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resolved: sl500 ABC passengers side front and rear drops when shifted into drive??
Hello everyone its been a while for me, i recently purchased a 2003 r230, the car drops to the floor when shifted into drive (on the passenger side front and rear). there are no leaks and the car raises to level after driving for a short period of time.
any advice appreciated.
Last edited by al300sd; Apr 3, 2021 at 01:34 PM.
Reason: resolved
I would check the hydraulic pressure developed by the pump with a diagnostic tool.
Thanks for the reply so I find it weird that I was gone for a week and when I got back the car was sitting 100%. Did not budge I started it up put the car and drive as soon as I let go of the break the passenger side dropped to the floor. When I drive for a few minutes it raises back up to normal level when I park it it stays perfectly fine, until I go to drive it again. if the car is running and I put it in Park after driving and then back into drive also totally fine.??? I checked with my ODB tool and saw a few hours relating to the level sensors.
My first guess is that your pump is not providing enough pressure at startup/idle for some reason. It could be that the pump is going bad, a suction valve issue, a pressure sensor, or a control problem. If you don't have a diagnostic tool, you need to have someone who does take a look at it. I think your level sensor codes are probably just because of the low level reached. The controller limits motion when the car is in park or stationary so that you don't feel movement when you are parked or sitting at a light, so it is just dropping when the ABC is fully activated.
Does it do this if you shut it off for just a few minutes, or does it need to sit for an extended period of time? Also, are you sure that both front and back are dropping? The front dropping can make it feel like it is the entire side. One corner could be a control valve issue, both right side struts would almost have to be a pressure supply issue since the front and rear don't have much else in common.
So I just did some experimenting and these are my findings. When I started up the car I had my lovely assistant put the car into drive and everything stayed up the way it should. She rolled maybe 5 ft and it still stayed up somehow. I then asked her to press the ride height button and the front and back passenger both dropped at the same time. A few seconds later the back came up and the front stayed down. After a few minutes of driving the front came up as well. Below is a picture of the error codes I get with my scanner. Also the car sits without any issue for long periods of time without any sagging. Thank you all for your help.
Update: Thank you All So much for your input, The problem was slipped ride height sensor link front passenger ANDDDDDD drivers side rear. HOW??? reconnected and all good now.
Okay, those codes would point more towards a controls issue. C1127 is right front plunger sensor as you indicated in your notes and for some reason, you have codes for all four level sensors. Usually this will be an indication of a wiring or controller issue since it is unlikely that you failed all four level sensors. This will be difficult to diagnose without having a scan tool to monitor those five sensors, but there are a couple of things that you can check. First, check the right front plunger sensor. That is the sensor right on top of the strut. Make sure that the wiring looks good, etc. Secondly, I would unplug the ABC module, clean the connectors, and plug it back in. Probably not going to solve you problem, but worth a shot.
I'm not sure why it seems to be operating okay after it is driven for awhile. Perhaps it goes into a limp mode of some sort because of the bad plunger sensor. I've never really understood how the control uses the plunger sensors vs. the level sensors, but they essentially do the same job and the plunger sensors were eliminated in later versions of ABC.
With early ABC I think a control algorithm reads more than a dozen inputs which includes the four body level sensors, and from these it calculates a desired movement and position for each strut hydraulic cylinder. Essential to this control is knowing the position of each cylinder, and with the early ABC the associated travel sensors provide this.
With early ABC I think a control algorithm reads more than a dozen inputs which includes the four body level sensors, and from these it calculates a desired movement and position for each strut hydraulic cylinder. Essential to this control is knowing the position of each cylinder, and with the early ABC the associated travel sensors provide this.
Originally Posted by MikeJ65
Okay, those codes would point more towards a controls issue. C1127 is right front plunger sensor as you indicated in your notes and for some reason, you have codes for all four level sensors. Usually this will be an indication of a wiring or controller issue since it is unlikely that you failed all four level sensors. This will be difficult to diagnose without having a scan tool to monitor those five sensors, but there are a couple of things that you can check. First, check the right front plunger sensor. That is the sensor right on top of the strut. Make sure that the wiring looks good, etc. Secondly, I would unplug the ABC module, clean the connectors, and plug it back in. Probably not going to solve you problem, but worth a shot.
I'm not sure why it seems to be operating okay after it is driven for awhile. Perhaps it goes into a limp mode of some sort because of the bad plunger sensor. I've never really understood how the control uses the plunger sensors vs. the level sensors, but they essentially do the same job and the plunger sensors were eliminated in later versions of ABC.
thanks, i was in a panic before looking at the simple things first. thanks for responses.
Hello everyone its been a while for me, i recently purchased a 2003 r230, the car drops to the floor when shifted into drive (on the passenger side front and rear). there are no leaks and the car raises to level after driving for a short period of time.
any advice appreciated.
It has been written by many that it's not if, but when the ABC system goes wrong and repair bills can be frightening. Your issue may be a simple fix but before you go down the rabbit hole of fix after fix, consider swapping to a Strutmasters coil-over shock system. Fool proof, four new shocks good for 100,000 miles and no more worries. Cost? $1750 for the kit, around $600 to get it fitted and $800 refund to you when you sell the removed core units.
Good luck with what you chose to do. I did my 2004 SL500 a year ago and have no regrets.
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