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Received my parts from Vic today, it was a interesting repair, first the banjo connection bolt was almost finger tight which explains the cause for the leak, the high pressure destroyed the o-ring when the fluid escaped. so I replaced with fresh o-rings, now its dry as a bone. I spent a good 2 hours pulling panels and washing off all the hydraulic fluid and flushing it from the under belly. Replaced a few screws that were missing, flushed the ABC system. I then cycled the suspension up and down about 30 to 40 times, drove around with the ABC system on for about a hour, raised and lowered the top 2 or 3 times. After doing all these actions the car runs and drives great.
If I missed anything shoot me some advice.
Thank you all very much for the help and resources. I could not have accomplished this fix as quickly without the help received.
Y Kinda miss my 99 E320 Wagon.
our a group of great people!!!
Cheers Eric
2003 E55, 2003 SL55, 2014 CLS63, 2018 q50 Redsport, 1968 Camaro SS, 1999 Trans am Firehawk
To fully get all the old fluid out of the system you need to loosen up the bleeder port at each strut (looks like a brake bleed screw). Just taking the return line off the reservoir & pouring new fluid in won’t refresh the fluid between the valve blocks & struts, which is why you need after after doing the reservoir flush method get all the fluid out of each strut bleeder port. The system will then take the new fluid you’ve put in & replace what you drained out of each
To fully get all the old fluid out of the system you need to loosen up the bleeder port at each strut (looks like a brake bleed screw). Just taking the return line off the reservoir & pouring new fluid in won’t refresh the fluid between the valve blocks & struts, which is why you need after after doing the reservoir flush method get all the fluid out of each strut bleeder port. The system will then take the new fluid you’ve put in & replace what you drained out of each
Thanks, will do this tomorrow, put it up on the lift and finish bleeding per your instruction. Any pics would be helpful, however, I can probably find it.
Thanks again.
Eric
To fully get all the old fluid out of the system you need to loosen up the bleeder port at each strut (looks like a brake bleed screw).
I have this on my 'to do' list. The question is...doesn't the strut have to be under pressure (weight on it) to force the fluid from the strut out the bleed port?
This means the wheels need to be on the ground, not a lift. What is the procedure for this?
And to the original poster...glad it worked out well and inexpensive (except many hours of your time). It's a hobby for me, so time doesn't count. Same with motorcycles or airplanes
I have this on my 'to do' list. The question is...doesn't the strut have to be under pressure (weight on it) to force the fluid from the strut out the bleed port?
This means the wheels need to be on the ground, not a lift. What is the procedure for this?
And to the original poster...glad it worked out well and inexpensive (except many hours of your time). It's a hobby for me, so time doesn't count. Same with motorcycles or airplanes
Put a jack under the tire and lift it after you open the bleeder.
2003 E55, 2003 SL55, 2014 CLS63, 2018 q50 Redsport, 1968 Camaro SS, 1999 Trans am Firehawk
here's where the front ones are located. the rears are just as easy to find. just follow the hose that connects to the strut. i'd also suggest lubricating that quick disconnect (basically the same fitting as the end of an air compressor hose). those things are a massive battle to get off when they corrode up. took me 3 hours to get one off on mine once.
2003 E55, 2003 SL55, 2014 CLS63, 2018 q50 Redsport, 1968 Camaro SS, 1999 Trans am Firehawk
that's b/c the thread you read didn't have how to fully replace all the fluid in the system. bleed until all fluid comes out of each port. might need to compress the strut up by placing a jack under the tire as another has stated to get all the fluid out. this usually is the dirtiest fluid in the system since it isn't circulated.
How much fluid should be bled from each of these ports? I don't recall seeing this in the thread I followed when I flushed my system.
If you used Star Diagnosis and followed the factory procedure for flushing the ABC, then there is no need to open any bleed ports. In the course of a "Pitch" routine each strut hydraulic cylinder is exercised to its maximum travel, and basically all fluid is pumped out.of the strut.
2003 E55, 2003 SL55, 2014 CLS63, 2018 q50 Redsport, 1968 Camaro SS, 1999 Trans am Firehawk
Originally Posted by bobterry99
If you used Star Diagnosis and followed the factory procedure for flushing the ABC, then there is no need to open any bleed ports. In the course of a "Pitch" routine each strut hydraulic cylinder is exercised to its maximum travel, and basically all fluid is pumped out.of the strut.
you still have all of the fluid between the strut & valve block. If you do the rodeo like you mentioned at best you’re just going to mix new fluid with bad. The bleed port is the only way to get all the old bad fluid out
2005 SL55 amg, 2009 Lincoln MXZ, 2012 Dodge 2500 Limited
I experienced similar. abc reservoir puked all it oil out the fill cap. Car spent 3 weeks at the stealers and they couldn’t figure it out and pointed their fingers at a solinoid valve being stuck. It hasn’t done it since. Btw, this happened when I pulled the car out winter storage. The car sagged and i cycled suspension a couple times and it was after that task when it unloaded its fluid.
2003 E55, 2003 SL55, 2014 CLS63, 2018 q50 Redsport, 1968 Camaro SS, 1999 Trans am Firehawk
Originally Posted by bobterry99
I do not know of a method described in this forum or Mercedes literature for replacing ABC oil that does not result in old oil being mixed with new.
If the factory procedure is observed, then all fluid is circulated.
please explain how all fluid is cirulated. if the struts are fully deflated there is still fluid in the lines between the strut and valve block. many of these lines are not exactly short ones and are gonna hold a reasonable amount of fluid. when the valve block then commands back open to reflate the strut new fluid gets mixed with the old fluid that was in these lines and put into the strut. as i look at the STAR procedure the RODEO is a bleeding procedure and not really a fluid exchanging one. Mercedes believes that the ABC system is in essence 'sealed for life' and doesn't have an official fluid replacement schedule, which is crazy given that the fluid when sitting on shelves in a bottle has an expiration date.
if you replace all the fluid as OP already has that's in the system then take the old fluid out of the bleed ports when the struts reflate they will be replaced with all new fluid
I posted to this thread simply to point out how the factory procedure does not mention opening any bleed ports. I was not looking for a debate. Hopefully this will be brief.
Originally Posted by carguyshu
please explain how all fluid is cirulated.
The answer is so obvious, so I presume that we have different interpretations of "circulate". To me, if all old fluid moves around and mixes with new fluid, and that mixed fluid can make its way to the return line, then it can be described as circulating.
Originally Posted by carguyshu
...the RODEO is a bleeding procedure and not really a fluid exchanging one.
But the system is generally self-bleeding, and in cases where bleeding is necessitated Rodeo is not used!
Rodeo is used to heat the fluid to a temperature of about 80 degrees C. It is also used to move large volumes of fluid through the system for purposes of filtering the fluid and cleaning the valve blocks.
Originally Posted by carguyshu
many of these lines are not exactly short ones and are gonna hold a reasonable amount of fluid.
This seems like a good point to me. A higher volume of fluid in the line between valve block and suspension strut reduces the efficiency of exchanging new fluid for old. In the case where the console button is used in lieu of a Pitch routine, I suspect little or insignificantly little fluid is exchanged with each up/down cycle. (Only about 35ml of fluid is added or subtracted with each up/down cycle. If the line holds more fluid than that, then alternately the line is charged with new fluid, and much or nearly all of that just-added fluid is then ejected into the return line for removal.)
Last edited by bobterry99; 09-24-2018 at 06:30 PM.
The point of all this shouldn't be that you need to do some crazy bleeding or flushing every time. Unless you have metal contamination, you don't need to remove every trace of old fluid. You don't get every drop of oil out of your engine during an oil change either and yet they are just fine. It's about renewing the additive package and ensuring the fluid isn't breaking down completely to where it doesn't lubricate/protect anymore. A rodeo moves, lets say 75% of the fluid in the system around (it fully compresses the struts in series, so most fluid comes back the return side). If you do this while the return is in a bucket and you are adding new fluid constantly, you will introduce a ton of new fluid. Normal functions of the system will mix the remainder, and if you did the same thing again in, let's say, 5k miles, you would have gotten over 90% of the old fluid out (assuming my 75% number is right, it may be higher than that, strictly a guess).
Any of this is FAR better than not flushing the system. Draining the struts is cool too, but don't let the fact that you aren't doing that, keep you from flushing the rest of the system. Clean fresh fluid just does so much good for the system, even a couple liters of it.
2003 E55, 2003 SL55, 2014 CLS63, 2018 q50 Redsport, 1968 Camaro SS, 1999 Trans am Firehawk
Originally Posted by ItalianJoe1
The point of all this shouldn't be that you need to do some crazy bleeding or flushing every time. Unless you have metal contamination, you don't need to remove every trace of old fluid. You don't get every drop of oil out of your engine during an oil change either and yet they are just fine. It's about renewing the additive package and ensuring the fluid isn't breaking down completely to where it doesn't lubricate/protect anymore. A rodeo moves, lets say 75% of the fluid in the system around (it fully compresses the struts in series, so most fluid comes back the return side). If you do this while the return is in a bucket and you are adding new fluid constantly, you will introduce a ton of new fluid. Normal functions of the system will mix the remainder, and if you did the same thing again in, let's say, 5k miles, you would have gotten over 90% of the old fluid out (assuming my 75% number is right, it may be higher than that, strictly a guess).
Any of this is FAR better than not flushing the system. Draining the struts is cool too, but don't let the fact that you aren't doing that, keep you from flushing the rest of the system. Clean fresh fluid just does so much good for the system, even a couple liters of it.
if you don’t have STAR or higher end scanner you can’t do a rodeo or Pitch procedure & the only way to get fluid out of the struts is the bleeders.
Engine oil & hydraulic oil serve very different functions & thus need treated differently. If u just keep circulating through the system new fluid without at least compressing the struts with a pitch or rodeo you’re not going to get any new fluid between the valve block and strut nor will you get anything in the strut. At rest the valve blocks are locked on ABC 1 (ABC 2 slightly opens/closes them to put less stress on hoses) and no fluid is allowed in or out from the valve block to strut.
using pitch will be better than not as at least you are getting some new fluid between the valve block & strut but you will always have all the fluid that is stuck in the lines & not ejected when the strut is full compressed that won’t be replaced unless you open the bleeder port. This fluid isn’t something that is circulated & gets replaced. It just moves back & forth between the strut & strut line. It never makes it out of the valve block where it can actually be circulated.
if you don’t have STAR or higher end scanner you can’t do a rodeo or Pitch procedure & the only way to get fluid out of the struts is the bleeders.
Engine oil & hydraulic oil serve very different functions & thus need treated differently. If u just keep circulating through the system new fluid without at least compressing the struts with a pitch or rodeo you’re not going to get any new fluid between the valve block and strut nor will you get anything in the strut. At rest the valve blocks are locked on ABC 1 (ABC 2 slightly opens/closes them to put less stress on hoses) and no fluid is allowed in or out from the valve block to strut.
using pitch will be better than not as at least you are getting some new fluid between the valve block & strut but you will always have all the fluid that is stuck in the lines & not ejected when the strut is full compressed that won’t be replaced unless you open the bleeder port. This fluid isn’t something that is circulated & gets replaced. It just moves back & forth between the strut & strut line. It never makes it out of the valve block where it can actually be circulated.
I'm well aware, I'm an MB tech, I know how the system works. I also know many cars don't ever get a flush unless something fails, and most of them are ok. Any maintenance is better than no maintenance.
If you are planning on doing repairs on ABC yourself, you should invest in a scanner capable of running the rodeo/pitch process. Cheap investment.
Nice drive today in the mountains looking at the colors of the trees. I noticed the supercharger worked and then when it was a little hot it did not work, cooled down, power was on, heats up power is down. Soooooo..... I will be doing a water pump swap for the supercharger. Looks to be a fairly simple task with rewards of better consistency for POWER!!!!
Nice drive today in the mountains looking at the colors of the trees. I noticed the supercharger worked and then when it was a little hot it did not work, cooled down, power was on, heats up power is down. Soooooo..... I will be doing a water pump swap for the supercharger. Looks to be a fairly simple task with rewards of better consistency for POWER!!!!
Yep, those pumps are a common failure item and unless you push the car and pay attention, many people do not notice. They are only around $100 online for the correct Bosch pump.
Yep, those pumps are a common failure item and unless you push the car and pay attention, many people do not notice. They are only around $100 online for the correct Bosch pump.
The correct Bosch pump is part # 0392 022 010
Plug and play, but better flow than original.
Woke up this morning to a new Easter egg. Came out the front driver side suspension was dropped. Turn the car on red ABC said vehicle too low. Pushed the button to raise the vehicle to put fluid in the suspension. Raised it up, red light went away and the warning went away. I'm assuming I have a valve block that needs rebuilt in the front. I think I've determined after reading that my valve block is leaking.
Would anybody recommend a good rebuild kit of O-rings and where to purchase them at.
This will be another great opportunity to learn the hydraulic system of this wonderful car. I say that to maintain my positive attitude.
Later today I have the opportunity to change the water pump that cools the supercharger should be an easy job but I look so forward to doing it.
Woke up this morning to a new Easter egg. Came out the front driver side suspension was dropped. Turn the car on red ABC said vehicle too low. Pushed the button to raise the vehicle to put fluid in the suspension. Raised it up, red light went away and the warning went away. I'm assuming I have a valve block that needs rebuilt in the front. I think I've determined after reading that my valve block is leaking.
Would anybody recommend a good rebuild kit of O-rings and where to purchase them at.
This will be another great opportunity to learn the hydraulic system of this wonderful car. I say that to maintain my positive attitude.
Later today I have the opportunity to change the water pump that cools the supercharger should be an easy job but I look so forward to doing it.
I use the ones on Ebay from DIY Benz Repair with PTFE backup rings
They have a website also
I use the ones on Ebay from DIY Benz Repair with PTFE backup rings
They have a website also
thank you knowbenz, I finished the supercharger intercooler water pump replacement. Went pretty smooth, pretty straight forward swap.
As I understand it there is no need to bleed the cooling pump system, it looks as if it’s self bleeding. Does that sound accurate?
thank you knowbenz, I finished the supercharger intercooler water pump replacement. Went pretty smooth, pretty straight forward swap.
As I understand it there is no need to bleed the cooling pump system, it looks as if it’s self bleeding. Does that sound accurate?
I'd suggest you hold onto your old pump. When they fail, it's usually just the brushes that have worn out and they are easy to replace. When you open the pump to have a look at the condition of the brushes,it'll be obvious if it was a wear problem as the offending brush will be worn away. You can then replace the brushes for pennies and put the pump on the shelf for the future.
09-20-2018, 11:33 PM
