Crabsl500

2005 SL500 Pump failed at 42,000 miles I had the Strutmaster kit installed with the light fix module 6 months ago and am very pleased with the ride. It cost what the pump installation would have been. No more ABC worries, you do however realize that this is a heavy car when riding on coil over oil struts.

Colinporter

The cost of having a coilover conversion will be cheaper. I'm in England so there's limited choice of coilovers here i have BC Racing which are really good fully adjustable with damping. I'm using sl350 antiroll bars which do the job fine but that's only because aftermarket antiroll bars are not available in UK. You will have a lot of people saying get the ABC repaired but each to there own. It's depends what sort of funds you have. Me personally i would recommend coilovers all day long.

Crabsl500

I'll say this then I'll leave it alone. I totally enjoy my 2005 SL, I've wanted one since seeing the first in 1954. I'm a retired service technician and all I want to do is drive my SL on nice days and enjoy. I'm not looking for a diy project, I don't want a hobie playing with any car I just want to drive it and enjoy it. The second ABC failure drove me to a coil over replacement and I do not regret it! I take the car everywhere without the worry of the ABC leaving me waiting on a tow truck. So cost and reliability was what drove me to Coil overs.

brucewane

Whose kit did you use? I've seen good and bad reviews on Strutmasters, saw one guy who hated the Strutmasters he put on one car and loved the Silvers Suspension kit he put on another car.

I've got an SL600, ABC is OK for now but I'm planning on going with a VVK kit in the near future.

MNGregory

Thanks again everyone. I'm starting to see a trend! I'm guessing the more these cars go down in value(I picked mine up for $11K this year) the more likely it is to swap out the ABC system, if only because these (ongoing)repairs can cost almost as much as it's worth pretty soon. I'm leaning towards the swap out. Will decide by tomorrow.
In the meantime I've found a couple viable options:https://rebuildmastertech.com/merced...onversion-kit/
Though this kit specs 2007-2012 model year. I need to contact them to see if it'll fit a 2003.

or the VVK kit, which I'm still trying to find a link to that particular kit. Anyone know it??

MNGregory

found the VVK product; https://rebuildmastertech.com/merced...onversion-kit/

Colinporter

You can have it plugged into Star diagnosis & have th ABC removed from the system then you won't have any warning lights.

Tommyboy928

GET 1 OR 3 BOTTLE FULL THROTTLE , LIQSEAL and add in abc tank, cold engine, and go for a drive, then your leaks is gone all over the place, also add less than half bottle in roof pump to rebuild seals there. search e bay, and read my story on this forum, how to fix your engine and abc leak

brucewane

https://vvk-usa.myshopify.com/

Colinporter

I'm not sure how it is in UK for doing the coilover conversion. I've done mine but all the people i've spoken to are in the States. Possibly a lot of people opt for the sl350 which has springs & antiroll bars.

George993

@MNGregory - I've used CEIKA multi adjustable coil over struts, description of the installation process is below (similar installation applies if you choose other strut brands). Note the way I came up for doing the rear struts - much simpler than what youTube videos, Mercedes and struts manufacturers recommend/show on YouTube. I'm very happy with the results. Replacing of the pump I would only do if the pump is totally dead, otherwise I would just loop it back as described to save a lot of time swapping the pumps. BTW, @Colinporter - CEIKA shipping price is the same to anywhere in the world (including UK).

https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-...er-struts.html

For anti roll/sway bars I've also bought used SL350 in Europe, but have not installed them yet - after driving the car for a number of months I don't see how I would want any changes to handling (including rolling in turns). But that was after several adjustments to set the height, firmness and rebound of the struts. Now I prefer the handling to ABC, but again after the adjustments - those are quick and easy and make a huge difference. So I would be concerned about non-adjustable shocks - maybe they are set perfectly for you, or maybe not. Rebound seems the most important - just turning the knob on the strut top with your fingers, changes the car from very bouncy/jumpy/unstable at one end to driving like on rails at the other.

I have used the following parts:

1) CEIKA 1M coilovers at https://us.ceika-store.com/ with dual springs front and back, pillowtops and camber plates, cost $1216.00 (including 5% discount with coupon CEIKAR230SL ). I sold the used ABC struts to strut company Arnott for a 4*$300 = $1200 , Arnott sents pre-paid shipping labels. Net struts cost $16.00 (prices, discounts and Arnott core purchases are not guaranteed for the future of course). Note that many strut sellers add $1200 to the price unless you return old struts, so you will pay more than $16.00 for the 4 struts. Here you sell old broken struts for $1200 which is about the same as you pay for new coil overs including shipping.

2) Sway bars – as discussed above

3) Loopback hose for the ABC/Power steering pump. I’ve actually bought a R220 (S500) pump as they are cheap and apparently fit. But then I noticed that removal of the original tandem pump is complex and a lot of work. As I like to keep things simple I applied a loopback and kept the tandem (description in the link above). I studied many ways to do it and found a very simple way which needs just one cut and 4ft of ½” internal diameter hose and one hose clamp. The hose needs to handle Mercedes hydraulic fluid at LOW pressure and be very flexible I’m using Derale 15701 Transmission/Engine Oil Hose ($22 on Amazon for 5 ft) .

4) Plugs for the disconnected strut connectors which I left in the car, to make the whole process fully reversible if needed. (Details in the link above)

5) Optionally ABC lights fix module, but I have decided to re-program the car into non-ABC instead, which only takes a few minutes (steps in the link above)

Good luck with whatever option people prefer

George993

And those who are still using ABC - I would strongly recommend replacing all of the pulsation dampers/accumulators/spheres in the car as a preventive maintenance.

After living with ABC for a few years and studying it I've concluded that those parts can be the main reason for hose ruptures - as hydraulic fluid pressure suddenly increases and has no other place to go but through the side of your ABC hose (typically at the most unfortunate time)

Crabsl500

brucewayne I went with the Strutmaster kit with light fix $1,600 including shipping. Includes everything you need to do the swap.

MNGregory

As a wrap up summary, I did go and repair the ABC suspension vs. replacing everything to coilovers.
After considering costs and the time it would take, I had my friends at Baker Road Automotive in Minnetonka, MN source a rebuilt pump, new high pressure line, filters, etc. for well under $2k.
I just wasn't sure about hacking the Benz up, and now that I understand all the little workings of the ABC system, it really is a superior ride, like non other.
Does that mean I made the right decision? Only time will tell. In the meantime, it's summer up here and I'm loving life again! Good luck everyone with your rides. Thanks for the help.

R jarmoszko

I’m trying to understand how the tandem pump works in relationship to the electrics, which of the electric feeds affect the pressure of the pump to the lines and how. Which fuses control what function..specifically can pulling a fuse or Disconnecting a plug decrease the pressure in the hydraulic lines?

trabots

Removing ABC control module

Folks, I have had all sorts of partial help on this along the lines of it is "under the dash" or it is in the "driver's footwell" but I simply cannot find the ABC module on my 2006 RHD SL55. If some one could help me with a bit more detail as in how to remove carpet from the side of the console as a CL55 drawing shows it located there. Ebay is full of them for sale so I guess I am just an idiot retired mechanical engineer. Please help this geezer get rid of the red warning after the installation of coil overs and roll bars. Cheers aplenty if someone can help me.

George993

I'm not sure why you want to remove the ABC control module - are you sure it will get rid of the red warnings? Or quite the opposite - will it generate more warnings as other computers will be unable to communicate with the ABC control module? I think the right approach is to simply connect to OBD2 port and configure the car to be a non-ABC car. I've described the steps here .All ABC errors and lamps are immediately gone.

https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-...er-struts.html

Good luck with whatever option you choose.

Gene Fiorot

Can't you just use the added module that Strutmasters sells?

George993

There is a clean way to make it as if it came out of Mercedes factory (by configuring computers to non-ABC as in SL350 in some countries), or there are multiple alternative hacks, band aids or work arounds - it's a personal preference. Plus the clean way is free for those with access to proper tools.

KebHund

I own the sl 55 amg 2003. 50 ths mile on it. The pump and the strut broke when I was 350 km away from home. I managed to drive back home. Withut the pum working, the car was waywing from side to side of a higway.
I understand, the ABC is a word class suspension. I love how it works. I just cannot afford to keep it: It takes weeks to get tit fixed, costs money for labor and you are buying time. If there is an ABC replacement kit - again fo ABC, I would go for it to buy another 16 years of service...

R jarmoszko

don’t you get the same result by pulling the fuse for abc ?

llcoolbenz

Yes...same ‘FREE’ end result by just pulling the fuse.

R jarmoszko

Thanks did that any way to rid the white abc ??!!! Besides coding out??

llcoolbenz

Thats the only way I’ve heard it can ultimately be done. Through Star. I don’t mind just clearing the white light with the reset button at startup. 😂

Crabsl500

StrutMaster kit installed one year ago I now have 4,400 miles of smiles!