Has anyone used strutmasters? The sbc is just to much money to puting out on a 2005 sl500 I just want to drive the car not just keep puting money into the sbc. The car is just fine just the sbc sucks now. Can i put just a power streeing pump in the car and take out the tandem ? T/K you

 

in my eyes prefer adjustable Yellow speed
you don't need to change the pump
you can just loop the ABC part

 

Me- I have Strutmasters. I bought the car with them already installed- I bought the car site unseen from a dealership in NC.

With that said, they suck. Had I been in NC and test drove this car, I would have walked away from the deal. The inspector I hired warned me the struts were swapped out and the car doesn't have the same ride quality anymore- i wondered, how bad can it really be?

Terrible ride quality, car lunges forward on sudden stops, no sway bars (they are built into the ABC system electronically), noisy suspension etc

The list goes on- spend the money and maintain the ABC system- its really not that bad- many parts can be found on the aftermarket or remanufactured on ebay, amazon etc

An aftermarket pump is $350 on ebay, rebuilt valve blocks are $400, ABC fluid is $200 for 10 quarts, accumulators are $100 each....struts you can get for $500 from Arnott with core exchange- or go to a junkyard (what I'm doing now) and get them for $200

STICK TO ABC

 

I know strutmasters suck
yellowspeed and sway bars is fine but not like ABC at all
I prefer ABC too
everything is a matter of skills, time and wallet

sometimes people try to save 300$ and then after test and fail they end up knocking on my door for a real install

 

To be fair- maybe the ride with BC racing/yellow speed is better than strutmaster- I don't want to discourage anyone from getting coilovers

 

Just purchased adjustable coilover kit from coilover depot(silvers) $1149 including shipping. Now attempting to install but having a very hard time removing the bottom bearing from the control arms in the front. Plan on doing the pump bypass mod also as soon as installation is complete. Seems pretty simple.

 

Let me know how it goes.....and your thoughts on comfort, quality etc....

 

Just finally removed front struts. Pickle fork did no good at all for removing the lower mounting bolt. Had to use a gear puller and breaker bar. Of course the second one was quicker because I had to figure out how to do it on the first one.

 

I've got Strutmasters on my '03. Seems to me that the ride is a little on the soft side. Gonna replace' em this season with a set of adjustables, and grab a set of sway bars. Car is literally **** in a corner without sway bars! Lol

 

Im going with vvk once and done t/k you

 

I have completed the installation of Silvers and leveled where I want the car. However, I'm having a problem trying to figure out how and which hydraulic lines to reroute to bypass the pump. This is because I blew one line out in the left front wheel well. This is why I decided to change to coileroverss because all the lines have deteriorated to the point of replacement. I'm worried about rerouting incorrectly and causing the bad bad line location to be pumping out hydraulic fluid. It's located on what I believe is shown as Y36/1. If I go directly from the exit line from the pump to the reservoir, will that be low not high pressure?

 

I have to admit, I've been working on cars since 1958 and have restored and rebuilt numerous automobiles, but I have never been involved with these types of problems or this type situationn. The engineering of this 2006 SL500 is completely different. Seems it was designed only for MB dealerships to work on.

 

This car is over the top

 

Looped the pump, drove the car, and everything seems to be good to go. No leaks from old lines or from pump line. Set the top adjustment knobs to 25 out of 35. Seems a little stiff. Might have to turn it back a couple more notches. Measured old struts after removal and set new ones to those lengths. Had to lower rear coilovers an additional 1 5/8" but front was good. Contacted Arnott Industries for buy back of old struts. If that comes though, net cost will be $349 plus a couple of bucks for some 3/8' and 1/2' hose and clamps. Pretty satisfied right now. Car sits almost exactly where I want it. Next is to remove all extraneous lines and junction blocks from the old system.

 

T/K you glad it good i love the car but abc was good but now just a money pit as you know if i need help now i know who to get T/K you

 

I create the loop system because I was too lazy to swap the pump.and after all, why not, with looping you have no more pressure so no leaks.... and no heat, you can suppress the abc radiator also

 

Drove the car a few miles. Removed all wheels and checked torque on all nuts and bolts. Only lines I removed and capped were the feed lines to the struts themselves. I turned the adjusting knobs on each coiler back 2 additional clicks. Car rides a little stiffer than ABC and there is no wallowing in curves or corners. Of course, I'm not racing slalom courses.
Just FedEx'd the strut to Arnott today. (shipping paid by Arnott) Had to package them myself. FedEx people didn't want to get their hands dirty. (That's almost a direct quote)
I don't know how everyone else did it but I used a floor jack under the tow hook inserted in the side jacking ports. Worked great, just be careful.
Right now I am more than satisfied with the results. The guy that said it only took him a day must be a helluva better and quicker mechanic than I am. Of course, I did everything by myself and I'm 71 years old and had a stroke 7 years ago. Oh well, it's done. It remains to be seen If I did and okay job.

I read on the forum that someone said to remove the ABC fuse, then the warning light will be white instead of red. It can also be reset right after you start the car. It worked that way. My question is are there any hidden items on that fuse circuit?

 

71 you are the man!!!!!

 

got me out of the house for a few days.

 

Man, 71 and you can still get under a car for this?? You're a better man than I. I'm only 63 and already have a bad back.

Great job! Keep on driving!

 

Went for a 50 mile drive today. Rides great and no noises. Glad I did this.

 

Thanks for the update. I also went with the Silver's Neomax coilovers based on your's and reviews from others. Definitely a lot of but work but worth the effort considering the amount of money saved in labor cost. Also did the ABC pump loop back and removed the struts from the opposite end of the arm as recommended by George993. IN my SL55 it required dropping the rear muffler (via hanger) and the exhaust hanger forward the muffler for bolt removal...but still far easier than following the Arnott's or Strutmaster method.

https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-...tructions.html

 

Hi, I just want to express my gratitude to forum members first for their courage in taking on this challenge (perhaps the cost and worry of maintaining the ABC, bolstered your courage) and secondly for so thoroughly sharing your methods and experience.
I'm in the middle of the switchover myself (expecting my coilovers any minute now), and I could not or would not have taken on this project without this body of knowledge and inspiration.
I consider your contributions as a real act of brotherhood.