2004 R230 ABC suspension hydraulic rubber hose to blue valve body that is connected to a metal line goes to the back of the car burst. How do you remove for replacement/repair without having to remove the engine? The line snakes into the engine compartment and under heat shields. Once I remove the clamps and heat shields which is a challenge can you remove the preformed metal hydraulic line without taking out the engine. I hope I did not ruin the pump. I had to drive 3-4 miles to find a good place to stop.

 

I just experienced the same problem with my 2003 SL500.

A few days ago as I’m backing out of the garage I heard a loud pop and then a whooshing sound. I stopped the car and found a lot of fluid at the left front tire. I jacked up the car, removed tire and inner fender and discovered that the “car killer” hose had ruptured. My mechanic said the motor would need to be removed to replace the entire hydraulic line. Well crap!

A little google and YouTube and I found a way to cut the metal part of the line, remove remaining line from front block, went to hydraulic hose manufacturer and had a new hose crimped in place, then used a 5000# stainless steel compression fitting to repair my cut line. Installed new line, topped off fluid and no more leaks.

There is a guy on YouTube that has a few videos on how to repair this line. The new line cost me $20 at a hydraulic line manufacturing company.

 

Thank you. Do they have at the same place that made up the hose?

 

If you're talking about the compression fitting, yes they have the fitting, it was a 10mm fitting.

 

Thank you again. I hoped I could replace the line without removing the whole line which looked like you had to remove the engine or subassembly. I had just flushed the system and rebuilt the valve bock a week ago and now the hose blew.

 

That's exactly what I did. Flushed the ABC system and new filter, then two weeks later the hose blew. My mechanic said the engine must be removed to replace, then I found the YouTube video describing cutting the line and having the hydraulic repair shop rebuild, then use the compression fitting to finish the repair. Turned out to be a pretty easy fix.

 

Okhmbldr,

Appreciate your ABC System Bravery and success! I looked at 4 or 5 ABC owner YouTube videos, but I did not see the hydraulic line splice repair that you commented on. Can you post the link for the video that you referred to? What year is your SL500? Did you find and replace any damaged (fluid-filled) ball accumulators that likely caused your hydraulic line rupture in the first place? Thanks!

 

He has about 5 short videos showing the entire procedure. His name is Mason Lacave.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQj...zo36GaGg-Yg_bw

My SL is a 2003. I did not replace any accumulators or anything else. Just repaired the ruptured line.

 

fantastic !
any links for parts ?

 

Given the relatively large numbers of R230s that are still on the road, the value of the cars, the numbers of aging, but critical, flexible hydraulic lines in these cars, and the high cost of OEM MB flexible hydraulic lines and the high cost of labor to replace them, I am surprised that some enterprising US hydraulic line shops or hydraulic line manufacturers in this country do not offer a "kit" to replace most or all of the trouble-prone flexible lines in these cars. I would certainly buy such a kit of hoses just to have some piece of mind on some long distance trips and avoid being stranded for days with an un-driveable car in a remote location. I guess the downside of buying such a kit in anticipation of future problems is the fact that the flexible rubber parts of the new lines are still subject to aging problems while sitting on the shelf/awaiting installation.

If my SL600 blows a hose in such a situation, absent such a repair kit, my first repair choice would be to replace those aging German flexible hoses with new American-made flexible hoses with metric ends (or recycled OEM ends) on them. I would also be interested in purchasing replacement MB flexible lines with better quality rubber/stainless steel braided lines such as those used in brake applications, race car applications, or in aircraft/aerospace applications. Is there anyone out there doing this currently?

 

Mine are still good at this point but in the future if I have to do it, I will go with Aeroquip hose and flareless fitting. They are commonly used on Aerospace industry. Most aircraft hydraulic systems are 3000+ psi. systems. No special tools required!

 

Thanks for your comments. Aeroquip replacement hydraulic lines are exactly what I was thinking when I mentioned the use of stainless steel braided replacement lines in my recent post. I have a couple of old cars with Aeroquip brake lines that have been just fine for 35 plus years in all types of climates. Perhaps there is not adequate room for Aeroquip replacement lines/fittings in some of the R230's limited/tight spaces. I just did a search of the whole R230 forum and was surprised to find zero mentions of "aeroquip" other than your post today.

 

This is a great site where you can order custom built hydraulic hoses. They have all the parts needed and i heard great reviews. Prices are not bad at all.

https://www.discounthydraulichose.com/R2-06-ASB.html


The only thing i am still not sure about, is the compression fitting size needed for our cars. They have so many options/sizes .... I know one of them fits our cars, i just don't know which one. If anyone can figure out, please share.

 

Post #4 mentions a 10 mm fitting.

 

Does anyone know the cost of the factory hose itself? Seems like you can just cut a factory hose and splice it in.. But knowing MB its outrageous.

 

I just had a ruptured ABC line rebuilt and they used Aeromotive hose - so you may be on to something. Not sure what sort of machine they used to connect the hose to the hardline though. If this is something that can be done easily then this will be a great option!



Rob

 

That is good to know. One of the issues is finding metric hydraulic hose fittings. Using the existing tubing and fitting that connects to the valve body I welded a 3/8 SAE fitting to the metal tubing. Then I was able to have a hydraulic hose with 3/8 fittings which is easy to have made up. I wish they engineered the hydraulic ABC lines to be replaced without removing the engine or dropping the subframe.

 

This line has to be the dumbest design ever by Mercedes, they over complicated things and has no business of routing a line under the engine, through the bellhousing like that. They learned their lesson though and my 2009, that line can be replaced in minutes, because it's just a straight shot from the pump to valve block. I bet a lot of older SLs were junked due to this line rupturing, where the cost of repair is so outrageous the owners just dump it and hence the R230 and S class is the most depreciated cars.

Glad you guys were able to find alternatives to repairing it, most people that aren't on the forums doesn't have this option but to bend over backwards at the dealership.

 

***************

---Quote (Originally by mangusta1969)---
Thanks for your comments. Aeroquip replacement hydraulic lines are exactly what I was thinking when I mentioned the use of stainless steel braided replacement lines in my recent post. I have a couple of old cars with Aeroquip brake lines that have been just fine for 35 plus years in all types of climates. Perhaps there is not adequate room for Aeroquip replacement lines/fittings in some of the R230's limited/tight spaces. I just did a search of the whole R230 forum and was surprised to find zero mentions of "aeroquip" other than your post today.
---End Quote---
I just had a ruptured ABC line rebuilt and they used Aeromotive hose - so you may be on to something. Not sure what sort of machine they used to connect the hose to the hardline though. If this is something that can be done easily then this will be a great option!



Rob
***************

Rob, congrats on your ABC hardline/softline repair! Which line on your car was replaced? How long was the Aeroquip softline/hose segment in your repair? Since the Aeroquip brake hoses I was referring to above were rubber hoses covered with a braided stainless steel wrap, I suspect they would allow for a little bit of expansion with long runs at the pressures involved (2901 psi/200 bar), Have you experienced any ABC low pressure errors since the repair? Thanks for posting your repair experience.

 

The hose which routes behind the engine...is the entire portion behind the engine all steel tubing, or is some of the hidden/inaccessible line made of rubber? If all of the inaccessible portion is steel tubing, I'd be inclined to leave it in-place and replace the just soft rubber portions with braided stainless.
Also, FxFormat mentioned that MY 2009 was improved. Can that line be easily retrofitted to the earlier models? I've considered routing a new line, perhaps under the engine, if mine were to burst, versus removing the engine. Just leave the dead line there until the engine mounts or turbos need replacement.
Are certain lines more prone to burst than others? If yes, which ones and why? More constant pulsation? Heat exposure?
This is something which keeps me up at night. I'd like to resolve it before it becomes an immediate emergency repair, stranding me on the side of the road.
By the way, this is in reference to an SL65. Not sure if the lines are different for the V12 vs the V8.

 

1) Short of just replacing the hard to access lines, I don't think there is much you can do. The lines have very specific routings to allow flex and avoid high temperature areas. You might keep a couple of the 10mm compression fittings in the glove box in case you get a leak in an accessible area that you can repair that way.
2) The early system has significant differences, most notably the relocation of the pulsation damper to the pump. This makes the line configuration different and later lines are not compatible with the early system. Regardless, there is no real difference in how the lines are made. The newer configuration is simplified and has fewer hose sections, but you are stuck with the old layout.
3) On the base early SL500, I count a total of 14 lines that have a rubber section. Four are the valve to strut lines, two are pump to pulsation damper (2 pc. line), six are pulsation damper to T-block and on to front and rear valves, two are oil return through the cooler back to reservoir. Of these, the most stressed are pressure feeds which would be the pump to pulsation damper and the pressure side of the damper to valve blocks, a total of 5 lines. Of these pressure lines, all are easy to access except the first line coming off of the pump. The strut lines would be medium pressure, but I haven't heard of many failures on those. The return lines should be highly reliable.
4) V12 lines are different from the pump to the damper. I believe that this is a 3 pc. assembly on the V12 instead of 2 pc. like the V8.

 

This thread need to be made a “sticky” !!!

If the metal portion of the line ever breaks, I would do a re-route of the entire line rather than let it kill the car.

 

Good evening all, I am about to join two new struts on my CL63 using the 10mm compression fitting method as I don't trust the aging quick release now they've been disturbed.

I will be doing exactly as above, cutting the 10mm hard pipe and getting a new hose made up to join. Since doing these compression repairs have they given anyone any trouble since?

 

My ABC is fine at the moment, being repaired last year. But I'm wondering if anyone has seen a YT video (which I can no longer find) about a shop that drops the back axle, sets it on a custom jig, to expose the hoses that run across the underside of my CL500 (C215). I'm in the SF Bay Area and trying to line up resources for the anticipated future ABC work. It's only a matter of time before 20 YO hoses start giving me trouble.

 

After buying the car and getting red ABC warnings on the dash, I bought new accumulators and pulsation damper, along with 2 engine mounts and a tranny mount which I always replace when buying a used Benz since those wear out and people never replace them. Had those in the trunk when the high pressure line blew. Called a car killer hose because it snakes thru the front subframe and the "Benz designated" way to replace that line is to remove the front subframe, basically take the front of the car all apart, and it's a 30-hours labor job. MBZ dealer wanted to charge $9000 to replace that hose, indy shop that does it the same way wanted $5000. Lucky I found another indy shop that's owned by twin brothers who are both certified engineers, called told them what I got going on. "Sure, we can replace that hose for, you, we have done a DOZEN of those R230 car killer hoses, and not one of them has had a problem since. $2000 and it'll be good as new." I told them about my new parts which were still in boxes in the trunk. "Another $1000 and we'll install all those too." I brought the car to them and in less than 24 hours they were calling me to say "Your car is ready". And the total bill was $2900 including tax. I had spent about $850 on the new parts that were in the trunk. So, my total expense was about $3750
A lot better than spending $9000 at a Benz dealer especially when I don't find them to be trustworthy, they are snakes.
To put it simply, they buy a new Mercedes OEM hose, cut it into three sections, then install the two ends, snake the new hose very carefully into the places where the original hose had been for 20 years (It's a 2003 SL55 AMG), and use 10,000 PSI rated splice connectors of the highest quality so that there's a new hose now, and none of the front end of the car had to be removed. Using 3000PSI rated splice connections is probably not adequate since while running after completion, my system runs at a measured 2,850PSI, so you want hose and splices etc that are rated for at least twice that pressure. Taking half the car apart is not the way to do this job! There are guys on Benz world the other forum, who have done this repair this way, too. Since the original hose lasted twenty years, I don't see a problem with using an original OEM Mercedes brand new hose, If I recall it cost around $300-350 USD. It's really just a high pressure hydraulic hose and if you're a good skilled mechanic and have a place to do the work I'm sure it won't have to cost you $2000 to replace that hose, just takes some skill and maybe a good amount of patience. I do a lot of maintenance on my cars but this was not something I wanted to do myself, so was very happy to have spent $2900 and now with all new accumulators, pulsation damper and hi pressure hose, new ABC fluid and new .010 filter, the car's problems are over. I don't anticipate any new issues for quite a while. The engineer guys are extremely great mechanics, They are highly skilled, super knowledgeable, and they're honest. What more can a guy ask for. They inspected every part of the car, and said I did a great job in buying it as it's in very nice condition. Having learned about trusting a Mercedes service department the hard way more than once, I wouldn't take the car or any Mercedes, to a dealer for anything unless it was on fire. They're crooks, robbers, liars and thieves. My SL55 AMG looks, runs and drives like it's a new car. It's a 2003 with 94K miles on it!. If you need this hose replaced and don't want to do it yourself, call around you might get lucky and find a shop that's willing to do it the unconventional way, and if they've done a bunch of them before, it's a piece of cake.