which raises and lowers the car bleeds the system over time.

We called the dealer about rodeo bleeding the system, but they want $100 diagnostic fee on top of the $200 to rodeo it. And there is no guarantee this will fix the issue. So I am trying to figure out what the issue may be before we commit to rodeoing the car.

The car is level and doesn't lose height over time. It stays stuck in thenhigehst position unless abc is on and you cycle the button (and this isn't even all the time) I usually have to be driving for a bit before it starts to cycle.

Think anyone can help us out?

 

hi there,

The abc computer can not say whether it is the air in the system or a leak. Because it is a hydraulic system, abc computer can only pinpoint a few problems and as far as the rest is concerned, well, it pretty much tells you what you already know (i.e. that the suspension is lower or doesn't function as it is supposed to).

I have quite a knowledge about this system (I rebuild abc valve blocks). Your initial "guess" about the air in the system is right on the point. While there is always a chance that something else might be casing the issue, I bet 9 to 10 it is the air in your case.

Personally I wouldn't go to the dealer, especially for the rodeo, as it will not fix your problem. Personally I'm very skeptical about the system's ability to bleed by itself the air trapped there but I don't want to say it is not going to happen.

The problem with bleeding is that it is impossible to entirely bleed this system (short of removing all struts and some other parts) because, unlike in the brake system where bleeder valves are at the end of the lines, in the abc system the bleeder valves are half way between valve blocks and the strut.

Now, I don't know how did you go about changing the strut and whether the strut you bought was already pre-filled with oil. But I'm sure you must have introduced air as it is virtually impossible to avoid that even for a seasoned pro.

Go ahead and keep bleeding that side (which actually sucks, I hate DIY bleeding on the rear axle) 'till it starts to "respond" properly.

I have changed many valve blocks (which I rebuild) and quite recently rebuilt all my abc struts/shock (actually I had the bottom oil-gas shocks rebuilt and put it back together) and I can tell you that it happened to me a few times that one of the sides would get "stuck" (like yours) and cause a lot of aggravation since it would turn a 20 minute bleeding job into 1,5 hour test of your patience and creativity.

After you get that side to "respond" correctly, you may still get an occasional (white) error once in a while which I wouldn't worry about (restart the car). However, if it doesn't go away after a month of driving or so, and it consistently goes on right after you start (as opposed to popping up some time during the driving) then you are for a visit to the dealer but this time for a RE-CALIBRATION of the (height) suspension/struts. I will not go into a detail here since it's a different story and especially since you first need to get that side to "respond" correctly.

Good job on getting that strut changed. You were lucky to get those hydraulic "quick-connect" couplings to disconnect freely, they usually get stuck bad on me and I'm forced to remove the line right at the end (the strut).

Good luck!

 

Thanks for your information. Its not really an issue my dad cares too much about, as the car still drives and doesn't hop like a lowrider as it will with the red error code. But it is something we would like to get fixed. We are going to try bleeding from all 4 corners again, it couldn't hurt... I too was wondering if the new shock came with oil or not? We got a remanufactured arnott shock with a lifetime warranty.

The hydraulic "quick-connect" was a pain in the ****, but we found a DIY on how to remove it. Removing it was actually the easiest part, it was putting it back on and making sure it was on properly that was a pain in the ****...

I think it may be air related as well, beause it works when ABC sport is engaged (which I assume increases the pressure greatly) so it must be just a ton of air (perhaps the shock didn't come with new fluid). I doubt its the pump going because power steering is still fine, and there are no more leaks or sounds from the pump.

Perhaps we will get the fluid flushed completely by the dealer (it is probably time we had it done anyway). And hope that fixes the problem.

 

Since you and your Dad like to do your own work, you really should invest in a STAR system, so you can handle all the tasks that require any computer interface.